If Chase mimicked Amex's CLI policy would you consider them the best issuer?

[scenery_guy]

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@red259 wrote:

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@slickshoes182 wrote:

How is AMEX for foriegn travel use?

Chase is terrible. For example, I recently tried to use my Freedom at the Universal Studios Theme Park in Singapore, confirmed that its not a fraud, but couldn't get them to let me use it for the theme park tickets. From talking to the CSR, it sounds like they block both individual companies and entire merchant codes for various countries. I'm amazed at the major companies that Chase has blocked, even in advanced countries like Singapore, and there appears to be no way to get the transactions thru. (They keep blocking at the merchant even if I have confirmed the transaction is valid).

With Barclays, if they initially block a transaction, I can simply confirm on my phone that its valid, rerun the transaction, and no problem.

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Amex is horrible for foreign travel. Their cards have a FTF.

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Not all of them. Others have mentioned the Platinum, it's no FTF. The Delta revolvers also have no FTF. My guess is the SPG products will be next in dropping FTF sooner than later. I had no issues using my Delta card in the UK, Ireland and Sweden recently. No declines, no calls just worked. Did not notify them of the travel as the web site says no need to advise on travel. 

I also used my Ink Plus and CSP on same trip. I did have to let Chase know about travel plans but it was "fairly" simple (3 calls, one for each CC and one for debit card just in case). Same story, no declines or calls.

What would be nice is a true Chip and Pin card from either of these banks so I don't feel like an underprivileged American in a grocery store in Dublin trying to figure out how to pay for my chips and beer with a chip and signature card. 

[Revelate]

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@chwebb1 wrote:

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@mongstradamus wrote:

Also when it comes to HP cli, i was able to get an auto sp cli after 3 or 4 months which i didn't think was bad it wasn't an huge increase but at least it was something.  I find most cards are hp cli so i am not overly upset that chase doesn't do sp cli on request. If i am not mistaken barclays, citi, Boa and chase all do hp cli ?

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 You are correct that many banks are HP for CLI. I know that BoA and Barclays do. In my experience, Citi and AMEX do not. But the fact that Chase wouldn't even hear me out on an APR reduction (when there card was 5% higher APR wise than any other card I had, and approximately 3x the APR of my Barclaycard Ring) coupled with the fact that they are HP for CLI (when their CL was less than 1/3 of my AMEX CL with a much higher APR), and to a lesser extent, the fact that their CSRs were blasé when I called in about both questions made me reconsider my relationship with them. I realize that my experience may not have been usual, but considering that they won't negotiate APR, I'll definitely wait a long time until I try them again, so that hopefully I can get the lowest APR they offer.

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Somewhat off-topic but if you're worried about APR's, get a card that's designed for balance carrying.  Can still get single digit APR's last time I checked from various places, but rewards cards invariably are going to be higher on the APR side and often lower on limits too.

Reading this topic I may be the only one that likes the Chase website, I never have any issue finding what I need there unlike one foray on Amex's site for a bit of information.

If we're just talking credit cards though, I have to agree with Open123: Chase et al. won't ever match Amex's policies in all their splendor and that leaves Amex as top dog regardless; however, I view them as effectively equivalent for my own needs, and consider both my personal and business accounts are with Chase and they've treated me well, I have a bit of an inexplicable fondness for them even compared to Amex who *clearly* did right by me.  I've never had any issue dealing with either organization, but I have only ever called customer service at BOFA, and no other lender.

Not everything is rational, we're only human after all.

[noobody]

APR means nothing to me as i can not see myself carry balance anytime soon, my chase MC was from wamu/providian days with 29.99% APR, and i do not care.

AMEX gave me sour taste when i applied BCE and got approved, just before i got a preapproved letter which offer 150 bonus instead of 100 standard offer, they refused to give me the higher bonus offer after calling

i bet chase would give it to me

both of my AMEX cards have FTF, make them useless outside country which count 1/3 my card spending

CSP's CSR is excellent!

i used online chat with AMEX several time, 

ask for a BCE chip card, they sent another non-chip BCE

asked move CL from BCE to SPG, told it was OK, they never did 

chase and barclay did that to me on 1st day of approval

(found out i was not eligible as the 13 month/61 days requirement has not been met)

ask CLD BCE from 20K to 5K, never did, have to call in to get it done

[nachoslibres]

For the couple of posters in here who said they use a CSP and Ink Bold or Ink Plus card - why don't you just get the Ink Cash instead and save an additional $95/year AF?  I'm just wondering - because I know you can transfer your URs from the Ink Cash to your CSP - just like you can with the Freedom.  The only advantages I see with the Ink Bold/Ink Plus over the Ink Cash is the ability to earn 2x UR/$ on hotel purchases (which the CSP beats out anyway), the raising of the limits from $25k a year to $50k a year for office supplies, utilities, and gas stations, and the 2 free lounge pases a year per card (which in and of itself may make the $95 fee worth it if you have several cards).

