Credit Cards- any good ones?

[grace0418]

I want to get rid of my Chase Visa. Does anyone know of any credit cards that are more socially responsible, or at least a little less heinous, than others? I have excellent credit so I should be able to get a card from anywhere. I absolutely hate Citibank, and I read that Working Assets uses MBNA for their credit card, which is weird to me because MBNA is supposed to be one of the worst isn't it? I have Working Assets long distance and a Working Assets cell phone but I just can't understand why they would use MBNA. Is it just that all the credit card companies are so evil that it doesn't really matter?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I want to have one card for emergencies but don't want to be giving my business to the most evil companies if I can help it.

[Blue to the bone]

1. Yes, plenty. Just use someone else's. n/t

[YellowRubberDuckie]

2. I don't know about MBNA....

They were really great when we settled my debt with them about four or five years back. When they called when I was behind, they weren't rude. They seemed like they wanted to help figure something out. I have no ill will toward them. I was a stupid kid who didn't how to manage money or how to use credit. They treated me ok.
Duckie

[grace0418]

7. MBNA is on a lot of boycott lists for their funding of the

war, BushCo, and now the whole evil bankruptcy bill. I don't know about the company's customer service, but I do know about it's practices and I want nothing to do with them. I just hope there is an alternative out there (short of "using someone else's card").

[YellowRubberDuckie]

9. Mind you, this was back in 2000, before I saw the light...

I was just putting in my two cents about what happened to me. Also, I didn't know they were that evil. Thanks for the info.
Duckie

[grace0418]

11. Thanks, I appreciate that. And certainly customer service

is one reason why I want to leave Chase. But I am hoping to find a company that is the least of all the credit card company evils.

[grace0418]

10. more on MBNA

<snip>
"In 2000, the top donor to President Bush's presidential campaign was MBNA Corp., a Delaware-based bank. MBNA's executives, their families and its political action committee gave him nearly $240,700. Though MBNA Chief Executive Charles Cawley and his wife, Julie, personally gave a total of $2,000 to Bush (the limit then was $1,000 per contributor per election), Cawley was a Bush ''Pioneer,'' one of the volunteer fund-raisers who pulled in at least $100,000 apiece for the campaign."
  —Take the 'For Sale' Sign Off the White House Lawn,"
by Nick Nyhart and Joan Claybrook


----------------
And this from www.opensecrets.org, and article that actually is talking about BushCo's first term and how MBNA was engineering the bankruptcy bill back then...

<snip>

Bankruptcy

Back in June 1999, Charles Cawley, president of MBNA America Bank, a bank that is to credit cards what Coke is to soft drinks, hosted what he called an intimate dinner at his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. But it was no ordinary get-together. More than 200 guests gathered that evening on Cawley’s back porch, sipping cocktails and writing $1,000 checks to underwrite the presidential campaign of George W. Bush, the party’s guest of honor.

Over the next year, Cawley would personally raise at least $100,000 for the Bush campaign, qualifying him for admission into the Pioneers, the campaign’s roster of top supporters. Such fund-raising prowess no doubt helped secure MBNA’s slot as Bush’s single top contributor, with more than $240,000 in contributions from its employees during 1999-2000. And last January, Cawley broke out his checkbook again, writing a $100,000 check to the Bush-Cheney Inaugural Fund.

During Bush’s first weeks in office, that investment began paying off. Legislation championed for years by MBNA that would make it harder for consumers to wipe away their debts was passed by an overwhelming margin in both chambers of Congress. Though a similar measure had been approved last year, President Clinton vetoed it. Bush, however, has signaled he will sign the bill, a move that could generate an estimated tens of millions of dollars in additional revenue for MBNA and other major credit card companies.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

3. I have a Chase Visa. Educate me, please.

What are they guilty of?

[grace0418]

5. I don't know what Chase is guilty of in a broad sense

but I've had a Chase card for over 10 years and they won't lower my interest rate. It's ridiculous. I've even received offers from them (as if I weren't already a customer) offering me interest of 9-11% but when I call to say "I have this offer saying I'm pre-approved for this rate, so please just lower my rate to this since I am a long-time customer" they won't do it. I've threatened to take my business elsewhere and they still won't budge. So I'm not going to bluff anymore, I AM going to take my business elsewhere. I don't usually carry a balance but I want to know that, if I need to carry a balance, I'm not going to be charged out the hoo-ha. The fact that Chase won't be responsive to my reasonable request pisses me off and I don't want to give them my business any longer.

