Need Help with Credit Card Info

[education]

Hi guys--

Some time ago (and I think it was on this board) I found a website showing side-by-side comparisons of different types of credit cards with % rates, possible rewards, fees, etc. Somehow I've lost it. I'm using a Chase Continental Airlines Miles Card and I'm getting ticked at having to pay a $65.00 membership fee.

Can anybody help me?

Professor

 

[bssc]

Not sure about the website but have you considered just calling Chase and threatening to switch unless they waive the annual fee?

 

[Martha]

Here is a site to compare credit card offers: http://www.creditcards.com/index.php?a_aid=1004&a_cid=1000&a_did=1087

 

[education]

Thank you, Martha!!!!! That is the site I was looking for.

I did call Chase and they were very sorry but they said the fee was part of the miles card and they COULDN'T waive it. I think many of these card issuers have gotten very independent and refuse to work with the customers--feeling that there are many other people out there willing to accept what they offer. OTOH, they could be sick of sob stories and deadbeats, too.

Professor

 

[LOL!]

The 5% cash-back cards seem to be the best deal to me now. However, you need to have several credit cards to take advantage of each of their quirks.

5% cash-back Chase card for groceries and gas, 1% on other things
5% cash-back Citi card for groceries and gas, 1% on other things
3% cash-back Amex card on restaurants A

A good card for foreign charges (no extra 3% fee) -- maybe a Capital One?
A good card for foreign ATM withdrawals (no extra 3% fee) -- maybe a TDWaterhouse Visa

Put them all together and it's like getting a small pay raise.

 

[dex]

"A good card for foreign charges (no extra 3% fee) -- maybe a Capital One?"

This is a hard one to find - I'll have to check out C1

 

[Sheryl]

I was going to post this very same question yesterday!  We want to switch our cards to get air miles - have not had them up until now.   I'd be interested in hearing what others think is the best deal.

SO just mailed in the paperwork for the Capital One card - unless there's a hitch we missed it has no annual fee and you get airline tickets this way:

The Miles Required for Ticket Redemption will equal the Lowest Available Published Fare (LAPF), based on the Cardholder's chosen itinerary, multiplied by 90 (i.e., if the cost of the itinerary chosen by the Cardholder is $150, the Miles Required for Ticket Redemption will be 150 x 90 = 13,500. If the cost is $300, Miles Required for Ticket Redemption will be 300 x 90 = 27,000). This unique methodology is proprietary to Capital One and the subject of pending patent rights.


Seems like it might require more dollars spent per mile than others but we liked that it doesn't limit airlines or times that you fly (supposedly) and they have those hilarious  commercials.

I will probably shop a little more and get a competing card so we can compare them -  I need to ditch my Citibank card because I'm fed up with the 3% foreign charge. At least one of us needs to have a card without that.   This year they even tacked the fee onto our trip to Canada - that's never happened before!

 

[Ol_Rancher]

It is my understanding that Capital One awards 'points' rather than miles at a rate of 1.5 points per dollar charged and 2 points for some limited charges.

This more rapid rate of accumulation helps.

You buy your ticket online and then notify the rewards department within a several month time window and they credit your account for the purchase price.

Some airport fees do not count, just the ticket price. Check it out before getting the card. The new cards are called Caapital One No Hassle Card - Platinum'

 

[Sheryl]

Here's the Link to the Capital One cards.  Several choices are available.   

 

[MJ]

A good card for foreign charges (no extra 3% fee) -- maybe a Capital One?
A good card for foreign ATM withdrawals (no extra 3% fee) -- maybe a TDWaterhouse Visa

I used a Bank of Internet debit card for ATM withdrawals in Thailand. With their automatic upto $8/month reimburesment, I made a couple of bucks.

Although I took my PFCU CC card as a backup, I didn't use it. They supposedly charge only 1% and with their 1.25% cash rebate, you make .25%.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Some of those 5% cards also offer 5% off on any purchases in a drug store, not restricted to prescriptions, anything in the store. We get 5% back off our prescription co-pays, baby stuff, magazines and greeting cards, etc.

We've had to get several cards as they usually have a ~$300 limit on rebates in a given year. When we hit the limit on one, I just take it out of our wallets and replace it with an 'empty' one.

Note the fine print that some 'big box' stores dont pay the full 1%, and that the gas and pharmacy rebates have to occur at retail locations whose primary function is gas or pharmacy. In other words, walmart and sams club gas where the gas station is on the premises and its charged as "wal mart" or "sams club" doesnt qualify for the 5%. Our sams club has the gas station across the street, its charged as 'sams club gas', and does qualify.

Between the 5% cards and our discover card, we got almost a thousand bucks in credit card rebates last year. Just for using one piece of plastic instead of another, or cash...

 

[dex]

I will probably shop a little more and get a competing card so we can compare them - I need to ditch my Citibank card because I'm fed up with the 3% foreign charge. At least one of us needs to have a card without that. This year they even tacked the fee onto our trip to Canada - that's never happened before!

