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Cash Back Credit Cards

I cringe every time I see someone at the grocery store paying with their ATM check card rather than a cash back credit card.

These days, there really isn’t a reason not to pay for your everyday purchases with a credit card. Card issuers frequently have cards that pay 3-5% cash-back at grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants, and gas stations.

Bankaholic has surveyed all rewards credit cards to find the top cash-back cards available.

Compare Cash Back Credit Cards

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  1. Steve said:
    on April 23rd at 01:07 pm

    For the Chase Freedom Card, the 3% rebate on purchases made in the 3 bonus categories where you spend the most money is capped at $12.00 (twelve dollars) per month. For some reason the review neglected to mention that fact.

  2. Tony M said:
    on June 12th at 04:52 am

    Good point by steve ( capped at 12.00 a month) for the freedom card…. also i recommend shell gas card by citi at 5% off gasoline, not diesel and 1% everything else. rebates redeemed every billing cycle. must have decent credit kinda hard to get

  3. soares said:
    on June 20th at 06:48 pm

    im in portugal can i apply to any card here and have that conditions??

  4. Jmon said:
    on July 19th at 10:35 am

    I wish I would have read Steve’s comments before applying for the Chase Freedom. But nevertheless, you still get $50 CashBack after first use. That is a decent signup bonus. That is all I’ll use the card for now!

  5. Ross said:
    on July 25th at 05:44 pm

    At least with Chase Freedom, your cash back balance is posted each month with your statement. Once you are at a cash back balance of $200.00, you can receive a check for $250.00.
    American Express Blue Cash will only credit your account once a year.
    I cancelled American Express and will stick with Chase Freedom.

  6. Holly said:
    on August 4th at 02:42 pm

    Chase sucks ass. I have been with them for 6 years; I pay off my credit card in full every month with a minimum of 2,000 a month (that’s a lot of interchange money for them). For some reason 1 payment was 1 day late I guess because of the mail … they refused to reverse the fee. I am finding another card simply based on this. POOR LOYALTY.

  7. Mark Schmidt said:
    on August 12th at 02:27 pm

    Listen, all these offers are full of crap. These sites are financed by the credit card companies. I contacted Capital One and they would not release their data (fine print) until after you applied and then you do not have to “activate the card”. So what happens to your credit score if you shop them all? Most likely it is lowered?

    Solution…write your Reps. in Washington and tell them how crooked these guys are and to pass laws that fully expose their games of trickery. Afterall, if the gov. expects us to manage our credit, we need to have clear concise information before we apply.

    What a bunch of scumbags these bankers are!

  8. Mary said:
    on September 4th at 02:31 pm

    I totally agree with Holly. I was with Chase for over 18 years, always pay my balance off in full and never made a late payment in my life. I went online & paid my monthly balance but it obviously didn’t take. They charged $39 late fee & $44 interest. I called and they acknowledged that I have never been late & apologized for the error but would do nothing to waive their fees. I got online the same day and applied for a card with another bank. Loyalty means nothing to Chase Bank.

  9. JR said:
    on September 17th at 05:45 pm

    Today, I received a letter from Chase regarding my Rewards Card. I was receiving 5 points on gas, groceries and drug store purchases and 1 point for everything else. In the letter, they are lowering the rewards to 3 points and 1 point. I pay my bill, in full, every month. Never late, either. I worked hard to get that bonus check every couple of months. Now, it will take me longer to get the 50 dollar check. At a time when Americans are feeling the economic crunch, Chase takes away a little more. How sad.

  10. Ed said:
    on September 19th at 03:50 pm

    I got the same letter that JR got about Chase reducing their rebate amounts. Is there another card that offers 5 points on gas, groceries and drug store purchases and 1 point for everything else?

    Also, are there any other good introductory freebie offers with any credit cards?

  11. Gman said:
    on September 30th at 09:38 am

    I also received the Chase letter reducing the 5 % to 3% . There are no other cards that give the 5% on gas, grocery or drug stores on an “ongoing basis:. You’ find some introductory offers for the first 30 days and then it changes. When it comes to these credit card offers, neither I or the company have any loyalty. I applied for the card simply to get the “free rebate money”…..not be loyal or be their friend. I pay off the balance on time each month. What Chase is hoping for is for me to miss the payment and get hit with fees and overcharges to offset the reward payment program. Chase does not consider me a valuable customer because they do not profit from me…..I cost them money. So I consider it game…….I’ll let Chase keep paying me each month (even though the rewards have been lowered)…..and all I have to do is pay on time which I ABSOLUTELY will continue to do.

  12. mskitny said:
    on October 2nd at 01:29 pm

    EmigrantDirect online bank has a credit card that pays 1.4% cash back on all purchases if you also have an online savings acct with a balance of at least 10k. also it is ongoing, it’s not just for a few months.
    Check into it at emigrantdirect.com

  13. fan said:
    on October 5th at 04:16 am

    anyone know how to apply this kind of card
    i am in china
    really need this kind of thing

  14. Angela said:
    on October 5th at 06:44 pm

    Ok. So, which card(s) would you recommend going with? I buy groceries and gas, not much else right now with the economy the way it is. Any advice on the best cash back card on all purchases/gas? - Thanks!

