Comments on: Cash Back Credit Cards

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:58:32 +0000

It seems on my chase account Chase has implemented a “Minimum Interest Charge” of $1.50 a month. Ir they’re going to charge $1.50 interest even if I have no balance (which may go against the definition of “interest”). I’m seriously debating closing my account over this $18/yr (though it may still be the best choice for me, as I haven’t yet found a better card). So annoying. Also this is not a “I’ve heard” this is a “last statement chase did this to my account”.

By: Ray Lenz

Ray Lenz — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:56:10 +0000

Based on earlier comments I was concerned that Chase had changed the rebate policy without notifying me, If I were to believe the above comments, Chase has limited monthly rebates to $12 and discontinued the payment of $250 for accumulated $200 in reward points. In revewing my statements I find that there has been no such $12 limit as I have been credited more than $12 every month. I then called Chase customer service and the rep I spoke to said that he had never heard of such a limit and the $250 for $200 is still in effect with no plans to change it.
To avoid late fees use the Chase Auto Payment plan instead of a bank payment plan and it can never be late. The $250 for $200 in rebates can’t be beat. I have never had any problems with customer service although I have found thar Citi customer service has been slightly better.
Since so many of the above comments differ from the Chase policy as explained by the service rep, and what i have experianced, I wonder about the validity of them.

By: Jacque

Jacque — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:01:07 +0000

This is one of my favorite cards. 5% in gas, 2% on groceries, 1.25 on everything else. No caps, total awarded monthly and applied as a credit to your statement. You have to be a memeber, but you can become one by donating $25 to a military organization if you are not related to or a military member yourself. Also, low balance transfer rates, caps on fee limits etc.

By: Elizabeth Abraham

Elizabeth Abraham — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:55:04 +0000

Chase sent out a letter saying that the $250 back for $200 reward points is no longer being offered as a option.

By: Henry Hurst

Henry Hurst — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:09:49 +0000

Watch out for Discover Card – they offered me the Open Road card with 5% back on gas purchases, then changed it to 2% after I had spent not quite enough money to get the $50.00 cash back. They now refuse to give me back what we agreed to originally, making it more difficult to reach that number. I am guessing they will keep lowering the percentage like a carrot and stick scam, so I won’t do business with them again.

By: Carol

Carol — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:16:07 +0000

I’ve had a Citibank card since they first came out with their EverythingCard way back in the 1960’s. I have never had difficulty with them. I stayed with them when they went to MasterCard and later I got a Driver’s Rewards card. When I purchased a car, I filled out the from and the rebate was received pronto. Now, I just received the rebate for the last car I plan on purchasing and am looking for another card to replace mine. I will stick with Citi. On the very rare occasion I’ve need help customer service was great, I can only say good things about doing business with them. Glad to see others are happy too and, I agree Chase stinks. They were awful to my mother. I would never do business with them.

By: Laurie John

Laurie John — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:17:39 +0000

Chase has an automatic payment option which I use to pay the entire balance in full every month. You never have to remember to go online, and you can set up several “alerts”. I’ve never had a problem using that system, and I like the rewards on the freedom card.

By: Lee Roberts

Lee Roberts — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:31:01 +0000

Try Charles Schwab. I have had this card for the past year and it has been great. 2% back, no limit. It goes to a brokerage account that you can either buy stocks or get the cash right away. I think it’s the best deal around.

By: Pam

Pam — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:44:17 +0000

Wow! I was just out looking for a new credit card with cash rebates because my CHASE credit card that I have had since 1992 just sent me a notification that they were dropping me from the rebate program. I have excellent credit, payoff the balance every month and usually get a $50 – $75 cash rebate credited to my monthly Chase statement every month. I have to admit that everything that I have read regarding Chase on this site, I completely agree with and will be closing ALL my accounts with them as soon as I find another bank that I want to give my business to. I currently utilize AMEX and Discover also, so maybe I also utilize them ALL the time now. I just preferred getting my rebate instantly every month and would like to find a similar credit card again. I would NEVER recommend anyone utilizing CHASE!

By: Joshua Witkins

Joshua Witkins — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:49:14 +0000

I had serious problems with Chase also. Chase was in the middle of a wire transfer from a small community bank of mine to a 3rd financial institution, who uses them as its “clearing” bank. They again stole the use of the money, by capitalizing on a one letter error made in the wiring document, filled out by my local bank. They refused to cooperate with my local bank, and seemingly intentionally caused delay after delay, allowing them to hold onto my money, and failing to wire it to their customer bank, for over a week. I have also had other major problems with them. DO NOT DEAL WITH CHASE on bank accounts, credit cards, or in any other capacity. Move all your bank accounts, credit cards, and all other business to community banks, and away from the huge and corrupt casino-operator pseudo-banks, including Chase, Citi, Bank of America, and so on.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:48:13 +0000

The best card that I have seen is the Charles Schwab Visa. It is 2% cash back on everything no cap. The money is deposited every month automatically into an interest baring Charles Schwab account that you can link with your bank account to instantly transfer the money to your checking if you need it. There are other cards out there that are not on these sites.

