Reviews by pwm112

pwm112 says "Just another card" about Bank of America - Worldpoints

pwm112 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:14:13 GMT

Bank of America Worldpoints

I originally got this card for balance transfer purposes. The terms were quite favorable at that time - 0%, 12 months and not fees.

Their online interface is extremely easy to use. Getting balances, doing balance transfers and paying your bill is extremely user friendly.

As for the rewards, that is the drawback here. 1% does not set the world on fire in my opinion, their WorldPoints are nearly worthless. If you need a balance transfer however, Bank of America could be your best bet in the current climate. Often they have that the balance transfer will be subject to a 3% fee with no maximum. However, I have had success in getting them to put a cap on their fees by calling in. If you can get a $75 cap then the balance transfer is very reasonably priced, if you get a 12 month offer. Also - I have always thought their customer service was good.

Summary - If you have this card card hold it and look for balance transfer offer. Other than that...

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pwm112 says "Good as an for what it is" about Chase - Amazon

pwm112 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:03:09 GMT

Chase Amazon

I signed up for this card a long time ago when $25 Amazon gift card was a big inducement to me.

Their online interface is extremely easy to use. Getting balances, redeeming rewards and paying your bill is extremely user friendly.

As for the rewards, it is good for targeted use. They have recently upgraded their rewards so now you get 3% back at Amazon, 2% for gas groceries and drugstores and 1% for all others. Points can be exchanged on a 100 point for $1 basis for cash, Amazon gift cards and more. It takes a relatively easy 2500 points to get a $25 gift card or you can wait to get 5000 more points for $50 cash. They offer double they points for the first 90 days - so this is definitely are card to get when you are going to do some Amazon shopping. Also, Chase makes it easy to tap your credit line for cash - but it is expensive to do so and should be last resort.

Summary - Get this card when you are ready to do a bigger Amazon purchase and take advantage of...

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pwm112 says "Just another card" about Chase - Flexible Rewards

pwm112 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:37:08 GMT

Chase Flexible Rewards

I don't even remember how I ended up with this card. I have several of them due to the WaMu consolidates, but this was my original chase card, which converted from something else.

Their online interface is extremely easy to use. Getting balances, redeeming rewards and paying your bill is extremely user friendly.

As for the rewards, that is the drawback here. 1% does not set the world on fire and there are very few things under 5000 points that can be exchanged on a 100 point for $1 basis unless they have a special offer going, which has happened, but it is rare and you have to want the special offer. You will be taking a 15%-40% discount on your points in order to redeem them, ie your 3000 points will get you possibly $20 of value. Getting 5000 or more points should yield $50 of value, but there is very little reason to put $5000 on this card. I would note that they do occasionally have offers of 3x points over certain time periods for every purchase. ...

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pwm112 says "Worth it for the sign-up bonuses and as an extra card" about Discover - Miles

pwm112 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:02:40 GMT

Discover - Miles

I recently applied for this card. I was drawn to it for 6mth 0% APR and an 12000 point sign-up bonus - 1000 points per month for each of the first 12 months that you make a purchase. Credit line was very generous.

Their online interface is extremely easy to use. Getting balances, redeeming rewards and paying your bill is extremely user friendly.

As for the rewards, this is the only reason I cannot give this card a full 5 stars. 1% does not set the world on fire. However, I would note that they have rotating categories of items with more-than-one% back. This in June 09 it is gas at 2% for example. Year round you get 2% for the first $3000 you spend on restaurants and hotels. You only get the full 1% if you use your points for hotels/cruises/airfare. They have partners that let you exchange points for gift cards, but you will be taking a 20%-40% discount to do so. If you want to exchange points for cash - that will cost you 50%.

Summary - definitely...

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pwm112 says "A fun card with less than average rewards" about Citi - Forward

pwm112 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:12:05 GMT

Citi Forward

I recently applied for this card. I was drawn to it for 6mth 0% APR and an 11000 point sign-up bonus if you chose e-statements, which I would have done anyway. So there are some immediate perks.

Their online interface is easy enough to use although I dislike needing to go to a separate site to redeem my rewards. Getting balances and paying your bill is user friendly.

As for the rewards, that is the drawback here. 1% does not set the world on fire and there are very few things that can be exchanged on a 100 point for 1 basis. Unless you specifically want to each at Chili's, you will be taking a 1%-40% discount on your points in order to redeem them, ie your 3000 points will get you possibly $20 of value. However, I would note that they do give you 100 points for every month of activity that you don't exceed your limit but do pay on time, which is a nice little feature. Also you always get 5% at restaurants.

Summary - definitely apply for the sign-up bonus...

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pwm112 says "I have had this card forever and have loved it just as long." about Discover - Discover Basic

pwm112 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:50:52 GMT

Discover - Regular.

This was my first credit card. To me it has been the ultimate no-hassle credit card. In general I have paid in full over my lifetime of owning this card. But on the few times that I did carry a balance, my interest rate was reasonable. I have never been "rate jacked" by Discover.

Their online interface is extremely easy to use. Getting balances, redeeming rewards and paying your bill is extremely user friendly. When I was using paper, that was always timely as well.

As for the rewards, this is the only reason I cannot give this card a full 5 stars. 1% does not set the world on fire. However, I would note that they have rotating categories of items with 5% back. This in June 09 it is restaurants for example. In July - September it is gas. Usually the amounts subject to the 5% are capped, however even getting that 5% on a few hundred of purchases helps. They also have partners that let you increase your cashback by exchanging for gift cards. ...

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