  15. William James Harper said:
    on October 10th at 11:52 am

    If you’re a credit union member, check there first. Pentagon Federal Credit Union offers 5% gas, 2% groceries, 1.25% everything else and they take your monthly bonus off your bill each cycle. No nonsense about making a phone call to ask for a check and waiting for weeks to get it.

    I did get a fee reversal from Citibank Reward Credit card. It was totally my fault. I tried to pay with a closed checking account at BofA and the rep still reversed the charge! One more reason I like Citibank.

  16. Mike said:
    on October 12th at 11:34 pm

    I have the Chase Rewards card. It’s still doing the 5% for gas/grocery/drugstore. I just recieved a check for $950. However, there is a 30,000 point per year cap, so I’m now using my Costco AmEx Business card for my Gas. It too pays 5% for gas, plus 3% at restaurants, even at McDonalds… 2% on traves… plane/train, hotel/motel… an d1% on the rest… I’m liking it.

  17. Ben said:
    on October 21st at 12:48 pm

    Does anyone use the Amex Blue Card? Supposedly it pays 5% on gas and groceries after the first $6500 spent.

  18. JD Griffin said:
    on October 23rd at 05:41 pm

    I recommend you avoid Chase like the plague. I have a card with them and after 4 years of constant use, always on time, they now attack my credit on a disputed (and paid) medical charge from 5 years ago. In my opinion this company is made up of the 2008 Wall Street people that brought us disaster. Don’t do business with disaster. Ever. I won’t ever work with these folks again.

  19. LisaB said:
    on October 26th at 06:18 pm

    I have had a Citibank Diamond Preferred card for four years (it’s my second card ever). So far I’ve really liked Citi’s customer service. They’ve reversed finance charges and always follow through when I tell them about a suspicious charge. The rewards are pretty good as well. There is no “cash back” option, but they do give you 5 points per dollar on gas and groceries and they offer lots (over 200) bonus merchants online where you can get up to 10 points per dollar. They have tons of product rewards and also offer Visa gift cards.

    I was actually on this site because I was shopping for a new card. I’ve always paid off my balance in full, but it’s become harder for me to do and I don’t like the finance charges. However, it looks like I may already have a pretty good deal . . .

  20. Steve R said:
    on November 1st at 12:28 am

    Add one more Ex-Chase customer. Have a perfect payment record, account for over 8 years, avg $2500/mo in charges ………….one payment was 1 day late and they want to hit me with $60 late fee/interest. Those morons have calculated that they will come out ahead by charging this one time fee and losing my business forever. That’s exactly why the banking/credit industry is where it is today. Fuk’em and feed’em fishheads.

  21. Jason said:
    on November 2nd at 09:11 pm

    I agree with all the Chase haters… I always pay my bill online on time, sometimes twice a month, and for some reason one of my payments didn’t go through and they would not reverse my late fee a few days later. I cancelled my card and am looking for another. Customer service is much more important than the cheap gimmicks they offer.

  22. Eve said:
    on November 6th at 12:13 pm

    I used to use Citibank all the time, but applied for a Chase card because of a good reward program. What I like about Chase even better than the reward program is that they let me set up an automatic payment from my bank account so I don’t have to remember to log in every month to pay it. So I don’t get late fees. Same for my Target Visa. So I don’t end up using my Citi card much anymore, because they didn’t have that in the past. I wish more card comparison sites showed whether you can have automatic payment at your due date online. Very important feature for forgetful folks like me.

  23. Matt said:
    on December 2nd at 02:26 pm

    How funny that so many people have the EXACT same experience that I had with Chase. I was a Bank One customer and was switched to Chase when they bought out Bank One, so I’ve had the same credit card and checking/savings accounts for many years. I pay in full every month on time but this past month the charge didn’t go through and I got charged a $39 late fee. As soon as I saw the late fee, I paid off the statement (again), so it ended up being less than 1 business day late, but they refused to waive the late fee. PLUS, they lowered the returns to 3% for the top places where money is spent and 1% for everywhere else.

    I’m going to cancel my Chase Freedom credit card and also get a new checking account with someone that values their customers!

  24. Reid said:
    on December 4th at 03:56 pm

    I have been using the Citi cards and they are great. I’m always looking for others but havent found anything better yet. I have different cards
    to use for different situations
    Drivers edge gives 6 cents on each dollar the first year on gas/food and 3 cent on everything else after that 3GF/1
    no annual fee. It also gives you a point for each mile you drive! So if you
    go 20K a year you get 200 dollars
    There is a cap of $ 1000 earned a year of which $500 can be from driving

    American Express Platinum gives 5GF/3 the first two years with
    no annual fee the first year and $125 after that also 15000 points
    after I think $750 use However this card is not accepted everywhere
    so then I use Drivers Edge for GF which now gives me 3 points
    per dollar and Premium pass Elite (below) for other things which gives 1 point which
    can be matched agains the miles from a flight.

    PremiumPass Elite gives 2GF/1 (20000 points for first $600 spent) however if you get flights, the
    mile you fly get matched agains points you earned e.g.
    if you flew 10000 miles and you bought 5000 in gas the
    5000 in gass would give 10000 points and then the 10000 miles
    flow would be matched agains the 10000 points to give 20000
    points. This card also has a deal that for 20K points you get
    a flight in US/Canada up to $400, Europe 60K points gives up the
    $1200, Asia 80K points gives up to $1600

    YOu can also merge the points from all cards on the thankyou network
    and then use the Premium plus to but the ticket.

