I have Chase Freedom Visa and am happy with it save one exception- low credit line. Asked for a bump of about $7G and they only bumped it up about 1.5K. Keep in mind I have plenty of $$ in the bank, a credit score (last time I checked about 8 months ago) of 813 or so (near perfect), no debt, and a steady job. Their response was that I've only got the one credit card, which is why they only bumped it up 1.5K. Having only 1 card is in part precisely why my finances and credit score are so good- I don't take on more than I can afford and I never carry a debt. Credit cards haven't seen a dime of interest off of me in many years.

Anyway, I am annoyed at Chase and looking around for a card that will give me a more robust balance. I also want one that awards 1%-2% points on purchases (don't need flight miles b/c I don't travel a lot), and that provides good customer service. I have a bank account with BoA (yes, they are infamous), but have good customer service through them so far (and am exempt from their stupid microfees like the $5 fee for a debit card), so I left my local BoA wealth management rep a call. Does anyone have a card through them?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I have a visa through BOA.. Higher interest at 12-13% I think. I only use it for emergencies.. When I did use it last they automatically bumped up the limit, even though I was no where near using up what I had.. Good customer service, no complaints and I've had it for a few years. But then again, I've never really had to dispute anything or had any issues.

Chase has been very good re: disputes. Always removed any questionable charge, and they call me periodically to verify that charges are legit.

My suggestion is to forget the credit card and use a debit card or cash. If you've got plenty of money, as you say, why do you need what equates to a pay-day loan every month? Sooner or later they will bite you. Plus, I've been hearing rumors that after the first of the year there are going to be all kinds of new 'fees' tacked on to credit card purchases.

Some things you need a credit card for. Try renting a car without one... uhhhg nightmare!

Provided you use it responsibly, a credit card is great to have. A) because in today's world, you kind of need it (unless you enjoy hassles), B) you can make $ off of it in terms of points (I usually see about $20-30 back per billing cycle in the form of redeemable points), and C) it's good to have in case of "oh #$@#!" emergencies)

If you're on the east coast, go for a card through TD Bank. They tend to lend without too much hassle.

Credit cards cost nothing to the consumer if paid off monthly so don't know how it would equate to a Pay-day loan if handled with discretion. I have three cards, two through Chase and a Discover, that I use at least once a year to keep active. I use one of the Chase cards for most of my monthly expenses because they pay me to use it. Your credit rating, whether you like it or not, is based on how you handle other people's money. They, credit agencies, could hardly care less how you handle your money such as cash or debit cards.

+ 1

Pay them off at the end of the month. Can't do that, don't use it buy whatever it is you can't pay for.
I have a BoA card that pays me a percentage back.

I have a Chase and a Discover along with a couple of debit/credit cards that I only use as debit.
I get rewards on both the former (one's a gas card that I get gas cards back on periodically, and Discover has a ton of stuff you can use it on, although their percentage is a minute fraction of the 1-2% I used to get back) and it's just so much easier than bothering with god awful CHECKS.

Every time I'm stuck behind someone at a checkout with a check I want to make them eat the checkbook, the pen, and whatever they kept the checkbook in. Either carry a card or, mercy me, carry cash, using a check for some lame $40 purchase is stupid.



The Jedi Master

What's a "check"?

I think the last one I wrote was probably about 3 years ago

Just wait, when you hit about 55 you'll suddenly have an irrational attachment to them. At least that's what I see every day.



The Jedi Master

I have *one* card with Chase - had it for +20 years since they were 1st Bank, it's a Mileage Plus United card - and I have a similar credit rating and a $45K limit on the card.

Signed, some anonomous person



vonKhan -
Veni, Vidi, Visa - I came, I saw, I spent

I have a debit card with BofA and as much as I dislike that in Jan. they will start charging me $5 per month to use it it's not worth giving up the convenience of their local branch being only two blocks away, bank by mail and what ever "gifts" they give me for letting them sit on my money for 1% interest.

Any reputable free bank credit card should serve your needs if you never carry a balance. We do the same and the card is a convenience at virtually no cost.

Those of us who remember banks fighting over customers with double digit interest offers, toasters, coffee makers etc. can try to feel like we had ours, now it's their turn.

good creditcard = jumbo shrimp??

