Chase Amazon visa

Anonymous · ‎06-22-2016

Read a ton of horror stories on this card on Amazon review page (seems to be over 1,000).

They claim they charge interest at time of purchase but when I read the T&C it says there is a 21 day period to pay the bill.

Also seen complaints about payments taking two weeks....

Was wondering if this is mostly younger people my age that may not know about credit and are "aloof" or if others had a similar problem.

Trying to decide what card I want when I come out of garden later this summer

longtimelurker · ‎06-22-2016

It does indeed have a standard grace period, so if you PIF, no interest. Now, like most other credit cards, if you don't pay in full, you get charged interest from the date of purchase, but this is absolutely standard.

The major negative about the card IMO is that it is pretty useless. I got it in 2004, when the reward structure seemed very good (3, that's 3!!!! % on Amazon and 2% on several useful categories). At that time, very few cards gave more than 1% so this was great. Now however you can get free 2% everywhere cards, and 3% on Amazon doesn't compare well with the 5% from the Amazon store card (or, for those who have it, 5% from Sallie Mae). So the card hasn't improved over time whereas the competitors have

CountryLivin · ‎06-22-2016

I've had the card a year, and never a problem!

lord_kinbote · ‎06-22-2016

Payments taking two weeks? Absurd. Chase site promptly processes payments. I have 4 chase cards and their payment system is no different than any of their other products.

Just a FYI, most complaints like this come from people who do pay their bills on time and or were not approved. It amazes me the amount of people that think they are entitled to credit.

Anonymous · ‎06-22-2016

@Anonymous wrote:
Read a ton of horror stories on this card on Amazon review page (seems to be over 1,000).

They claim they charge interest at time of purchase but when I read the T&C it says there is a 21 day period to pay the bill.

They do charge that way after the grace period. They even compound that interest daily, and use an actual daily balance formula instead of the more common average daily balance. The good news is that I spent the other day crunching the numbers on the compounded interest, and the difference is pretty negligible. I don't remember the exact numbers, but at $10,000 balance, it was still under a dollar difference for the compounding. If you don't carry a balance, even that should not be a concern.

The card is pretty good. The reward structure isn't the best, but 3% on Amazon is decent, and 2% gas, restaurants, and drug stores is pretty reasonable. From what I understand, all Amazon Visas are now Visa Signature cards, and come with all the perks. That can be really handy if you don't have one.

My favorite is the concierge. I find myself using that a lot more than I'd expected. Living in a rural area, that is a godsend. Finding certain items can be a chore around here as most places nearby don't have inventory listed online. Now I just call the concierge, and they take care of it.

longtimelurker · ‎06-22-2016

@Anonymous wrote:

The card is pretty good. The reward structure isn't the best, but 3% on Amazon is decent, and 2% gas, restaurants, and drug stores is pretty reasonable. From what I understand, all Amazon Visas are now Visa Signature cards, and come with all the perks. That can be really handy.

I guess this is a matter of perspective! IMO, if the question is "Should I apply for this card?" I would find it very hard to give a "Yes" to almost anyone. There are several free 2% everywhere cards (Blispay, Fidelity and Double Cash, as well as others that become 2% quickly, like Nasa) and at least some of these aren't harder to get than Chase.

And if you are a heavy Amazon spender, you probably have Prime and the Amazon Store card gives 5% So with two cards you get much better coverage. If you are really restricted to getting just one card, then maybe, but even then a card with a high sign up bonus would probably give a better return over the small incremental returns given by Chase Amazon.

deltatee · ‎06-22-2016

This is my oldest card and I have never had a problem with paying interest, disputing charges, or making payments. Plus Chase gave me a ton of auto love on that card and always has good balance transfer offers on it.

Anonymous · ‎06-22-2016

I've had a Chase Amazon card for about five years... It was my first credit card I applied for when I was 19. I was approved for a $400 limit, and then I requested $600 and then approved, and then $800 and then approved. My credit took a dive a little while after that, though, so it's been stuck at $800 for about three and a half years.

Funny part is I applied for the Citi TYP card about two years ago and they approved me for $1,500. Not sure why Chase decided to give me such a low limit.

Anonymous · ‎06-22-2016

OP, I have this card and heavily use it as my primary card so I'd probably be able to answer any questions you have.

Short answer: This card works just like any other 'typical' credit card. PIF, and there will be zero interest. If not, interest accrues just like any other standard Visa.

I applied and got mine in 2009. Originally $900 credit limit but it's gone up since then. It's a really good card. Like I said earlier, I use it for literally everything. I like only having one credit card bill at the end of the month. The rewards on Amazon are good (3%). Gas and restaurants are other places I spend alot of money at so the 2% there is awesome as well. Yes there are other cards that give better rewards but I like how close the Chase branch is to me and the fact that there's no AF.

My *only* gripe about this card is it's online banking. It's terrible! What I mean by that is the online portal is very outdated. My buddys CSP and Discover IT card literally give him any type of report he wants. They break down how he's spending his money and in what catagories. My Amazon card gives me a measley End Of Year Report.

Goodluck and hope you get approved!

longtimelurker · ‎06-22-2016

@Anonymous wrote:

I applied and got mine in 2009. Originally $900 credit limit but it's gone up since then. It's a really good card

. Like I said earlier, I use it for literally everything. I like only having one credit card bill at the end of the month. The rewards on Amazon are good (3%). Gas and restaurants are other places I spend alot of money at so the 2% there is awesome as well. Yes there are other cards that give better rewards but I like how close the Chase branch is to me and the fact that there's no AF.

Again, obviously a matter of personal opinion, but I would maintain that there is no way this card could be considered "really good"! There are at least 3 no AF cards that give 2% everywhere, beating this card most places and equalling it on all but Amazon. So even for a single card, Blispay (for example) might give more rewards, unless there is a lot of spend on Amazon (in which case you would need the Amazon store card as well). Even with moderate Amazon spend, a 2% everywhere card might beat the Chase card.

Always consider alternatives to the card you are looking at: and IMO, this card is the best choice for a very small number of people.