    So for instance using the drivers edge if you put 7000 on in gas
    and food on it the first year thats $420 or (42000 points for thankyou network) and drive 20000 miles you would be able
    to transfer 62000 points to thank you network. Then if you
    have the Premium pass you could by a ticket to Europe with
    60000 points which costs up to $1200.

    Furthemore you can get great flight/car/hotel deals through
    Premium Pass. During the summer I was interested in
    going to Denver from NYC for 4 days. With a 4 star hotel,
    flight and economy car it was 65000 points.

  25. Craig R said:
    on December 8th at 03:11 pm

    It is interesting that so many people have had the same experience at Chase. I have only had the card for a year but use it exclusively (~2500/month). I pay via my online checking account the same way each month and a few days ago they said my payment was one day late and charged me $39 plus finance charges. My bank said the money was withdrawn from my checking account the day it was due. It took about an hour of transfers but Chase finally reversed the fee and I think the finance charges but they were not clear about that. Either Chase is scamming customers with this one day late ploy or the current credit crises is causing payments to be delayed by a day. Either way I’m not happy the way customer service treated me and am canceling my card.

  26. MichaelN said:
    on December 8th at 03:47 pm

    I went on this site to obtain valuable information and all that I’ve found is that Chase gets bashed and Citi gets praised. Hmm, this has NOT been my personal experience - I have found BOTH to be about the same.

    The skeptic that I am, though, came out even more when I read the Dec 2 post from Matt and Dec 8 post from Craig R. Gosh, both start out almost exactly the same way - as if they were following a script!?!

    And don’t overlook that wedged between those two posts is Reid writing about how great Citi is!?!

    I’m NOT a “conspiracy” type of guy, but there are an awful lot of coincidences on this site.

    BTW, I have a Citi Diamond Preferred and a Chase Freedom card. I mostly use the former - so, I’m clearly not flacking for Chase - just expressing my “opinion!”

  27. Paul said:
    on January 2nd at 07:27 am

    Chase is full of it….I always paid my balance in full before due, yet they have begun to charge interest. After reading similar postings about Chase I am cancelling the card after 5 years of use. All of you should consider Penatagon Visa with their 5% rebate on gas. I also used them for an auto purchase loan and got 4.75%!! I have nothing but good things to say about Pentagon!

  28. Dave said:
    on January 2nd at 05:33 pm

    Add me to the list of fed up Chase customers. I also go hit for the $39 late fee plus interest for being one day late, even though the due date was on a Sunday ( I pay by electronic transfer from my bank). This after many years of perfect payment history. I almost cancelled on the spot, but the phone rep reminded me that I would lose any accrued points and I was due a $100 cash bonus. I have stopped using the card and once I get the check, I’m bailing on these guys. Good riddance…

  29. Jack said:
    on January 3rd at 09:35 am

    In my opinion, both Citi and chase are equally - BAD. I cancelled my citi card because they tried to sneak the interest rate to almost 30 percent, when I was late to pay my bill for a day or two. When I called them to cancel my Citi card, the clerk tried to persuade me to change my mind saying that since I have been a very good and a long time customer, they would like to have another chance. They even willing to lower the rate back to 7 percent. I told them I have no time for their cheating game and insisted in cancelling my card. Citi bank is an dishonest loan shark.

  30. Mike said:
    on January 5th at 02:16 pm

    Funny about Chase, because I am at this site looking for a new card because of Chase’s recent model of service. Over the past few years, I have had a payment or two late (either because of mail or otherwise). With a good payment history (pay in full each month) they always waived any fee AND finance charge.

    In December, I completely forgot to schedule my online payment (my fault), and paid in full 2 days late. They agreed to waive the late fee but not the Finance charge, saying this is their “new policy”. This from one of the supervisor—not the call center rep in India.

    While I don’t feel any of these companies care about customer service, the only thing I can do it take my business elsewhere.

    PS: This is not a fradulent message–just an individual consumer’s point of view.

  31. aceskull said:
    on January 8th at 04:58 am

    I am here too cuz of chase but also cuz of Citi card, i’ve been with Chase for over 17 years and this month my payment was late because of their website glitch and they didn’t reverse the charges. They think I’m gonna pay that lol i will make them “chase” that $39 plus “29″ finance till it cost them more than its worth. As for Citi Card DO NOT Get them either their customer service is crap if you have to dispute something you will go through hell, plus they have people working over seas and frankly we can’t understand each other.

  32. Tim said:
    on January 13th at 01:21 pm

    For all those looking for a great gas card and have their stores near them, I recomment the Marathon credit card, for new customers they are 10% for all Marathon purchases and 2% for all others, after the trial it goes in half, but what I really like is that it goes for all purchases made in the store!! so 5% of a 12 pack of beer when I get a fillup is good!. Unlike Shell where its 5% only for the gas and not their store purchases. I think that really sucks.
    As for the all the Chase haters, I had a similiar issue where I was one day late, but they reversed it, I have the freedom and I am not capped at 12 bucks a month. I also have the mastercard freedom which I don’t believe they offer anymore.
    I used to have the citi advantage where it was 5% off gas/grocery/drugstore, then they dropped it down to 2%, then I dropped them.