As to the other part of the thread comparing APRs, who gets rewards cards and cares about their APR?  I guess if I had to choose between two equal cards with the only thing being different is their APRs then yeah, I would want the lower one, but since I never plan on carrying a balance on my cards (because I only charge what I can pay for immediately in cash) it doesn't matter at all to me.  Besides, rewards cards almost always have higher APRs (I guess in order to make up for the rewards) than their non-rewards counterparts.

[Open123]

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@Revelate wrote:

Not everything is rational, we're only human after all.

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Right, and as purely driven by tangible return as I am, for whatever inexplicable and irrational reason, I prefer Amex over all other issuers.  Naturally, I'm not going to lose on out 5% just to use Amex, but if it's relatively similar, I'll use Amex even if the reward on spend is less.

Who know why?  Just human nature to simply prefer some things over others, I suppose.

[Open123]

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@nachoslibres wrote:

For the couple of posters in here who said they use a CSP and Ink Bold or Ink Plus card - why don't you just get the Ink Cash instead and save an additional $95/year AF?

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Right, here's what I do.  

Pay the $95 fee on the Ink Plus, since it's a business deduction.  Use the no-fee Freedom & Ink Cash for the 5X & 2X dining with all points transfered to the Ink Plus for full UR status.  In this set-up, there is no reason to pay a fee for the CSP.

[nachoslibres]

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@Open123 wrote:

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@nachoslibres wrote:

For the couple of posters in here who said they use a CSP and Ink Bold or Ink Plus card - why don't you just get the Ink Cash instead and save an additional $95/year AF?

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Right, here's what I do.  

Pay the $95 fee on the Ink Plus, since it's a business deduction.  Use the no-fee Freedom & Ink Cash for the 5X & 2X dining with all points transfered to the Ink Plus for full UR status.  In this set-up, there is no reason to pay a fee for the CSP.

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Smart.  I didn't even think about claiming the $95 fee as a business deduction.

[randeman]

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@noobody wrote:

AMEX gave me sour taste when i applied BCE and got approved, just before i got a preapproved letter which offer 150 bonus instead of 100 standard offer, they refused to give me the higher bonus offer after calling

i bet chase would give it to me

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Maybe not.  A couple of days after I applied and was approved for my MileagePlus, I received a targeted offer in the mail for the same card offering 40,000 miles/$3000 spend as opposed to the 30,000 mile offer that I was given.  They wouldn't let me have the 40,000 offer.  Not that 10,000 miles was that much of an issue, but still.

[red259]

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@nachoslibres wrote:

For the couple of posters in here who said they use a CSP and Ink Bold or Ink Plus card - why don't you just get the Ink Cash instead and save an additional $95/year AF?  I'm just wondering - because I know you can transfer your URs from the Ink Cash to your CSP - just like you can with the Freedom.  The only advantages I see with the Ink Bold/Ink Plus over the Ink Cash is the ability to earn 2x UR/$ on hotel purchases (which the CSP beats out anyway), the raising of the limits from $25k a year to $50k a year for office supplies, utilities, and gas stations, and the 2 free lounge pases a year per card (which in and of itself may make the $95 fee worth it if you have several cards).

As to the other part of the thread comparing APRs, who gets rewards cards and cares about their APR?  I guess if I had to choose between two equal cards with the only thing being different is their APRs then yeah, I would want the lower one, but since I never plan on carrying a balance on my cards (because I only charge what I can pay for immediately in cash) it doesn't matter at all to me.  Besides, rewards cards almost always have higher APRs (I guess in order to make up for the rewards) than their non-rewards counterparts.

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The reason I don't do this is because I am in the first year of my CSP and Ink Bold card so I am not paying the AF. When the CSP AF comes up I will downgrade to the CS. I will get the ink plus card in the future (when there is a signup bonus again) and then after a free year downgrade it keeping the bold so I can transfer the points. I can't downgrade the bold because its a charge card and I like the fact that I can put charges on it without it messing with my personal util. As previously been mentioned I can also potentially get a deduction on the AF of the business card.  I'm certainly not paying chase two AFs for URs. 

[Josh2942]

Im done with AmEx, I consider Chase to be the best issuer hands down.