[cedahlia]

12. Chase is HORRIBLE

We have gone through the same thing regarding the interest rate issue. My husband has a BankONE card that he's had for a couple of years now, but they recently merged with Chase, so now it's a Chase card. Anyway, he had a supposedly fixed rate of 11% when the card was still considered BankONE, but now that it's with Chase, they've raised the rate to 25%!!! Unbelievable! He called them and said, "hey, ya know, I have excellent credit, which you can see from my credit report, and I've always been a good customer to BANKONE...could you explain to me what's up with this ridiculous new interest rate, and what you can do about it for me?" Well, the CR got snarky with him and basically told him "too bad", this is how it is now, and there's nothing they will do to change it. So, he said, "okay then, since you are going to be insanely unreasonable, I'll be taking my business elsewhere...see ya!"

Not only are they greedy, but they're also dumb. Bad customer service stories have a way of getting around. And I'm happy to help spread the word that Chase sucks!! }(

On a more positive note, National City has been good to me over the years. They're the only credit card company I could really recommend.

[amazona]

13. chase has terrible service

Another vote against Chase, they are completely incompetent. I sent back their card when it took them almost a year to fix an identity theft situation.

In the same situation, it took Citibank two WEEKS!!! And, imagine this, Citibank was apologetic that someone had changed our address to try to get our card. Chase was hateful and threatening.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[grace0418]

27. Well, I have a similar story about that only

with Citibank. They were AWFUL to me when a waitress at a restaurant added a $200 tip to my meal of $35. The person was under investigation by the FBI and they even called Citibank to verify but Citibank would not take the charge off. I will NEVER use Citibank.

[grace0418]

26. Thanks! Finally someone with a recommendation

I will check them out. Yeah, Chase sucks. And they used to be good years ago.

[LynneSin]

16. If you're not carrying a balance then what does the rate matter?

Seriously?

You change to another bank they'll start you off with a lower rate for a short period of time to lure you to their company and then they'll just switch you back to a regular rate. Those low rates are "introductory" rates which means after you sign up for their card and have it for a period of time they'll just re-up you to your permament rate

Personally at this point they are all bad, but I would say MBNA, Providian & CapitalOne are the worse of the lot. MBNA was probably one of the biggest advocates in the push to get this bankruptcy bill through AND they are major contributors to Bush & his ilks. Providian & CapitalOne I think of as "Predator" companies because they target "High Risk" potential customers in hopes that they'll take advantage of getting a credit card and then run up charges left & right. When I had finally cleaned up my credit I decided to try one of those CapitalOne cards. First time I went over my credit (by less than $2) they socked a $25 overcharge fee on me. I tore that thing up and paid it off.

Knowing that all credit cards are pretty much the "Dregs of Society" at least for us progressive thinkers, then why even bother switching cards? You're paying off your balance - keep it paid off and stash that credit card somewhere where it'll be used for emergencies only. Then apply for a debit card from your bank and use that for shopping instead. That way you're only buying what you need and staying more within your budget (I know I have since I started using my BankOne Debit Card - which ironically will become a Chase DebitCard in about a year).

This Bankruptcy Bill is not pretty and we're at a time where Credit Cards shouldn't be used except for emergencies only.

[grace0418]

25. It's the principle.

If I am a long-time customer of a company I expect to be treated well. Just because I don't usually carry a balance, doesn't mean that I won't EVER carry a balance for a month or two. And, as a longtime customer, I expect that they should want to keep my business and therefore lower the interest rate if I should ask. Especially when they're offering new customers that rate.

Yes, many of those rate are introductory, but some aren't. My business partner and I had a CapOne card that was 11% fixed rate. We had it for years and it didn't change. I just know that CapOne is another one of the bad guys. But if they're all bad guys then I'll just have to hold my nose and choose one.

[unblock]

4. avoid providian at all costs

very prone to errors and very difficult to get them to acknowledge it.

[trof]

6. I use Discover for everything.

I mean EVERYTHING.
Even monthly bills like phone, celphone, electric, water, cable. I'd use it to make my mortgage payment if I could.
I get cash back. Over $300 last year.
Pay it off every month though.

[grace0418]

8. I had a Discover card but cancelled it because it was

too hard to use it everywhere, especially outside the country. Do you find that more places take Discover nowdays than say 3 or 4 years ago?

[amazona]

15. outside the country it's mastercard

I do like that cashback from Discover but sometimes you can get it from Citibank Visa/Mastercards as well. I don't know about anyone else's experiences, but I've found Mastercard the best to use outside the U.S. My Citibank Mastercard gave me 10 percent cashback last summer but they've ended that promotion for the moment. It seems like you have to be pro-active and keep chasing the promotions for the best credit card deals.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[trof]

29. Many more do now, but

I also carry a Mastercard for the few places that don't.
Discover is a bit more accepted outside of the U.S., but the MC still comes in handy.

[democracyindanger]

14. workingassets.com

[LynneSin]

17. Absolutely NO WAY IN HELL for Working Assets

All these brand name credit cards are backed by one of the major banks out there. Basically whatever money Working Assets is donating to a progressive cause is being wiped out by the #1 pusher of the Bankerupcy bill - MBNA.