    Discover card is really great too.

  33. matt said:
    on January 19th at 12:34 pm

    See ya Chase! After years of loyal use and service you got me. I made a same day payment that posted the next day and you got me for $39 late fee. FIRST TIME EVER! Customer service’s hands are tied. Thanks upper management. Try this Chase: look up loyalty in the dictionary. Your company’s name and picture will never be there. My business will be elsewhere. Goodbye to 2 Chase credit cards and a bank account!

  34. Fred said:
    on January 24th at 11:35 am

    Dittos on Chase! I actually got so torqued off on this that I filed a complaint with the FTC. I have also been with Chase for years with no, repeat no, late payments. I was paying my Chase Credit Card from my newly set-up Chase Checking account. I got the Chase Checking for their on-line bill pay capabilities. The FIRST time I went to use the on-line bill pay, it didn’t post on-time and they charged me the $39. I complained a lot and got it reversed. They then charged interest and wouldn’t reverse that so I cancelled the card. After I cancelled, my final bill pay was “delayed” again. My complaint fell on deaf ears until I filled out the FTC complaint form. Never had this problem with Discover, but it isn’t accepted internationally or at golf courses; otherwise I’d stick with them.

    Anyone interested in a class-action lawsuit?

  35. DixieWins said:
    on January 28th at 07:25 pm

    CHASE sux. Pathetic customer “service”. They change terms too often, and none of these changes favor the customer. They say their Freedom Plus card has no fees . . . NOT true. It costs $30 a year to earn the cash back rewards. COnsumer beware.

    It gave me great pleasure to shred that worthless card.

  36. Debt Free Hispanic said:
    on February 4th at 06:00 pm

    It’s funny how people will change credit cards after a fee is charged to them. It’s probably because there are so many options of applying for credit cards these days. I’m weary of these cashback cards simply because of the high fees for not paying on time. Some charge 18% interest and they give people back 5%, they still make their 13% off of consumers.

  37. War'n said:
    on February 15th at 10:33 am

    This is not about rewards but I think anyone considering a Chase card should be made aware of this.
    About 2 years ago I used a Chase card cash advance check for 3.99% interest on a $14000.00 cash advance.
    The terms were pay 2% of the balance monthly for as long as it took to pay in full.
    I was never late and had a high FICO credit score (in the vicinity of 800) the entire time
    Last month I called chase about a $10.00 monthly service charge that began appearing on my bill, I was told that the terms of my agreement had been changed do to the changes in the economy??????
    I addition to the $10.00 a month my payments would go to 6% of the balance; at this point my balance was $12500.00 changing my payments from $250.00 to $750.00 per month (they could not explain how the rules can change during the game)
    I was told I did have the option of (opting out) and accepting new terms (7.99% interest and back to 2% of the balance also no Service charge) not many people can afford to have there payments tripled so this amounted to blackmail.
    Luckily I have a line of credit on my house and paid off the loan after opting out to get rid of the service charge (no more dealings with these thumb braking lone sharks!!!

  38. Lee said:
    on February 20th at 04:04 am

    I am fed up with Chase. I always pay my balance in full each month on time for years. Two months ago I paid my balance after 4 pm on the due date, Chase said it’s past due according to the policy, I was charged with late fee and finance charge totaling $80. The 1st time I called, even when speaking to supervisor, they would not remove neither the late fee nor the finance charge. The 2nd time the late fee was removed, but not the finnace charge After I paid the balance in full, the next statement still has $20 finance charge. I was told it takes TWO billing cycles to pay off the finace charges. Chase really knows how to treat customers! I am taking my business somewhere else!

  39. Jenny said:
    on February 22nd at 02:39 pm

    This is my first time visiting the website to search for a new credit card. I have used Citi Diamond card for years, which offers 5 points for each dolloar of gas, grocery and drug store purchase. I just received a letter from Citi that they are going to change the reward to be 1 point. I love Citi bank. Their service has been great. I know Cit is in deep fiancial trouble and sort understand why they are changing their reward program. I was surprised to see so many Chase fed customers. I am one of those. I had an freedom account with them for 2 years, and always paid the balance in full and in time. I did not know they cancelled my card until my transaction was disapproved one day. Called them and asked why. No appology from Chase. They just said based on their credit rules. After 8-9 months, I received a promotion from them and asked me to open a continental account. Due the attractive openning incentive, I opened one. The account was cancelled a couple of months ago. I asked them to refund me the annual fee for the months I have not used. I was told after 30 days they would not refund any annual fee. I will never apply for a Chase credit card again. Chase sucks.

  40. jess said:
    on March 2nd at 11:46 am

    I have had the Blue Cash from American Express for 2 years now, and I absolutely love it. I first got their One card, which offered 1% cash back which they automatically deposited into a high-yield savings account, but when I was approved for the Blue Cash and realized there’s only no annual fee for the One card in the first year ($35 thereafter), I closed that account and now I try to only use Blue Cash for gas, groceries, and drug store purchases and my Household Bank card for everything else (it gives me 2% everywhere all the time , no matter how much or little I spend).