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:32:26 +0000

Take my advice & the advice of so many others- STAY CLEAR OF CHASE CREDIT CARDS! I’ve dealt with arrogant, taunting customer service reps, iron fisted rules & regulations, and the incredibly deceptive process of trying to redeem points. Add me to the list of customers who will be taking his business elsewhere.

Joe

By: Watson

Watson — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:49:38 +0000

Chase Freedom card no longer gives out 3% cashback (with $12 maximum) for the 3 bonus categories. As of the November statement, it has been downgraded to 1% cashback for every dollar spent. Chase must be have been preparing for the new government regulations next year.

By: James

James — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:58:01 +0000

Ross said: “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.”

I got the card for the same reason Ross! Unfortunately I’ve recently found out that they are no longer doing that and instead are doing some lame “Ultimate Rewards” program. Very disappointed I can’t get my $250 check anymore :’(

By: Barrett

Barrett — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:54:17 +0000

I recently opened a Chase Freedom for the $50. Now that I have redeemed it, I noticed they only gave me $1,700 in avail. credit. So, I deduced that they WANT me to use more than 50-75% of the avail. credit limit which will make the FICO score drop. I have been using credit cards for rewards since I was 18 years old. I, in 12 years, have never missed a payment. Since then, I have received well over $1,000 in electronics, speakers, cash, etc. I COST the credit cards money and I LOVE it!

Do NOT get AMEX with annual fees. They have tightened their flight restrictions and companions more than led to believe. Talk about losing a customer. AMEX went from $150 plus my incessant usage. After I redeemed my miles in July, I opted for the free one with almost the same rewards.

BEWARE! Companion tickets are a scam. You have to be flying from the same airport, time, AND section, e.g. T, U, etc. If you do not plan, to a T, you will pay in charges more than the original ticket.

By: mary

mary — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:02:05 +0000

i have had a chase bp credit card that gives 5 o/o cash back on gas or deisel and 1 o/o on all other purchases and have been fairly happy with it untill lately….i had a credit limit of $23,000.00 because somtimes i make big purchases on my card to get the cash back and pay the bill each month in full when it comes…..i have never been late …..i received a letter today stating they were lowering my credit limit to $10,000.00 and if i have made any purchases above this new amount i had 45 days to pay the bill in full or i would be charged an over-the-limit charge each month until i got it under this new amount !!!!!!!…..of course they were soooooo sorry if this would cause me any incovenience….this is really not a problem for me buttttt what about all the people out there whom they are doing this to that do not have the means to pay it off in 45 days ??? just another way for the credit card companies to get more fees out of people and do it the so called “legal way”……. do you think these people have nothing better to do then think of new ways to milk the public, is it possible that one of them might pop awake at night with a brilliant new idea on how to screw us again….do these people even think like the average person?????????? well that’s all folks

By: shineon

shineon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:13:23 +0000

I was only getting 3%. However, they were very adamant no one was getting their old rebates going forward. All Freedom cards were to be under the same rebate structure (with a slight improvement for Chase checking customers). I also had a checking account, so up to now I had been immune to the rebate reduction. I am now using PenFed credit card, and a high yield checking account with a credit union yielding 5%. If the rate holds up I will end up exceeding the return from reward cards. Times are changing, you have to be flexible and adapt.

By: Linda

Linda — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:02:58 +0000

For those of you, like me, who had a Chase 5% back on gas, groceries, and pharmacies, did you receive a letter informing you that the 5% was being eliminated? I never received a letter, but Chase reps are telling me that I should have because it came with the option of keeping my 5% rewards. According to them, since I didn’t respond to that supposed letter, they graciously transferred me to a Sapphire account. If you did receive that Chase letter, did it offer you the option of keeping your 5%? I’d feel better knowing it didn’t rather than blaming the Post Office for losing an important piece of mail.

By: shineon

shineon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:50:45 +0000

One last comment on Chase. A couple days after the 3% rebate program ended, for some reason I received the 3% brochure in the mail! Today! As I had cancelled the cards last week, I called Chase to find out why. I also noticed my online account was still up and continued indicating 3% rebates. While on the phone, the Chase employee cut me off, as if I had no idea what I was talking about. He provided no explanation why Chase sent me the brochure. And while he had me on the phone, he clearly cancelled my 3%. When I refreshed the page, poof my rewards had vanished. For a second there I was about to reactive my card. Glad I came to my senses… Off to greener pastures….