Bascially anything positive done by Working Assets will be negated by MBNA. That's why I won't get one cent to Sierra Club anymore because they're using MBNA too

http://www.bushpresident2004.com/pioneers-and-rangers.htm



The Repo Man
In 1999, Charles Cawley threw a cocktail party at his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, inviting 200 people to greet the town's most famous part-time resident, George W. Bush. The oceanfront soiree raised $200,000 for the candidate -- but Cawley wasn't acting purely out of neighborly good will. As the head of MBNA America Bank, the nation's biggest independent issuer of credit cards, Cawley wanted Bush to push for a new law making it harder for families hit by unemployment or huge medical bills to declare bankruptcy. Sure enough, not long after taking office, Bush backed the measure -- which would add $75 million a year to MBNA's bottom line. Last November, Cawley returned the favor by inviting Laura Bush to his Delaware home to greet 120 supporters -- raising $150,000 for her husband's re-election.

[amazona]

19. all the "cause" cards are MBNA

It's too bad and I'm not sure how they locked up that market, but I won't deal with them either. I had a dispute on an MBNA card, and they behaved unethically, threatening my credit and trying to add all sorts of charges. I finally reported them to the federal watchdog group -- I'm blocking on the name for the moment but it'll come back to me -- and they removed the incorrect charges. But I was done with them.

Any credit card company can make a mistake, and most do. I judge by their willingness to fix their mistakes without turning it into a federal case.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[LynneSin]

22. Not all of them.

But a bulk of them. I guess that was MBNA's joke - we'll make money off of those peacenik hippies thinking they're going to do good with an MBNA "Environmental Credit Card" When you think of how much money that Crowley and the other MBNA executives have raised for George Bush - well, it makes you ill!

[grace0418]

30. I wish I had the name of the watchdog group when Citibank

did that to me. My credit was affected by them. It's fine now but for awhile I had to explain the notation on my credit report to everyone who looked at it.

[democracyindanger]

20. So the only solution then is no credit card

Which isn't answering the OP's question. Punishing the Sierra Club seems like cutting off your nose despite your face, but that's just my opinion.

[LynneSin]

21. Why do they need to have a credit card

:shrug:

Seriously

Yes, I'm punishing the Sierra Club because they gave my cell phone number to the credit card companies. Several years ago I had volunteered to help out with some stuff with Sierra Club. When they passed around the signup sheet, I put my cell phone number on there since I never answer my home phone number. Three years later I still get MBNA calling my cell phone asking me if I want one of their credit cards. I was getting calls every month from them DURING PEAK HOURS!!!! Believe me, Sierra Club is a SHIT organization for selling their member list to MBNA especially since many folks like myself trusted them enough to give them my cell phone number. Hell I remember the night I did it and when I was talking to the guy organizing the event I even mentioned to him that I was giving him my cell phone number so he could reach me. I even marked the number I listed as a cell phone number. I guess they put all those distribution lists into a master database and then sold it to MBNA. Yep even Sierra Club has sold us out!

Personally I think Sierra Club can go rot - there are other great environmental organizations out there that I can support that haven't sold me out to the credit card companies

[democracyindanger]

23. Excellent point

Does anybody really NEED one? They certainly can come in handy, but people can live without 'em. But if someone feels like they have to have one, it's one of those things that some Republican bigwig is going to profit off of, like gasoline or electricity, so you can try to mitigate it however you can, if only in a small way.

I didn't know that about Sierra Club. I'd be pissed, too.

[grace0418]

24. If that works for you, great, but I personally

find it much easier to have a credit card. I have been in situations where, if I didn't have one at that very minute, the situation would've been a nightmare. Like when my dad died and the "compassion fares" the airlines were charging were $1400. Yes, $1400. So much for compassion. I had to buy a ticket that day and wasn't getting paid for another week (at the time I only got paid once a month, and I had just bought a house so our reserves were very low) and if I didn't have a credit card I wouldn't have been screwed. Or the two months after I graduated from college when I had to live in my college town but couldn't work at my university job anymore (and just try getting a job in a college town during the summer). I bought groceries with my credit card because it was my only option. It sucked but I sure was glad to have it then.

Nowdays I have a cash reserve for emergencies and I have a debit card that I use all the time, but I still like the peace of mind that comes with having a credit card available should something happen. For instance, renting a car without one is possible but it sure is a hassle. And being sent on business trips where you get reimbursed would suck if you didn't have a credit card.

Sure, nobody really neeeeeeeds one. But they sure make life easier in my book.

[slutticus]

18. Discover Card

Stay away from MBNA and Citi

Just my experience. If you can, stay away from credit cards all together.

[gizmo1979]

28. NO!!