    Drawbacks with Blue Cash:
    If you spend less than $6500 in a year, you only get 1% back on gas, groceries, and drug stores and .5% everywhere else. However, if you do spend more than that, you’ll get 5% on gas, etc and 1.5% on all others. Also, you get your “cash back” once a year (the anniversary of when you opened your account) and it’s automatically credited to your account.

    I don’t know if Household Bank still offers the 2% card to new customers, but if it does, I would highly recommend it. There’s no minimum to spend to receive cash back, and there’s no cap on how much you can earn in one year. Also, you can request a check for your cash back any time you have earned $25 (I’m only slightly upset that they just changed it from $20 to $25).

  41. CH said:
    on March 11th at 10:40 pm

    I have used a Citi rewards card for years getting their 5% on gas, groceries and RX but I really hate that if you want cashback you have to use 12,500 - 14,000 points to get $100 back in some from of cash. Some gift cards are 1 for 1, 10,000 points for $100. It is also 1 for 1 if you want to pay off a student loan, seems to me 10,000 points should be worth $100 bucks in cash, student loan, mortgage payment, etc. So even if I earn 5% in points it is really a lot less with the surcharge on the cashing in of the reqards!

  42. jinghuatie said:
    on March 13th at 02:42 pm

    http://cardbonus.spaces.live.com/blog/
    There has a free $100 amazon card to get in a simple and clear way.
    Addition $200 credit if you apply sony card, end tomorrow.

  43. Ron said:
    on April 3rd at 09:07 am

    Chase stinks. I paid big bucks one day too early and they charged me a late fee for the following month. They wouldn’t reverse it. I’m dumping them.

  44. shineon said:
    on April 15th at 12:09 pm

    I love my Chase Freedom cards. Chase also has my checking account, increasing me to 5 categories for 3%. Plus, in those months I spend a lot, I opened a second credit card to overcome the limit on the 3% cap. All the complaints seem to be about missing a payment and blaming Chase for holding the person to the terms of their contract. I don’t feel I am entitled to preferential treatment, not sure why others feel deserving? The world does not operate for my benefit. If you have concerns about missing payments, set up automatic payments 2 days prior to due date? All this loyalty belief is silly. Most of us are fickle customers of limited duration. We have no loyalty to Chase, why do you expect it from them? All those preaching loyalty would leave Chase the moment they get a better offer from the competition. I know I will. For now, I am milking Chase, and Citi (Driver’s Select) for all I can.

  45. Jack said:
    on April 17th at 09:54 am

    Recently AmEx Delta stopped rewarding with double miles, but they are still saying double miles in their ads. Somebody ought to tell the FTC. I’m too lazy.

  46. w zagn said:
    on April 18th at 11:56 am

    well i just recieved notice from discover card that all the card rebate will bereduced by more than and on some of them they are reducing rebates to only 1/4% how about that crap ..i am cutting my card up and will send it to them with final billing..

  47. Joyce said:
    on April 29th at 12:36 pm

    Been Chase Freedom card user for past year and just love the reward money I received. Now I have maxed out the amount the will give out for the year. This web site is helpful to see what other people have to fit my needs. It seems the web sites are not as clear about their rewards from when I shopped last year for this type of service.
    Waiting for your input. Thank you.

  48. Cardz said:
    on May 1st at 09:06 pm

    Discover just launched a new cash back credit card. Gives you up to 5% cash back on popular purchases and 1% for all others with no anual fee and 0% intro APR. Low 10.99% after 6 months. You can get the card here:
    http://www.cardz.com/Compare_Credit_Cards/Discover

  49. Rob Reader said:
    on May 5th at 09:55 pm

    Here’s the reason you should not ‘cringe’ when you see someone paying cash for purchases instead of using a reward credit card. They are actually saving money. I don’t know where he gets the 12%-18% statistic, but in my own experience, we did notice a significant decrease in our spending when we switched to paying with cash.

    http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/cms/index.cfm?intContentID=3478

  50. Aron said:
    on May 11th at 08:50 am

    People who pay off their balance in full every month are NOT considered GOOD customers for credit card companies. You’re using them and they don’t make any money from you. So when they get a chance, they sock it to you. Loyalty is to money.

  51. Jason Burdick said:
    on May 12th at 05:04 am

    I have had this card for about a year and was enjoying the great rewards, especially getting a check for $250 when you accumulated $200 in rewards. Yesterday, I got a letter from Chase ( the outside of the envelope said: Good things are coming from Chase Freedom. Enclosed:News about improvements to your account”). I opened the envelope to find that Chase is doing away with the 3% rebate on the top 3 spending categories each cycle and also doing away with the $50 bonus for accumulating $200 in rewards. Now the card will only give 1% back on everything. Some improvement! NOT! Chase is like all politicians- CHASE after votes and support with big promises and then screw everyone when it costs them some $ off their bottom line. I’m looking for a new card.

  52. Bob said:
    on May 12th at 07:44 am

    Been a “Chase Rewards” customer for 5-8 years…never late with any payment, always pay off in full…approx $1500/mo. Yesterday got a notice from them that my account was being “Updated” to “Chase Freedom”. Instead of 5% on gas, groceries & drugs, plus 1% on everything else…my “Updated” account will now get 3% on gas, grocery & fast food (up to $12/mo = $600 max on bonues) plus 1% on remaining. And now after the first year there will be a $30/year charge.

