I got this card a couple months ago.
Amazon purchases credit 5x to your rewards account right away. Apparently this does not include Kindle purchases, though, which only earn 1x.
The Hi5 bonus earnings take a while to show up. My gas/grocery 5x points for June showed up on July 31. Yes it is on top of the base earning, so Q4 will earn 10x total on Amazon, which is pretty amazing.
The SUB also takes some time. I completed mine in late July and the 20,000 points appeared in my rewards account yesterday.
They have an offers system similar to Amex without the need to opt in through a third party system called Ampre. For example, they are offering an additional 1x at Gap and Old Navy right now, along with bigger offers at other merchants, in-store and online. I'm just remembering that one because I used it recently.
Minimum redemption is 2,500 points for $25. You can credit to your AFCU deposit account or as card statement credit.
The user interface is not great. You can pay from an external account, but it's a bit awkward. Pending purchases don't show on your transaction history, but available credit does reflect them.
Their fraud algorithms are aggressive. I made a $300 purchase which was approved, but got a call soon after asking me to confirm in order to open the card back up again.
I was called twice by a person to ask if I was OK with their services and if I needed any help with anything. They definitely get points for taking initiative on customer service. I'm sure part of that was to try to sell me on their deposit accounts, though, which are pretty attractive.
They offer EX FICO 8 score on their website... updated quarterly, though.
Anything else you want to know?
@MrDisco99 wrote:I got this card a couple months ago.
Amazon purchases credit 5x to your rewards account right away. Apparently this does not include Kindle purchases, though, which only earn 1x.
The Hi5 bonus earnings take a while to show up. My gas/grocery 5x points for June showed up on July 31. Yes it is on top of the base earning, so Q4 will earn 10x total on Amazon, which is pretty amazing.
The SUB also takes some time. I completed mine in late July and the 20,000 points appeared in my rewards account yesterday.
They have an offers system similar to Amex without the need to opt in through a third party system called Ampre. For example, they are offering an additional 1x at Gap and Old Navy right now, along with bigger offers at other merchants, in-store and online. I'm just remembering that one because I used it recently.
Minimum redemption is 2,500 points for $25. You can credit to your AFCU deposit account or as card statement credit.
The user interface is not great. You can pay from an external account, but it's a bit awkward. Pending purchases don't show on your transaction history, but available credit does reflect them.
Their fraud algorithms are aggressive. I made a $300 purchase which was approved, but got a call soon after asking me to confirm in order to open the card back up again.
I was called twice by a person to ask if I was OK with their services and if I needed any help with anything. They definitely get points for taking initiative on customer service. I'm sure part of that was to try to sell me on their deposit accounts, though, which are pretty attractive.
They offer EX FICO 8 score on their website... updated quarterly, though.
Anything else you want to know?
Thank you for the information @MrDisco99 !
I was wondering how redemption worked and if there were any thresholds, and you answered that. I also didn't know about the extra offers, so that's helpful to know.
Does the category of clothing and furnishings depend on how the merchant codes it or do they mention specific stores that it will work at?
I guess the only thing else I'm curious about is the application process. Did you do it online and was it instant? Some comments mentioned that they ask you if you're looking for a specific limit. Is that standard?
I will probably apply later on this week, so any insights are appreciated. Thanks in advance!
I'm pretty sure the Hi5 rewards this quarter are based on category.
I did the application process online. I wouldn't call it instant. You have to join the credit union as a prerequisite to applying for the card. Membership is easy with a $5 donation to a non-profit for eligibility and a $5 deposit to a basic savings account. Once the app is submitted, it takes a few days to get back with a decision on the card. They also asked me for last two paystubs. I don't remember them asking me what limit I wanted.
@MrDisco99 wrote:I'm pretty sure the Hi5 rewards this quarter are based on category.
I did the application process online. I wouldn't call it instant. You have to join the credit union as a prerequisite to applying for the card. Membership is easy with a $5 donation to a non-profit for eligibility and a $5 deposit to a basic savings account. Once the app is submitted, it takes a few days to get back with a decision on the card. They also asked me for last two paystubs. I don't remember them asking me what limit I wanted.
Hmmmm...I already joined last week. I wanted to make sure membership went through before applying for anything else.
I just had a look at the interface...
Looks like you can set up repeating payments from external accounts. Don't know if this was a recent development or not. I always pay everything manually. Looks like you can only set it to a specific amount, though, not to something like "pay minimum" or "pay full balance."
Like I said, the interface is not very good. You have to go to a separate menu option to pay from an external account. I had to call and have someone explain to me where it was.
There is no service fee to redeem rewards. That's ridiculous.
