I had both Orchard and First Premier. The Orchard Annual Fee was higher than Firsst Premier in my case, but no monthly fees and no charge for paying online. First Premier had monthly fees, but lower interest rate and did not ratejack me like Orchard did. Started with 14.99% with Orchard and they jacked me to 29.99% based on Universal Default, so they said, while First Premier remained a constant 9.9% plus $6 monthly maintenance fee.
I have closed my First Premier just because I don't need it anymore, and my Orchard Silver has been upgraded to HSBC Platinum with 1/2 the annual fee and the interest rate back down to 14.99%. But if they ratejack me again, I am gone and not lookig back. So what I am saying, I guess, is that each one has good points, but neither is Prime of course.
If you want to get CLI and move up to better cards, go with Orchard. Just always pay more than the minimum and PIF if you can, never be late, and keep your other utils low. They are watching.
