What’s your non-mainstream card and why do you have it?

[paulesport]

What cards do you have that is not any of the well-recognized or top-tier cards such as Chase Sapphire, any AmEx, co-branded hotel/airline, etc? So like a small bank, retail, or some other low-tier name or even PayPal credit. And why do you have it? First easy card to get? Low APR? I see a few siggy’s with quite a mix of cards. Just curious if I’m missing out on some strategy.

[Gollum]

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@paulesport wrote:
What cards do you have that is not any of the well-recognized or top-tier cards such as Chase Sapphire, any AmEx, co-branded hotel/airline, etc? So like a small bank, retail, or some other low-tier name or even PayPal credit. And why do you have it? First easy card to get? Low APR? I see a few siggy’s with quite a mix of cards. Just curious if I’m missing out on some strategy.

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Simmons Bank seems to fit. I got it to see if I could get it after having bad credit for a long time.

I didn't have a strategy for a long time.

I pinched my Capital One card down to $500 to make it a tiny little almost-insignifcant wart.

My mix of cards that make sense are my latest three.

[jaxstraw]

Library of Congress FCU Visa.

It was a card I saw someone else on the forum had and it intrigued me.

I searched and figured out a way in through a backdoor membership affiliate.

Small CU , really good APR, outstanding service, and to be totally vain I absolutely love the design and picture on its face.

[Anonymous]

I have my SSFCU Power Cash Back Rewards WMC because when my options expanded beyond the Quicksilver, PlayStation, and Ollo cards I held last March, SSFCU came to mind to try for since I had gotten an auto loan from them in 2009.

PayPal Cashback I got because I wanted a 2% on everything card although I’m starting to rethink that now that I have it.

B&H Payboo I got because they issue an instant credit for what you would be paying in taxes when you use the card, reducing the price of the merchandise.

DCU I have because I needed an EQ puller (seriously, I never expected that approval, I was having issues with EQ and couldn’t tell if it was frozen or not and I didn’t feel like burning another HP on PenFed).

Lots of us have NFCU because Navy Federal is an awesome issuer, among the best and very generous.

[MrDisco99]

Synovus Cash Rewards... 3% back on dining and 3% on an additional quarterly category of my choice... gas, groceries, retail (brick & mortar), healthcare (inc. pharmacies), maintenance (inc. Lowes, HD), entertainment, travel, or business services.

It was my first credit card after a decade of ignoring them and it's issued by my local bank.  I hang onto it because of history and because it's actually still competitive.  I just got offered a spending bonus on it which I am working right now.

[rbentley]

BOTW (Not Breath of the Wild). 3% cash back on groceries/gas and dinning. Works at Target and Walmart. It is my "weekend" card.

[Anonymous]

RBC Bank, a Canadian bank that sold off most of its US operations, kept open an online US Bank for their Canadian customers. 

So this is a US Visa card that few US citizens can get - you have to have a pre-existing relationship with RBC in Canada, and you need a Canadian credit score.

The good: If you have good Canadian credit, it's easy to get. Except for TD and Amex, it's very difficult for Canadians to get US cards. Has 6 months interest free and a large ($12,000) credit line. It also has a bad rewards program - 1%, redeemable only when you hit $100 in rewards, so $10,000 in spending. And a foreign transaction fee, making it useless in Canada. I used the hell out of it for the first six months for major purchases. Paid half off in February, then did a balance transfer to Amex.

I throw the occasional small online purchase on it, but since I'll never hit $10,000 spending in it again, I avoid using it. Now it serves as utilization padding.

[Gunnerboy]

My Sound Credit Union Visa is my second oldest tradeline.  I'm not sure if they are geo-fenced like BECU, but their branches are only in the Greater Seattle Area.  When I joined it was called Seattle Telco Credit Union (only eligible to telecom/wireless workers), later renamed to Watermark Credit Union (in order to sound more inclusive, as they opened up their membership requirements), and finally sold to Sound Credit Union in I don't remember when.

I stay with them because it is my second-highest CL, long relationship, and their convenient branches.  Their online banking is...not robust, and the card rates/rewards are so-so.

[issac2x]

My non mainstream cards would be ICBC gold card and UMB simply rewards which are both issued by regional banks. ICBC I got for the novelty of having an Unionpay card and UMB to have grocery card in lieu of Amex.

[calyx]

Sewing & More from Synchrony.

It's a retail card issued to craft stores to finance purchases - mostly sewing machines - which I'd never heard of (the card, not sewing machines, haha).   I actually thought I was applying for a retail loan when I applied.     Quality specialized machines are actually pricier than people realize (sure, I bought my entry model Janome for $200, but I literally can't do half the stuff my mid-range $4000 machine does), so it makes sense you can get financing.   My friend and I have been talking about going in halvsies on a longarmer that could easily cost more than a new car, so that's part of my reasoning for pushing my limit as far as I can.

Anyway, at Quiltcon, I was just admiring the model of machine I'd wanted after a couple of years of research when I started chatting with someone.  She and I had similar sewing experiences and she said I'd pretty much picked the best machine (she was not a sales person) she'd seen in a long time.  The booth person mentioned they were offering a show discount (which I could actually drop cash on) and 48mos 0% financing (keeping my cash in reserve), so sold!

I was annoyed at opening another revolving account, but I've not been unhappy with the card.    Even though it was issued for the store that sold me the machine (in another state), I can apparently also use it at other shops near me if I choose... though I can't imagine purchasing a new machine any time soon (other than the aforementioned longarmer).