Bread AAA Advantage Card

[IPIF]

I received a Bread AAA Travel Advantage card in the transfer from BOA.

Never used it because of the bad reviews on internet.

Now I received a letter that Bread will close the account unless I make a purchase or call and switch to Daily Advantage Card.

I don't travel or drive much, but I could use the 5% on groceries. However, I'm  still concerned about all the bad reviews.

It is not my oldest card, but I only hauve 3 cards. The other two are from large well known reputable banks.

Can't decide whether to switch to Daily Advantage or let them close the account.

I read on internet that Bread does not allow mid-cycle payments  when statement balance is zero, so you cannot use it for AZEO.

Does anyone know if this is correct?

[CreditCuriosity]

You can find bad reviews about anything in life as usually the negative reviews are the ones that make the internet.  Why not use the card as intended if you have a need for it?  Just becuase someone had a bad experience doesn't mean that vast majority of people have the same experience.  Can find same reviews about barclay's, bofa,, chase, amex, etc.

[RedKhaos]

If you're depending on internet reviews, then you might want to drop all of your credit cards, and maybe even stop using banks completely. Granted, if it's specific issues you can look into them, but general internet complaints about banking products aren't useful imo.

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@IPIF wrote:

I read on internet that Bread does not allow mid-cycle payments  when statement balance is zero, so you cannot use it for AZEO.

Does anyone know if this is correct?

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I'm not sure I follow. If your statement balance is already zero, then your (bread) account is considered being zeroed out with the credit bureaus. To fulfill AZEO, you just need to make sure one of your other 3 accounts reports a balance.

I highly doubt any banking company just blocks payment options for no reason. What likely happened was maybe some folks were credit cycling without realizing it. This is when you make large purchases that hit the card credit limit cap, pay the balance and make more purchases and pay it off again, all in the same statement cycle. Some banks dislike this activity as it exposes them to higher levels of credit risk beyond what they intended to provide. Citi for example will not reset the credit limit until the next statement period. Others like Bread might temporarily restrict account functions which might look like they are preventing payments. This is normal banking practice to mitigate risk.

Long story short, I absolutely would take the AAA Daily Advantage for the 5% grocery. I'm currently using my Citi Custom Cash for that, but would like to pass that category off to a dedicated card.

[SouthJamaica]

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@IPIF wrote:

I received a Bread AAA Travel Advantage card in the transfer from BOA.

Never used it because of the bad reviews on internet.

Now I received a letter that Bread will close the account unless I make a purchase or call and switch to Daily Advantage Card.

I don't travel or drive much, but I could use the 5% on groceries. However, I'm  still concerned about all the bad reviews.

It is not my oldest card, but I only hauve 3 cards. The other two are from large well known reputable banks.

Can't decide whether to switch to Daily Advantage or let them close the account.

I read on internet that Bread does not allow mid-cycle payments  when statement balance is zero, so you cannot use it for AZEO.

Does anyone know if this is correct?

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I have the Travel Advantage card and I think it's a great card. 5% cash back on gas or ev charging, 3% on groceries, dining, travel. No annual fee. Minimum redemption of only $5. What's not to like? I can't imagine what a negative review would say; there is nothing whatsoever negative about this card.

What you say you 'read on the internet'... that it does not allow mid-cycle payments... is totally false.

The only wrinkle for me was that in order to redeem the rewards as a statement credit, one needs to have had a statement balance, and I usually pay my balance off before the statement cuts and report a zero balance. But (a) most people don't do that, and (b) I adjusted...  when I want to redeem my cash back rewards I let a little statement balance post.

[cashorcharge]

If you incur a balance while in the middle of a statement cycle and you want to pay it off before the statement date to keep up AZEO, that is not a problem....they will gladly take your money early.  Depending on your situation, total CL, utilization etc....a card with No AF and since you only have a few.....it would be my suggestion to keep it.  If you're concerned about activity.....and keeping it zero...try using it for small purchases in a statement period like refilling a Starbucks Account or something.

[IPIF]

Thanks to all for your advice.

I called and did product switch from AAA Travel Advantage to AAA Daily Advantage.

No wait time to talk with rep after I got past the AI bot.

Sounded like a  US based rep.

She verified that there would not be a credit bureau inquiry.

New card should arrive in 7-10 days.

BTW, Bread has an IOS app for AAA cards. Much better than their website.

[MissLiz]

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@IPIF wrote:

Thanks to all for your advice.

I called and did product switch from AAA Travel Advantage to AAA Daily Advantage.

No wait time to talk with rep after I got past the AI bot.

Sounded like a  US based rep.

She verified that there would not be a credit bureau inquiry.

New card should arrive in 7-10 days.

BTW, Bread has an IOS app for AAA cards. Much better than their website.

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Great news! Congratulations on your PC!

[keekers]

Congrats. And @cashorcharge that's a creepy pic but hilarious.

[yam1rts]

I've had my Daily Advantage over a year and love it.  Well until I capped the cash back. now it's in the sock drawer until next calendar year.