Reviews about Finance

gowgirl says "Vanilla Visa a prepaid visa card " about Visa - Vanilla Visa

gowgirl — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:37:18 GMT

I have a hard time with Vanilla Visa Gift Cards and I do mean cardS I have purchased many over the years . I use to not ever have problems but now they are constant. When I use to buy Vanilla Visa Gift Cards I used them to purchase online or at a retail store. But within the last several months I found every time I try to use them they decline my purchase. I have called them many many times And when I get customer service the people are nice but they blame the business I'm trying to get a product or service from. You have to register the card and then hope it works. which for me has been a guess. I wont go through the hassles anymore because its not worth it. A gift card should mean someone gave it to you and you can buy your self something. However every time I use it it wont go through so why would I buy it for someone else to go through that. And lots of companies wont allow you to use a prepaid card to purchase online items. I personally wish i could find a prepaid card that has...

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mochi0172 says "Good card for cash back" about Citi - Professional MasterCard

mochi0172 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:44:03 GMT

Citibank's Professional credit card is marketed as a business credit card, but will be reported to the credit bureaus as a personal card. The highlight of the card is that you get three points per dollar spent atrestaurants, office supply stores and gas stations. You will get one point per dollar spent for all other purchases. The points can be redeemed at Citi's Thank You program. This reward program is pretty comprehensive and you will have many options to redeem you points with: straight cash, statement credits, a variety of gift cards, mortgage payments, student loan payments, travel (through partnership with Expedia) and Citi's Visa gift card (which can be used anywhere VISA cards are accepted). Not everything will be available to be redeemed at a one point per one cent ration, but overall the program is very good and tis card is a great option for professionals or for anyone looking to get better 'cash back' for their spending.

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mochi0172 says "Best reward Credit card for restaurant-goers!" about Citi - Forward

mochi0172 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:10:58 GMT

Citi's Forward credit card is similar to their mtvU card: five points per dollar spent at restaurants, bookstores, and music stores, and one point for all other purchases. However, this card does not require you to be a student in order to qualify for it! The Citibank Thank your reward program is one of the best credit card reward program available because you have so many options for redeeming your points: cash, gift cards, statement credits, mortgage payments, student loan redemptions, gifts/other merchandises. You can't always redeem everything at a one point per one cent ratio, but when you're earning five points per dollar, that's still very good. Right now, there is a great sign up bonus for the card: five thousand points for signing up for paperless statements and six thousand points for fifty dollars work of purchases within three months of getting the card. That's eleven thousand points that you can redeem for say a one hundred dollar gift card or maybe seventy...

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mochi0172 says "Best card for students" about Citi - mtvU Visa for students

mochi0172 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:00:19 GMT

I've had this card (Citi mtvU) for over 3 years and it is awesome for this student. You get 5 points per dollar at restaurants (including fast food), music stores, and bookstores (amazon.com is included, even if you don't buy books!!). The points can be redeemed through Citi bank's Thank You network and there are a lot of options: Gift cards, cash, statement credits, mortgage, student loan credits, travel, merchandises/gifts. Not everything can be redeemed at a 1 point per 0.01 ration, but I still think this is one of the top reward programs. With the mtvU card, you can earn points quicker, especially if you shop regularly at bookstores or if you eat out a lot (like me!). Since it is a student card, you do have to be in an accredited college to get the card. Also, since it IS a student card, your APR is going to be through the roof. Thus, make sure you pay your balance in full each month, otherwise having the rewards would be meaningless if you're racking up finance charges....

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TLHUBER says "Rate Increases are a Doozie" about Blue Cross / Blue Shield

TLHUBER — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:59:30 GMT

My husband has been with BCBS for 18 years now. In 1991 is premium was 160.00 per month, full coverage mind you. Now his premium is 450.00 per month for the same coverage. This is rediculous, where is it going to stop.

He does not use his insurance every year for surgeries or anything. He does get Kidney Stone which is one of the reason's that he has the insurance in the first place, but he does not get those every year.

