Elan Max Cash Preferred few questions

[BunsenB]

I am looking to apply for an Elan Max Cash Preferred soon. I have read a bunch of threads here and saw that each account with Elan is tied to only one bank that offers the card. Therefore I am wondering what sort of bank it's best to apply through - should I be targeting a bigger bank using Elan cards eg. SouthState so that I can consolidate them all under the same account in the future?

Additionally I am wondering:

Are there any known links to apply directly for a generic Elan version of the card?

Do the credit cards say "Max Cash Preferred" on the front to distinguish them from other Elan cards?

Thanks!

[cws-21]

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@BunsenB wrote:

I am looking to apply for an Elan Max Cash Preferred soon. I have read a bunch of threads here and saw that each account with Elan is tied to only one bank that offers the card. Therefore I am wondering what sort of bank it's best to apply through - should I be targeting a bigger bank using Elan cards eg. SouthState so that I can consolidate them all under the same account in the future?

Additionally I am wondering:

Are there any known links to apply directly for a generic Elan version of the card?

Do the credit cards say "Max Cash Preferred" on the front to distinguish them from other Elan cards?

Thanks!

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I have and love the Elan Max Cash Preferred so I can answer some of your questions. I don't think it really matters which bank or credit union from which you get your Max Cash Preferred. I chose a local bank that I do not bank with and others have chosen their card based on similarly arbitrary reasons such as the attractiveness of the card. I do not believe you can apply directly for an Elan Financial version of the card, though someone will hopefully correct me if I am wrong. My Max Cash Preferred does not read as such anywhere on the card, but it still functions as it should which is all that concerns me.

[unsungivy]

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@BunsenB wrote:

I am looking to apply for an Elan Max Cash Preferred soon. I have read a bunch of threads here and saw that each account with Elan is tied to only one bank that offers the card. Therefore I am wondering what sort of bank it's best to apply through - should I be targeting a bigger bank using Elan cards eg. SouthState so that I can consolidate them all under the same account in the future?

Additionally I am wondering:

Are there any known links to apply directly for a generic Elan version of the card?

Do the credit cards say "Max Cash Preferred" on the front to distinguish them from other Elan cards?

Thanks!

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If you get your cards from the same Elan-affliated bank/Financial Institution, they will all be under the same account. Typically this does limit you to choosing only Visa or MC cards because they tend to only offer one or the other. If you get cards from two different banks/FIs you will have to use two different Elan accounts (exception being if both/all the banks/FIs you have cards with stop working with Elan).

No, there is no known generic link. If you apply to a "currently looks generic" link, it appears they choose a bank/FI for you, or it's got an associated bank/FI that just doesn't have the graphics up yet.

The only known way to get "generic" cards (like I have) is to get/have a card at a bank/FI that discontinues their contract with Elan for whatever reason... the most common reason being that they merge with a larger bank/FI, and that larger bank/FI has a different setup for how they deal with credit cards and does not continue their contract with Elan (in which case, you stick with Elan and your connection to the bank/FI is severed as irrelevant). If you do some research, you can find banks with pending mergers and see what the future CC setup will be after it completes (mergers typically take a year or two, so you can finding ones pending.)

If all your cards are changed to generic Elan, at that point you CAN have the accounts merged by Elan for a single login, if you were using multiple banks/FIs.

No, the front of the cards does not typically say MCP. The cards tend to be very cheap in material and printing, and tend to use the same image for all cards from the same bank. My friend used the CC# to differentiate between her MCP and EveryDay, and put a sticker on them.

[Curious_George2]

I agree with all the responses. Just have a few more details to add. 

I originally got my MCP through a small local credit union. That CU recently ended its relationship with Elan. What that meant for me was my statements have the Elan logo at the top instead of the CU's logo, and I can no longer redeem my cashback as a deposit into my CU account. I requested a new physical card, and the one they sent is white, with Elan's branding. It does say "Max Cash Preferred" on the front. I can't find a picture of it on the internet. I will post one here later.