If you find a card without the 3% foreign exchange fee pls post it here.
There really isn't any need for this fee.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I believe discovercard and american express dont charge a foreign exchange fee, and many credit unions waive or compensate for the fees. And you can always use travellers checks instead of a credit card.

 

[LOL!]

I believe discovercard and american express dont charge a foreign exchange fee, and many credit unions waive or compensate for the fees.  And you can always use travellers checks instead of a credit card.

I do alot of foreign travel and must use my corporate Amex card. They definitely and most assuredly charge extra for foreign exchange transactions. Your online statements explicitly state:

"**Foreign Currency conversion rate is base rate plus 2%. See legal disclosures for details. "

 

[Cut-Throat]

I had a card that was charging me $90 a year. I switched to the Schwab free card. After having the 'free' card for about 6 months, I was 'fed' up and switched back to the $90 card.

The main reason that I got fed up with the free card was their handing of disputed charges. They wanted me to fill out their 'dispute' form, which contained questions that were almost impossible to answer and made you provide 'evidence' of the transaction, which was not always available, especially since most transactions were on-line. The Form was very long and a PIA!

The $90 card has no dispute form, the seller has to prove the charges!

Worth every penny of the $90 a year!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Is that something new? This

http://www.creditcards.com/foreign-transaction-fees-article.php

mentions

"Currently, Discover Card and American Express do not levy foreign transaction fees. So, if you carry one of these credit cards, you are probably in the clear."

However, its an undated article. Might be old.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

C-T...I've done plenty of disputes with my no fee citibank and discover cards. Just told them over the phone what the date and amount were and why I was disputing the charge. All were reversed. Never had one 'come back' to be a further problem.

In fact, the last one I did (admittedly small), citibank told me they were issuing a permanent credit on the spot.

A vendor had sold me a product with free shipping, then charged me a higher amount than the shopping cart had said. When I contacted them, they said the extra was for shipping. What about the free shipping and the fact that the shopping cart said 'shipping - free'... "Oh...not THAT shipping. Must be something wrong with our web site. We cant give you a credit. Sorry about the inconvenience".

Bet the 5,000+ chargebacks from the other fatwallet users they tried the same trick with was a little 'inconvenient' for them...

 

[justin]

Is that something new? This

http://www.creditcards.com/foreign-transaction-fees-article.php

mentions

"Currently, Discover Card and American Express do not levy foreign transaction fees. So, if you carry one of these credit cards, you are probably in the clear."

However, its an undated article. Might be old.

Semantics I think. The Amex charge for currency conversion isn't a fee, per se. The rate they use to convert from a foreign currency to the USD is the base rate (wholesale rate?) plus 2%. Amex uses a crappy exchange rate and no extra fees. Citi and others use a good exchange rate (the market rate) and charge an extra 3% for foreign transactions. Those CC companies will get you somehow.

 

[Sheryl]

I believe discovercard and american express dont charge a foreign exchange fee, and many credit unions waive or compensate for the fees.  And you can always use travellers checks instead of a credit card.

Traveler's checks were nearly useless in Honduras - the only place I found that would take them was the dive shop run by Americans. Plus I don't like the risk of loosing them, although I guess loosing my debit card would be more disasterous.

I guess it depends on how long you are traveling and how much money you need to have access to.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Well I guess I'm lucky to have not gotten on a plane in 4 years! One thing I cant stand its being nickled and dimed to death by a bank

I thought any bank would convert an amex travellers check.

 

[Cut-Throat]

TH,

I am sure that there are plenty of cards that don't hassle you with disputes. I just did not want to waste any more time, so I went back to my old card. The frustrations that I went through in the 6 months I had the free card were not worth the $90.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oh you can tell the rich gigolo's from the people squeezing pennies...

 

[Spanky]

SO just mailed in the paperwork for the Capital One card - unless there's a hitch we missed it has no annual fee and you get airline tickets this way:
..............
I will probably shop a little more and get a competing card ......

I am not very happy with Capital One Mileage card. You cannot redeem mileage or cash until you have at least 20,000 points. I was 1,200 short from the 20,000 mark a couple of months ago. When I finally reached it, they had reduced the reward by 50%. In the past, you would get $200 (1% of $20,000), but now you only get $100. I am considering the Citibank cash back card.

 

[justin]

I'm very happy with Citicard 5% cashback card. We get close to $1000 cashback/yr with it (we have a few different cards with the same cashback offer). You can get online access, and just click "request check" when you get $50 accumulated. They mail it to you, and it's money in the bank. Then go buy your airline tickets wherever you want.

Since Superwalmart is 5% cashback, and we shop there a lot, we really benefit from the cashback feature.

 

[Sheryl]

I am not very happy with Capital One Mileage card. You cannot redeem mileage or cash until you have at least 20,000 points. I was 1,200 short from the 20,000 mark a couple of months ago. When I finally reached it, they had reduced the reward by 50%. In the past, you would get $200 (1% of $20,000), but now you only get $100.  I am considering the Citibank cash back card.

Grr. Well that's not good news. Oh well - at least we have something giving us some credit back. We had been too lazy/busy to bother changing from the cards we had 10 years ago before all this mileage/rewards stuff became popular.