    You know if they had told me that times were tough and we gotta cut your rebate I would have respected them a lot more, and not been ticked off. But the flowery, good news, “Update” correspondance is a an indication of what they think of their customer base….ie they think we are idiots. I am looking elsewhere.

    BTW…during my complaint call the guy advised “Yes, the benefit was going down a little.” I responded since when is 40% a “little”!!…he then added I can now get my rebate in gift certificates from Star Bucks, Target or some other businesses….that’s a LOT better than cash huh!!

    Holly has it right…there is no customer Loyalty any longer.

    Bob K

  53. eric g said:
    on May 13th at 09:26 pm

    I just got a letter from chase, both my cards, the cash rewards and freedom will now have a 30 dollar yearly fee in addition to lowering the cash back bonus amounts…I will be cancelling both cards which is terrible because I have used them for many years and it will KILL my credit rating. I am certainly going to file a HUGE Complaint with them. People stay away from CHASE and double check if you have either rewards or freedom you will be getting a 30 dollar a year charge

  54. Shane said:
    on May 25th at 01:50 pm

    I love how people think that since they use a banks credit card they are doing the banks a huge favor and that the bank owes them rewards because of this, the bank makes about 1% every time you charge your card. Is it a huge surprise to you morons that since the government is limiting how they do business that the rewards are decreasing, interest rates are going up, credit cards make money with fee’s, yes even a day late….. but if you want to get the hallowed 5% cash back and a rate under 10% the banks need to charge the people that mess up, even a day or two late. I work at one of the big three and know a lot about the business of credit, lets just say the credit heyday is over. I can personally tell u what to expect and this is strait from the horses mouth, No more life of the loan balance transfers, significantly reduced rewards, interest rates 12% or more even w/excellent credit, just wait the changes are coming so expect to get a change in terms notice on your account. The bill that congress passed only helps credit deadbeats, people who regularly default, people that pay on time or pay in full will only lose out on a good deal.

  55. LeRoy said:
    on May 26th at 11:59 am

    Just this morning received email and US mail piece advising that Advanta Bank is closing all Advanta Business Credit Card accounts and cardholders will not be able to use their card or account for new transactions, including purchases, checks and balance transfers beginning on May 30.

    Four days notice to close a business card account used almost daily sucks. I hope the bank fails if this is the way it treats customers.

  56. Tom said:
    on May 26th at 12:36 pm

    I have been a loyal Chase Freedom card holder for almost 3 years now. While I have read all the unfortunate customer service incidents with many of the above, I have been late on payments maybe 3 times by one day (I forgot). I always pay in full and when I call them to talk about this, they more than willingly waived the late fee and never charged me interest. They have been great. They are making some changes to the reward program, so I am not sure if I will stick with them, but they have been great to me!

  57. Chris said:
    on May 27th at 01:21 am

    @ LeRoy: I got the same Advanta treatment. I now have 2 days to find a new business credit card. I liked the Advanta 1% cash back. Where can I find another M/C that pays back decently?

  58. shineon said:
    on May 27th at 09:55 am

    eric g said:
    on May 13th at 09:26 pm
    I just got a letter from chase, both my cards, the cash rewards and freedom will now have a 30 dollar yearly fee in addition to lowering the cash back bonus amounts…I will be cancelling both cards which is terrible because I have used them for many years and it will KILL my credit rating. I am certainly going to file a HUGE Complaint with them. People stay away from CHASE and double check if you have either rewards or freedom you will be getting a 30 dollar a year charge

    *******

    Now that you cancelled your chase accounts, please let us know the product you found which was superior to the revised chase program. Eventually, all the rewards programs will be similarly affected.

  59. Ruth said:
    on May 30th at 11:45 am

    I too used an Advanta credit card for my business for years and receieved a letter this week telling me as of May 30th all business accounts were closed. Each month I paid my balance off in full. THe only credit card used at my business. Nice to know our government is helping the credit card compaines, insurance companies and auto industry while small business owners have to work through the recession on their own. THANKS Advanta and federal government!! I now to need apply for a new credit card for my company.

  60. Mike said:
    on May 30th at 11:50 am

    I paid my Discover and Lowes in full last month and this month Lowes sent my statement with zero balance. Discover sent me a bill for $74 interest owed this month. I had to pay th $74 to close the account. I will never use Discover again! CROOKS!!

  61. shineon said:
    on May 31st at 04:19 pm

    I will never use Discover again! CROOKS!!

    It is called double-cycle billing. Most if not all cards use this billing method. I would not say they are crooks. You had carried a balance over from a prior billing cycle. I guess the averaging irronically helps you as your balance grows. However, harms you as the balances drop.

    I belive this practice will be outlawed with the new legislation.