Well, yeah, because it's all about YOUR convenience.

One thing I LOVE to do is put ev-er-y-thing in order before stepping away from the checkout - coin change in pocket, bills in wallet, sorted by denomination and all facing the same way, wallet in pocket, receipt in one of the bags, etc. Many times I can just FEEL the waves of impatience and animosity rolling off the person behind me - how DARE I hold them up so I can put my money away! I should just throw everything in a grocery bag and sort it out on MY time when I get home! Sometimes it's enough to make me wish I did carry a checkbook, so I could enter the check in the register before moving (I always did hate checks with carbons.) But then I'd be using up more of MY time than I want to.

And getting back on topic, I don't trust the credit card companies not to drastically change the rules mid-game in order to benefit themselves. I started getting myself out of the credit lifestyle about 15 years ago while still in the army, and today I keep just a single low-limit card in case I ever need to rent a car. Otherwise it's cash on the barrelhead, if I can't afford it I do without and save for it. It's amazing how often I find out I don't really need that thing I saw a couple weeks or months ago that looked really awesome at the time.

But that's what works for me. If credit (or a charge card) works better for you, more power to you. There have been more than a few times when I really had to exercise discipline to keep from buying a snowmobile, ATV, or Jeep that I saw. But by next summer I'll have another Jeep, free & clear. That reward is worth the wait to me.

That behavior is so far beyond rude I consider it reprehensible. So you find it not only ok but justifiable to hold others up for your OWN convenience? Who the hell are you to make that decision?
I suppose the idea of walking 10 ft away and THEN putting your stuff away, clearing the spot behind you for the next person is either A) far too inconvenient or B) beyond your ability to realize? I wish I would know when you were in line behind me, then I'd whip out my cellphone and have a 15 min conversation with someone before I even started taking things out of the cart. Then I'd have a long conversation with the person at the register. I'd make sure it took me 45 mins to clear out of there, because after all, I shouldn't think about inconveniencing the people behind me, to hell with them right?

I suppose when the light turns green you sit there and wait for it to turn yellow again before you step on the gas, ensuring no more than perhaps 2 cars behind you make it through?

The term is courtesy, and if you can't be courteous to others because it inconveniences YOU, please work and shop at home and stay off the streets.



The Jedi Master

It's not discourteous, it's called finishing the transaction at the point of sale. It's like pulling up your pants after taking a #%&*$# or zipping up your fly after taking a piss. I'm not gonna hobble out of the stall with my pants down around my ankles or step away from the urinal with my fly open because someone else has to go really badly.

As far as driving, I put the truck in gear when the crossing light turns yellow and go as soon as mine is green. If I have an impatient prick behind me, though, I will go through all 5 gears instead of the normal 2-4-5, just because I know it bothers them. If I'm lucky they'll even run into my massive rear bumper when I shift from 1st to 2nd at about 3mph. I also come to a complete stop at stop signs or flashing reds, pause a second, then go. And 15mph in school zones means exactly that - not 16, not 20, but 15. You should SEE how many people are behind me pounding the steering wheel in frustration in that case!

If the extra 10 seconds I take to make sure I got the correct change and put my wallet in my pocket bothers someone, all they have to do is say "that's very discourteous" to my face right then and there. I don't carry, I'm not into MMA, karate, boxing, or anything like that. I'm not a very physically impressive specimen, actually. But they'll just seethe quietly to themselves, talk to themselves about what they should have done for the whole drive home, and post about it on Facebook or SimHQ when they get home, like a real man does.

I wonder if I need to pick up anything at the store on the way home this afternoon? Maybe I'll get in line behind some Somali or Sudanese immigrants using WIC vouchers just to demonstrate what patience is. Me being discourteous and all.

You can do anything with a debit card that you can with a credit card except one: go into debt. You can even get the 'insurance' that covers loss or theft by simply telling them to run the debit card as a credit card. I simply don't like dealing with credit card companies if I can keep from it. I've been screwed by them before. If I can't pay cash for it, then I probably don't really need it. If I do, I'll go get a loan at the bank.

And yes, I still write checks. If somebody is in such a hurry that they can't wait the thirty seconds to a minute it takes me to write it, they probably didn't have time to stop at whatever store they're in to start with.