I'm going to be putting him on my Hospital Only policy today and the money that we will save will cover his Dr. Vistis and Pharmacy Prescriptions. The Hospital only plan does not cover Dr. Visits or Drugs, but that's ok there is a savings when you look at the big picture. If my husband was sickly and had to go to Doctors evrey week then the plan that he has would pay for itself.

People need to start excessing there illness's that they have now and try to predict thier illness's in the future and get the right poilcy to fit their budget.

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wyldepixie says "The Esurance website is very user friendly, quick, and painless." about Esurance

wyldepixie — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:28:15 GMT

Esurance was very easy to use. Their website was easy to navigate and didn't take a long time to set up a policy. Their prices were competitive though seemed to be a bit higher then companies, like Safe Auto, that advertise to low income families. The set up was painless and my policy was complete in under 20 minutes. For someone like me, who doesn't use credit cards, paying esurance was more difficult then using a local company. In the past I've been able to just drop off a payment along with my other errands and this took a bit more work to make payments on time. The few instances of using their customer service via phone was okay. I've seen worse but I was on hold for a long time before getting transferred to the person who could address my problem. I choose to have my bills mailed instead of electronically, which is nice for someone who doesn't own a printer. Alot of other online companies seem to assume that everyone does which can irk me. Here in Ohio you have...

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olliebobbers says "Geico offers excellent service and great rates." about Geico

olliebobbers — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:02:15 GMT

Geico insurance is great. They have friendly customer service and fast service. I have been a member of Geico since I began driving at age 16 and not to age myself but it has been 20+ years. I have no complaints and feel they offer good service and competitive rates. They have an excellent web site and it is very user friendly. I had to make a glass claim and they were out that day to repair it. The road side assistance is a plus also. Geico also carries a mechanical breakdown coverage that you can add if you purchase a new vehicle. It is like having an extended warranty however it is much cheaper than what you would pay for one at the time of the vehicle purchase. I highly recommend Geico and their products. Unfortunately, they do not write homeowners policies in Florida so I am unable to qualify for their homeowners insurance if I could I would. I have not used many of their other products but I have never heard anything negative from anyone who has had their coverage....

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karenwlod says "Good business spending extra" about Wells Fargo - Checking Visa

karenwlod — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:56:08 GMT

We pay a small annual fee to use this checking visa but it also allows to gain points to use towards rewards 'other' business gift cards or redeem our points for cash. We have found that by using this card on our everyday business purchases (which we try to only use with major corporation and not on the small businesses) that it is a way to get an automatic discount. Discount may be small but at least it is there. Personally I see it as an incentative for the banks to cash in on the 'credit cards' use charge that credit cards companies on making BIG money off the fees charge to merchants that use their credit cards and by offering a small incentative to the everyone buyer and will incourage them to use checking credit cards and that is a big financial return to the banks. It is better then NFS fees, ATM fees and it is a hidden cost to the everyday consumer. As a small business owner I do not like having to accept credit cards because it reality it cost us and we have to pass those...

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sherryr38 says "Paypal is GREAT!!!" about PayPal - Visa

sherryr38 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:26:21 GMT

If you buy or sell on Ebay, then you really need a paypal account. I have one and I'm so glad that I do. Paypal is so nice to have. If you buy anything on Ebay, most sellers prefer that you pay with paypal, and why not? It's easy, convieniant and free to open your account. With paypal you can transfer money from your bank account, into your paypal account. Then you can use that money to buy things online, not only on Ebay, but anywhere online that accepts credit cards!!! You can also transfer money from your paypal account right into your bank account. For example, if I sell something on Ebay the buyer pays me and the money goes straight into my paypal account. I can then transfer that money to my bank account and wah-la, the money's in the bank!!! But I could also leave the money in my paypal account and use it online. That's not all. Paypal will send you a debit card. You can then use your debit card at any store that accepts visa, or any ATM machine to withdraw cash, WORLD WIDE. It's...