  62. susan said:
    on June 1st at 03:19 pm

    Wow! Talk about a Chase bank bashing! I personally think every credit card has its issues. They are deceptive, lying, manipulative. You just have to be careful and aggressively proactive…..but you can make credit cards work for you. I purchase everything with my credit cards. Everything. Even 10 cent items. I like it because it allows me to track my spending in detail. It is easy to slip $1 here, $15 there…and then wonder where all your money went. But when you have a printed page listing all the glory details- it is helpful. I’ve used this feature to cut my spending to practically nothing. I pay my credit cards off in full on time every month, since I was old enough to get my first one. If you have no self control, credit cards are not for everyone. It is soooo easy to get caught up in that credit tsunami…and once you are in it, it is super hard to get out. I also like my credit cards because I get rewards. I use the system. I hop in and out of credit cards. They reduce the rewards? see ya!
    I don’t agree with folks complaining about Chase charging a late fee. Umm…you paid late? That seems to be the biggest complaint here! I started something this year that has changed my life. Automatic payments! All my credit cards, utilities, everything…is automatically deducted from my money market account. I was always forgetting to pay, or getting too busy and not having time to pay. No more worries! no more late fees! Priceless!!!!!!!!!
    I will note that I have had Citibank Dividend forever (back when it was Shell MC, and then something else and then Dividend- they changed it three times!)….and they will forgive one late fee and finance charge a year. I know, because I used to forget to pay at least once a year. They were very good about it.
    So that’s good..however if I told you the horror story of a $5000 dispute gone wrong, you would cringe. I would have rather had the late fees charged. It took me months to resolve a dispute that Citibank messed up big time…..boy what a debacle! But the story is too long, so the moral of my story is…..
    There is no loyalty. Loyalty? Are they your brother? No. It is business. Don’t take it personally. All credit cards are scavengers, and they all suck in their own way. Use em to your advantage. Pay your bills on time every month, or don’t buy the stuff already! Don’t got the money? Don’t freaking buy it! Don’t let these banks that need bailouts to run their operations ruin your life. Use em, pay em, get rewarded, that’s all.

  63. Craig said:
    on June 3rd at 11:57 pm

    I have to add my voice to the people who are wondering about all the complaining. If I pay my bill late, I should get charged a late charge. Exactly why do some people have this sense of entitlement that the rules don’t apply to them. I’ve had a Chase card since 2002 and have never had any trouble with it. It’s not Chase’s fault (or any other credit card company) if you can’t read and comprehend the contract you’re agreeing to. I will be canceling my Chase card before June 2010 because they will start charging a fee (contrary to what “eric g” states, the first year of this change the annual fee is being waived, again, reading comprehension problem).

    What I find funny is that I’ve had affinity cards that have been issued by Chase (Toys ‘R’ Us & Sony) and when I’ve called to cancel those they have basically begged me not to cancel them. When I told the CSR that once I found a new card I’d be canceling my Chase Freedom she didn’t care one bit.

  64. Flashie said:
    on June 5th at 09:55 pm

    I have the Costco American Express that pays 3% on gas, restaurants and air tickets - no limit. I have to pay $50 per year to be a Costco member, but since I spend a lot on air travel and eating out, it’s worth it. I have the 3% Chase card too, which does what it advertises, if you play the game right. For everything that the Costco and Chase don’t pay 3%, I use a Fidelity Visa that pays a flat 2% on everything. You need to open an account with Fidelity, but has very good, low cost mutual funds — a good place for your IRAs. I make every possible purchase with these cards and over the years I have received a LOT of money ($1000’s) in cash back with no problems. Here’s how you can do it:
    Always read the fine print before taking a card because most (though not all) cards are not what they appear to be (for example, don’t take a card that says “up to X%” because it is unlikely that you will ever get X% on anything, don’t take cards that pay in “points” instead of cash because they can change what your points will buy, and don’t take cards that vary the categories for which they pay their highest percentage. If you don’t understand the fine print, or if you have any unanswered questions when you are finished reading the fine print, don’t take the card.
    Always pay in full each month. If you don’t, then you should not be using cash back cards or any credit cards at all. Pay cash or use a debit card and forget out trying to get any cash back.
    Sign up for the card’s automatic on-line payment program, but only the program gives you the option to pay in full. Fidelity’s doesn’t, so I have to remember to pay the bill on time. So far I haven’t missed a payment, but it makes me nervous. But I keep the card because I can’t pass up that 2% on everything though. If a company with a good auto-pay program comes out with a 2% card, it’s bye-bye Fidelity.
    Since your credit card company has no loyalty to you, you should not be loyal to them Since its goal is to make you pay high interest and penalties, your goal should be to make it pay you as much as possible without paying them anything. Check the cash back offers every few month and change cards whenever you can get a better deal.
    If you read the fine print, go with the best deals, use the right card for every purchase, use auto-pay to pay in full each month, the cash back cards can put a tidy little sum in you pocket each month.

  65. chris said:
    on June 8th at 10:07 pm

    i just wanted to add to chase being scammers. the first month i signed up for my card i paid my bill by phone with my debit card 3 days before payment was due. 2 days after payment was due i checked my account status online and they had charged me 40$ for a returned payment and 40$ for a late payment. i called and they told me i hadnt given them the number of my debit card correctly and they would not argue with me or waive the fee. because i had no proof and they did not record the phone call i had no evidence to prove they were cheating me. i also just used one of the checks they send with my statement, because i was out of bank checks, and was hit with a 15$ transaction fee which no where did it say on the check or in the statement that there were fees. (thats my fault though for not thinking) but its still crooked banking

  66. Kate said:
    on June 13th at 12:26 am

    For those people that said “my credit card company does not make money off of me since I pay off my bills each month.” Did you know that everytime you make a purchase the merchant pays the card issuer (ie BoA, Chase, Citi,etc) 3-5% of the transaction…each card company has a lot to gain by providing great service - by losing you - they lose 3-4% of each transacation you make using your card. Card issuers make most of their money this way - and via the fees everyone has talked about. I’m looking for great service (someone who will waive an occassional late fee,etc) - has anyone found this?