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:56:38 +0000

I can’t believe chase doesn’t tell you they put a $12 cap on cash back. Maybe that’s why they came up with the Chase Sapphire Credit Card right away that doesn’t have cap on points and you can use points to pay.

Get more info here:
http://www.cardz.com/Compare_Credit_Cards/Points

By: shineon

shineon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:46:56 +0000

I see the complaining continues. People’s real issue is they are using what should be short term borrowing, and turning it into a long term liability. This is an unsecured borrowing. Ask yourself, what rate would a stranger need to pay you as an individual to reward you for that unsecured risk? I personally feel 20 to 30% is justified. If you feel that is unfair and you are “entitled” to something lower, then take out a personal loan from a bank in lieu of putting the amount on a credit card. This is not 1950. Banks have no loyalty to customers, and you have no loyalty to them. Find the terms that best suit your needs, and if those terms change, look for something better. As Chase ends 3% rebates at the end of the month, today I cashed in my rewards, closed them out, and headed for greener pastures. BofA is the issuer of the Fidelity and Schwab 2% cards, and I am washing my hands of all the “too big to fail” taxpayer subsidized banks. I am going with PenFed credit card, and a high reward checking account with another credit union which pays 4-5% interest.

By: andy t

andy t — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:09:34 +0000

CITIBANK is far the worst and crookedest credit card, not to mention the bank, they suck, buncha thieves if you ask me, they will not reverse a $39 charge due to their own mistake, they tell you how much to spend and how tospend it,, they would not let me buy a $1200 stereo system because the limit for purchases was $1000, nor they would give a cash advance because their limit was $500 TOTAL not daily out of a $5000 credit line I had, every time they manage to find a way to charge extra fees…just think if they charge $39 to only 2 million out of 61 million customers they have, it is 80Milliona day, it is almost 30billiona year they steal from us…they don’t need to workanymore, yet they manage to lose money every year!. They should just close their doors and live off the money they steal and they would be better off than they are now, what a buncha loser thieves!!!!!!!!!!
if I didn;t know better I would think they were LIBERALS, they gotta be liberals to suck so hard!

By: Leon

Leon — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:47:03 +0000

It sounds like everyone got burned at least once. Personally i’m never getting an Amex in my life again. They hit me with 29% interest that added up to $1,490 per month for being late 1 day. They did not wanted to reverse it even though i said i’d stop paying it and i did. Chase so far so good. My AT&T universal – BEST card ever! had it for 16 years

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:11:54 +0000

Gosh another ex Chase customer. I have had two chase cards and I ended up closing both of them. I paid my balance every month via mail. Once the payment was returned to me as undeliverable to their mailbox address! and of course the $40 late fee and interest on the balance would not be reversed. I quit using the card. Up until a year ago they sent me a new replacement card. I never activated the card but put it in my wallet. I used it in the grocery store by mistake. To my amazement the charge went through. I got a bill for $13 and change. I immediately paid it by mail, because didn’t want to even bother setting up billpay. This time I got a letter from US mail with nice picture of my check that my payment was destroyed because it was again undeliverable. Again $40 fee was slapped on. I was so angry that I closed the card asap. I’ve had three credit cards and never had any trouble like this for the last 20 years. So when my Providian Visa converted to Chase, I immediately closed that card too. Now I’m only holding a BoA mastercard.

By: T.S.

T.S. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:22:06 +0000

I AM SENDING OUT A WARNING: DO NOT USE CHASE – IF YOU HAVE THEM, LEAVE THEM. I was a very happy WaMu cc customer. Please note: I was a perfect customer – paid early, paid more than the minimum due…had a 5% interest rate. Chase took over and my interest rate jumped to 26%…? huh? I did nothing wrong. For no reason. THEN, I get a letter that they CLOSED my account…again, for no reason. In the meantime, I’m in the middle of buying a home and Chase is screwing with my credit when I’ve been a flawless cc holder. Lastly? I paid off the entire balance. Next thing I know? I get a statement with finance charges after I already paid my balance in FULL. I called them up – spoke to a supervisor – explained my overall experience — they could care less! They have ROBOTS that work at Chase. They wouldn’t reverse the finance charge, I asked to speak to someone higher and was told to write a letter. I threw up my hands and paid it today and it better finally be over!!! I do not trust Chase Bank – and neither should you!!!!

