I have been getting pre- approvals in the mail for a few months for the BBVA ClearPoints VISA but have been leery of applying since I have read so many negative things about BBVA on MyFico and other forums (lots of issues with verifying identity, payments posting several days later, bad customer service reps with thick accents etc…) but the siren song of another sign up bonus was just too strong to resist.
I originally tried applying about 6 weeks ago but the “apply online” link wasn’t working for a couple days and I thought they were not accepting new applications, as the pandemic was starting to worsen. However, I tried again a week later and it was working again so SUB hunt was on! My drivers license is from out of state from my mailing address so I was expecting some verification issues but the application process was pretty smooth and I was approved instantly for $10K! No ID verification issues, no submitting pay stubs etc.. *big sigh of relief* Also got an offer for an online checking account with another sign up bonus if I get direct deposit so I went for that too. So did EVERYTHING go smoothly afterward? Uhh, no.
After I was approved for the credit card, I was prompted to set up online banking with ID, password, security questions etc… which I did and received a message that I was all set up. I go to log on the next day and I cant; the site tells me I have to set up Passmark first. And what is this Passmark of which they speak? I have no idea, as there is no explanation or link anywhere that I can find. I call customer service and while the first rep couldn’t help me, he quickly transferred me to somebody else who could. And what was Passmark? The same exact security questions that I had answered and saved the day before. The rep guided me through it again and after that I was able to log on with no more issues. Both reps had slight accents but their English was very good and no communication issues as with other reviews I have read. Both were nice and super friendly.
I activated my card and got the “your card is ready to use” message but when I try to use it at the supermarket it gets declined. I log in to my online account and card is not showing being activated. HUH? I go through the activation process again and finally the card starts working. So I guess you have to enter your security questions and activate your credit card twice lol
I linked my new BVA checking acct to my credit card along with my external HSBC checking and all transfers have been credited promptly so far. I got my credit card sign up bonus credited a couple days after I reached the minimum spend. So overall while I did run into a couple glitches, they were fixed pretty easily so I will take my sign up bonuses and continue to use the card. Their 3x category is a nice perk that will work nicely for me.
I also found it interesting that when I got my confirmation letter in the mail with my credit scores, it listed both my Experian 758 AND Vantage 3.0 738 scores; haven’t seen an other issuer I have dealt with ever list a Vantage score.
One question… about how long before I can expect to see either a CLI or pre-approval show up on my BBVA account? I realize that the world has changed much in the last month so this may not applicable any more but one can always hope.
Goal Scores: 700 across all three