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berniephyl says "awesome!!!!" about American Express - Platinum American Express

berniephyl — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:44:29 GMT

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am reviewing the american express card

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wetterhound says "They treat their customers fairly." about State Farm

wetterhound — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:47:07 GMT

I have had my home insured with State Farm for 20 years. Never have I had a claim until now. We have had problems with our roof and although the roof may not be covered. The inside damage will be covered. State Farm is stepping up and taking care of all repairs.

What is making the repairs so easy is that we hired an adjuster to represent us to the insurance company. This has taken so much stress off our shoulders. They take their payment out of the money gotten from the insurance company. They have brought in a company who comes in and drys out the damage and then does the repairs and although this is not a pleasant process they do every thing possible to make it as comfortable as possible. They make sure that all repairs are done, not just the cosmetic repairs.

I know if we had not hired this company the repairs would have just been cosmetic and we would have had to do so much more to get the work done. This is a load off our shoulder

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mozilla says "FARMER'S INSURANCE-- RUN AWAY FAST AS YOU CAN!" about Farmers Insurance

mozilla — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:31:24 GMT

Was a customer for over 25 years. Was involved in an accident which totalled my car... 100% loss. My car was 6 months from being paid off. Though I provided sufficient evidence for the fair market value of my loss, they refused to consider it. They were rude and condescending to me. I got a bit of justice when I was notified of a class action lawsuit against them for doing the same with others several years later. I joined that suit knowing I'd probably never see much out of it.. which I didn't.. but in the hopes that it wouldn't happen to other people. It was a horrific experience trying to deal with Farmer's. Their left hand doesn't know what their right hand is doing. BUYER BEWARE!!...

trollhair says "Nationwide is on their own side" about Nationwide Insurance

trollhair — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:49:09 GMT

Nationwide is only looking out for their own interests. One of their insurers damaged my mint condition vehicle. When I asked for diminished value compensation, I had to jump through loops, provide detailed documentation and then they offer me $1500.00.

My car is damaged goods. It is not in mint condition. It is a wrecked car. Doesn't matter that the body damage was fixed, if you run a carfax report on my vehicle, it will show that it is DAMAGED. If and when I trade, I will not be able to obtain what my car should be worth. I was ripped off. What they don't pay, I am suing their insurer.

*******If you are hit by a vehicle, be sure you ask for compensation for diminished value and pray that it isn't Nationwide who is paying out. Rip offs.

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VDeVilliers says "The most versatile air mileage / hotel card" about American Express - Starwood Preferred Guest

VDeVilliers — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:06:51 GMT

Because I travel a lot for business, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that I am a frequent-flier as much as possible. I didn't want to get stuck with an credit card that limits me to just one specific airline (and each of the major players seems to have their own nowadays), since I fly on different airlines (depending on the city-pair for that specific day). I also wanted to have a credit card that would reward me for hotel stays as well. The Starwood Preferred Guest card by American Express not only allows you to redeem points for free stays at their quality hotel chains, but this card also allows you to redeem points for flight tickets at most of the commericial airlines competing today! You can do this two ways: either redeem them directly for tickets (and avoid the pain of finagling a frequent flyer award from the airlines themselves), or you can redeem Starpoints (1 earned per dollar spent) that would convert to frequent-flier miles with most of the commercial airlines...

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krissyefalent says "I love this card no problems at all!" about Capital One - capitol one visa

krissyefalent — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:18:47 GMT

I had to declare bankruptcy and got a credit card that had a annual fee. capitol one approved me for a card with a low credit and since i have been using my card in the past year my limit has risen 3 times without me even requesting it! I have had no problems and when a charge was made to my account that i did not approve they quickly solved the problem and got me the money back. The capitol one visa is a great card and what made it even better was that i could personalize it. i was able to upload a picture of my dog and have it put on the card so it makes it unique and mine. I am able to receive on-line statement and access my account anytime on-line which is very helpful to me. I can also pay on-line with no extra fee which is great! I ended up closing all my other credit cards ad have just stuck with my capitol one visa. I have recommended many friends who do not have the best credit to apply with them because of the great features.

