topic Re: Charge Card Issuers in Credit Cards

Charge Card Issuers

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 18:13:32 GMT

Aside from American Express are there any other current issuers of charge cards available in the US?

I see that Diners is available internationally, but it appears to be under different banks depending on the location.

Thanks.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

Brian_Earl_Spilner — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 20:10:26 GMT

Every card is a charge card If you pif. Why interested in charge cards? The amex ones are only worth it because of the benefits.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 01:28:49 GMT

@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:
Every card is a charge card If you pif. Why interested in charge cards? The amex ones are only worth it because of the benefits.

+1 to this. Just prentend that you HAVE to pay off your balance every month. Then get the card(s) that best fit your spending patterns.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 02:43:15 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:
Every card is a charge card If you pif. Why interested in charge cards? The amex ones are only worth it because of the benefits.
+1 to this. Just prentend that you HAVE to pay off your balance every month. Then get the card(s) that best fit your spending patterns.

Yes, but in general, a charge card will allow you to charge more than a credit card of a similar age (the bank has higher confidence that it will be repaid, and/or will more quickly know of a problem). But if OP is not planning significant charges early on, then yes, I agree.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 15:02:00 GMT

Thanks. I have other revolving accounts and that's what I do anyway.

I was just wondering if there were other competitors to the American Express ones or if they are the only issuer for that type of product?

Re: Charge Card Issuers

FinStar — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 15:18:49 GMT

Unfortunately, other than corporate cards available by specific issuers to various corporations, there really isn't anything available that you can apply for other than AMEX.

On the US side, and prior to BMO Harris acquiring the Diners Club portfolio from Citibank, personal charge cards were available (inclusive of Carte Blanche), but that's no longer a viable option.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

RicHowe — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 15:21:27 GMT

AFAIK AMEX is the only Charge card issuer left in the US. What started with Diner's Club in the 1950's and Carte Blanche and AMEX later on has been usurped by revolving credit accounts.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

wasCB14 — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 15:26:46 GMT

I think there was a Chase Ink (business) charge card a few years ago. I don't think it still exists, let alone is accepting applications.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

flyingmd — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 17:08:47 GMT

BA has a corporate world MC that is a charge card, but I do not think they offer it anymore for new accounts. It works exactly like AMEX with no pre set spending limit and is PIF each month. I have had it for about 6 years now.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

K-in-Boston — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 17:31:23 GMT

@FinStar wrote:
Unfortunately, other than corporate cards available by specific issuers to various corporations, there really isn't anything available that you can apply for other than AMEX.

On the US side, and prior to BMO Harris acquiring the Diners Club portfolio from Citibank, personal charge cards were available (inclusive of Carte Blanche), but that's no longer a viable option.

I'm feeling nostalgic now and really regret not having a Diners Club and Carte Blanche today. There is something fundamentally wrong with having three card brand logos on the current CB:

FWIW, Visa Signature, Visa Infinite, World MasterCard, and World Elite MasterCard cards should all have flexible spending features, which is at least a charge card feature. But outside of the business and corporate card world, as others stated, I'm not aware of any actual charge cards (other than that one furniture store card whose name I can't remember right now) offered to consumers in the US.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

FinStar — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 18:47:05 GMT

For the Diners Club and Carte Blanche purists, the placement of the MC logo was like blasphemy when Citibank made the network feature available for wider acceptance back in the day.

I was glad to have been able to get approved for the Diners Club CCs when applications were made available in 2014 (albeit that frenzy lasted for a month and a week) before things came to a screeching halt. Almost 4 years later, still not taking applications 😄.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

NRB525 — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 19:13:01 GMT

The BMO Diners Club Cards are made with a special alloy:

Unobtainium

Re: Charge Card Issuers

toadsworth — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 23:22:25 GMT

Isn’t the Von Maur card a charge card?

Re: Charge Card Issuers

UncleB — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 23:40:47 GMT

I had a Citi-issued Diner's Club back in the day (late 90s), and I admit if it were still available I would give it a look if for no other reason than nostalgia. I also admit that nostalgia isn't a good reason to consider a card...

If Discover were to come out with a Diner's Club charge card it might be interesting (and worth a look), depending on the features.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

K-in-Boston — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 01:33:23 GMT

@toadsworth wrote:
Isn’t the Von Maur card a charge card?

Yes! That was the one I was trying to think of on page 1. Department store not furniture.

Re: Charge Card Issuers

FinStar — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 03:15:39 GMT

@K-in-Boston wrote:
@toadsworth wrote:
Isn’t the Von Maur card a charge card?
Yes! That was the one I was trying to think of on page 1. Department store not furniture.

Technically the Von Maur card is a revolving type of account, meaning it's not like an AmEx (NPSL) charge card where the entire balance is due when a statement cycles. It has an interest-free feature with a flexible payment schedule (depending on the amount of the balance).

My understanding is that it is coded as a charge card (i.e. "guidance line") as certain transactions may exceed a "preset" CL depending on account history and other factors.