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:07:01 +0000

I HATE Chase. My wife and I opened a joint savings account there when we got married to put all our wedding gifts into. We slowly withdrew from that account to pay off credit card bills from the wedding and other bills as they came along. About a year and a half later I get a statement in the mail. I open it up and look at it and for the past 3 months they’ve been charging me money to have them hold my money in a savings account. Conveniently, it was the only statement I had gotten mailed to me in 4 months. I went to the bank to find out why I was being charged and why I wasn’t notified that I would be. They told me it was a high yield savings account and we didn’t have the 10,000 minimum balance. When we opened the account, they never told us anything about a minimum balance and the manager who opened the account for us was no longer working for them. They wouldn’t reverse the charges. I immediately closed the account and went across the street and opened up one at WAMU… guess what? now I’m with Chase again.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:09:20 +0000

I agree with Holly. Chase sucks ass. I was a loyal customer that paid my card off every month. I was 2 days late and they refused to waive the fee. Stay away from them.

By: mark

mark — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:28:30 +0000

Chase Freedom Visa is revamping it’s rewards program as of Oct. 26 2009-
All purchases will translate into “points” not dollars.
The intentionally complicated & misleading conversion to cash is the equivalent of 1% of purchases.
Also $250 bonus on $200 in earned rewards will be eliminated.
There is no longer much incentive to using this card after October 2009.
AMEX/FIDELITY Rewards Card is a flat 2% with no fancy math or limitations.
When $50 is earned it automatically posts to your Fidelity Brokerage account.
Good simple deal with no limitations or caps.
Discover & Chase bonus/rewards used to be the best.
Unfortunately, no longer true.

By: Evey

Evey — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:36:46 +0000

Is Shane the only one who thinks this credit entitlement is a little crazy? It’s hard to believe, but only a small percentage of the world population has access to an ongoing loan, which clearly, most think should be scott free, if not provide extra perks. What would we all do if we had to live on just what we made, with no incentives?

I was going to give another survey of one, but I think these comments have proved to me that I have no right to complain. Plus there’s misinformation floating through this thread (banks do not collect the entirety of the merchant fee, certainly nothing near 5% after Visa and MasterCard take nearly half of 2-3%). If you don’t want to play by their rules regarding late payments and amendable terms, all you have to do is stay away. I don’t think it would be a terrible thing for the country if all this “free” credit did disappear, and this is coming from someone who at one point in her life fully utilized $40k in credit lines.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:14:44 +0000

Here’s a Chase story for you. I have been a Chase customer for 40 (yes, forty) years. First credit card I ever had. Always pay online, in full, on time, every month and I spend a lot with them. Last month, tried to pay the day before due and their payment website stated it was down until the next day (making my payment late, of course). They refused to reverse the late charge. Said it was “policy”. Closing accounts just hurts your credit rating, but I’ll avoid using this one anymore.

By: Don in CA

Don in CA — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:40:07 +0000

I should’ve read this posts. I know I am not the only one who hates XXXX Chase. Currently I am looking for the other Credit card companies and Banks (Wamu became Chase). Personally, I recommend HSBC and US Bank are more reasonable and customer friendly. I try to go to Bank of America tomorrow for checking account ($100 cash offer). Chase, they don’t listen and even try to teach the customers. I’ve been the member for 14 years. Being the customer is nothing to them. I decide I cancel all my Chase Credit cards and Bank accounts. let me know if anybody knows the better financial services. Thanx.

Don

By: Gregg

Gregg — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:58:20 +0000

I did not take the time to read all the responses but I thought you should know I got notification the Discover 5% up to 100 per month is changing in Feb to 2% up to $250 per month, so I’m bailing on discover for the HESS 3% and Wawa 4% cards.

By: Milton W

Milton W — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:17:53 +0000

I got notices in the mail yesterday that 2 of my Chase cards are increasing the interest rates on balances… 19.99 on one and 22.99 on the other. These are joint cards with my college kids (both), and while I pay off each month, I feel treated like a class B customer…. They want to run me off… fine, I’ll go elsewhere. Customer service said closing the account was my only option and had no other offers for me.

By: Aamir Siddiqi

Aamir Siddiqi — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:16:22 +0000

Chase, has the worst service, I was literally one day late and they would not reverse the fees, alluding to some governmental pressure, I cancelled the card and will also change my local banking to a bank more loyal to its customers.

By: shineon

shineon — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:14:25 +0000

Chase is finally going after freedom card holders with a chase checking account. To date we have been immune to rebate reductions. Looks like the free ride is over. Checking / freedom will now get 1% plus 10% extra bonus (I presume this means one generates 1.1%). Plus, 10 bonus points for each purchase. If you are willing to make $5 purchases or less, you will still net 3%.

As I tend to spend about $5 when I get a quick lunch at work, I will devote Chase toward those purchases. Discover gives 5% on gas. I refuse to deal with Bank of America, so that counts out the Fidelity and Schwab cards which are issued by BofA.

Either recession or cc reform, they keep changing the rules, and keeping us on our toes. At least people like us try to remain proactive.