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Pointster says "So many opportunities for bonus points" about Citi - American Airlines AAdvantage Card

Pointster — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:31:00 GMT

The American Airlines Advantage credit card provides plenty of incentives for its continuous use. For instance, bonus miles are given at the one year anniversary, and if you spend $10,000 your second year, you not only get the 10,000 miles that go with it, but you also get an additional 10,000 miles, for a total of 20,000. Then there are surprises along the way. I got a postcard that stated that if I use my card at least 30 times over a period of about 2 months, that I'd get a bonus 3000 miles. I've taken advantage of these bonuses and have been able to earn miles twice as fast as with other cards. In fact, I was given 30,000 bonus miles when I first started, so there's even a jump start with this card. Yes, there is an annual fee, and with other cards, I have been tempted to cancel the card when it is time for the annual fee, but with this card it pays for itself and the annual fee is easy to swallow when you rack up points so easily.

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kerinati says "They don't care about customer service." about Chase - Chase

kerinati — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:04:00 GMT

I really think that this credit card company Chase is very greedy and really doesn't care about the customer. At the end of the day they only really care if you made your last payment, not about a customers maybe hardship. But i really think the worst customer service from them was when one month i tried to make a early payment, but little to my knowledge my cycle hadn't come to a close on for the previous month. So chase looked at it as if i had made a double payment. They repeatedly hounded me the next month that i had not made a payment and demanded a payment, the worst part was when they repeatidly told me that my payment was late which was not the case. It took me 2 times to call customer service for some on eto fix my account

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jessicajewel81 says "I encourage you to have a great day with Making Homes Affordable" about Making Homes Affordable

jessicajewel81 — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:42:20 GMT

I am very disheartened. In March, the government introduced a program called Making Homes Affordable. Under this program, homeowners would be able to refinance their homes to get a better interest rate and a more stable loan. Everything that I have read about this program says that it benefits people who are doing the right thing, making their payments, and just do not have any equity in their homes. It sounds great, right? I say NO!!!

My husband and I are in a situation, probably a lot like many other homeowners. My husband was in the military, and got stationed in an area that was part of the booming real estate market. In the height of the market, we bought a house that we could afford, even though we were approved for more, and we did 100% financing. This left us with 2 liens, under the 80/20 program. We were not eligible to use our VA loan, because our loan amount exceeded the cap for VA loans.

So what is an 80/20? Basically, you will hold 2 liens on your home: one that...

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AAdvantageRipOff says "effective 65% interest, AAdvantage is a den of thieves, beware" about Citi - AAdvantage American Express

AAdvantageRipOff — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:37:55 GMT

I usually pay my credit card balances off in full every month. I have never made a late payment to AAdvantage or any other card. One month I had to leave a $1500 balance on this card (around tax time) and thought, oh well, 13.24% on $1500 is only about $17.00 for the month, no big deal. I paid off the balance in full the next month. They charged me a total of $87.88 in interest over 2 months for leaving this balance of $1500 for one month.

That is actually somewhere around 65% interest. This company is a lying, cheating, den of thieves. If you don't want to get ripped off, stay away.

I cancelled this card and will never do business with American Express again. Ever.

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cjames2424 says "Sallie Mae Private Student Loans" about Private Student Loans

cjames2424 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:39:39 GMT

I have cosigned for student loans for my son who is now 23 and looking for a job. He was able to get a deferment for the first 6 months and now is not able for another one. The government states that if you are in financial trouble to talk to the lenders and they will help. NOT TRUE. They don't care. You tell them that you can't afford the payments and they say you don't have any more deferment available and that they can't help. They have also said you applied for the loan and now it is due and you have to pay it. I am helping him pay his loan,but it is hard. Someone need to help Private Student Loan Borrowers with dealing with the lenders on payments. It's not like we are not trying to pay them back, we are paying them, but it is very hard. They keep hiking on this interest rates that seems like he will never be finished paying the loans back. I think that's the goal to have the borrower paying them back forever. Fustrated and Want HELP. When is the president going...

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