  67. Mike said:
    on June 18th at 08:30 pm

    I have a Bank of America Rewards Platinum Plus card that pays 1.50% for everything, period (although strictly speaking, it’s 1.25% each month, and then another 0.25% for everything in the previous year, as of the annual “birth day” for the card).

    I don’t know about all you guys, but I looked for a card that couldn’t play any tricks in terms of what counted and what didn’t, toward higher-percent rewards. I’m sure a few of you have a great handle on your budget so you could work out the math well, and know that it’s perhaps more important to have 3% toward gas and 1.0% toward the rest, than 1.5% for everything - but I don’t have such a good handle, so I chose this route.

    I’ve had the card almost a year and it’s been working fine. I pay in full via automatic monthly withdrawal against an account (not a BoA account).

    One tiny drawback is that when you cash in your Rewards, they send it as a check. To me, that’s an annoyance… why not pay it electronically into my credit card or some other designated account? They are obviously hoping some folks will lose the check and they don’t have to pay. Because otherwise it’s cheaper for them to do it electronically. But of course, most other credit cards cut their Rewards asa check, too.

  68. abfisch said:
    on June 23rd at 03:01 pm

    Chase has just sent me a letter, deleting the direct cash back rewards, making the deal complicated and less attractive. They are done.

  69. Phil said:
    on June 25th at 10:35 pm

    I strongly recommend the Charles Schwab credit card. 2% cash back on all purchases, plus there are no international fees tacked on when you use it overseas. You do have to have a schwab account to get it though.

  70. Brendon said:
    on June 26th at 04:18 pm

    Discover is the best card to have by far. No annual fee. You can get up to 5% cashback bonus on gas up to $1200 worth a year. (You have to convert your card to a gas rebate card. You can convert it to the type of card that gives you the most cashback on the types of things you purchase most. Also the payment each month is simple once you have everything set up to use the automatic payments either over the phone or online. And did I mention its FREE. No 9.95 or 14.95 fees to make a payment online or over the phone. It is by far the best credit card out there

  71. Nirpal said:
    on June 27th at 08:33 pm

    I am also one of the chase customer who paid two times $39 late fees for only being late for few seconds that’s only due to different time zone.
    But it seems all the banks are same..

  72. John said:
    on June 29th at 02:21 pm

    Chase really is bad news. Another “always pay on time and in full” customer here. When I got my new charge plate a couple of months ago, I called in to activate it. The agent asked if I’d like to set any particular due date. I asked for the first of the month, figuring how easy it would be to remember.

    The next bill comes, and I don’t bother opening it until the 29th. Surprise! The due date is the 28th. Therefore, the payment is one day late (although two days before the first of the month). I call Chase immediately to let them know the payment is one day late because the new due date is not what I had been promised. The agent tells me to wait until the next bill.

    I wasn’t so surprised to open up the bill and find $100 in fees and charges. I call Chase, and the agent kindly reverses the charges for me, the valued cardholder.

    The NEXT statement comes, and there’s another $20 in finance charges from the SAME incident. I call Chase again. This time, no mercy. I tell the agent, hey, this is from the same bad communication about my due date, and the same one-day late payment. Still, no mercy. I tell the agent, hey, I’m outta here if Chase doesn’t value my business at more than $20 over what is their (probably deliberate) miscommunication about my due date.

    And that’s the end of my relationship with Chase. There’s a reason Chase keeps surfacing here, and it has to do with deception. BTW, my preferred card is Amex. Always first class service, and they never charge a fee or FC’s as long as the payment reaches them before they print the next statement.

  73. Mike said:
    on July 2nd at 08:42 pm

    Phil, that Schwab card sounds great. Assuming it’s cheap to open a dummy Schwab brokerage account (smile)… I’ll be checking into that.

    Brendon, gas at “up to” 5% does not necessarily sound interesting… does it also have, like, 1% on other purchases? Even so, I suspect I’d like 1.5% back on *everything* with my Bank of America Rewards Platinum Plus, or maybe 2% with Schwab, rather than “up to 5%” on one small category and 1% on the rest. Dunno, I’d have to do the math. It’s really sweet to get a reduction on almost everything.

    There’s only one notable thing I can’t put on my card: My mortgage. I know, that’s dangerous, but god willing and the creek don’t rise (knock on wood), we pay our one and only c.c. bill in full automatically each month and have plenty left over. (This leftover is going into an 8 months’ income savings account per Suze Orman’s recommendations.)

    Does anybody know a way to get their mortgage on their card?

    Sorry to hear about the Chase troubles, friends! Sounds like a bum deal.

    If at all possible, folks, please state the full name of the credit card, for good ones, to make it easy to find. Like “Bank of America Rewards Platinum Plus” card. Some places offer a dizzy array of cards.

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