So I need a card that doesn’t have the daily limit of the debit card I use for 99% of things.
I’m British, and live in New York. I have a US bank account with HSBC. I pay off credit card debts immediately. Are there any no-brainer options I should know about? Don’t want to pay an annual fee, don’t have any real interest in gimmicks… Guidance appreciated :)
AMEX.
American Express or any other points card. Watch out for Bank of America cards: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/13/financial/f153659D33.DTL&tsp=1
I’m a fan of AMEX blue, because they’ll give you a pretty sizeable credit line, cash rewards, etc.
But not everyone takes AMEX, so you might wanna get a Visa or Mastercard for backup.
AMEX all the way. If the merchant doesn’t take AMEX, then it’s probably not the type of merchant you should be using a credit card at anyway.
Companies that let you pay your bills online tend not to take AMEX, although I’m an AMEX Cash Rewards lover myself.
Ok, so other than Amex, there’s no well known X that all the smart kids know about?
I thought AMEX had an annual fee?
I’d advise you to get a card issued by a credit union rather than a bank. You get much better rates and generally better service.
I’ve never much liked American Express - I prefer my Amazon Visa myself. It’s not straight cash rewards, but I’ve never met a person who used a card that gives cash rewards that didn’t eventually end up at a place that didn’t take his card. Amazon Visa is through Chase and you basically get 1% cash back on all purchases in the form of Amazon gift certificates and 3% for money spent to Amazon, which is okay by me, because I pay all but two of my bills through the thing.
Depends on the AMEX card. I have one through B of A that has no fee. I earn 1.25 points per dollar, sometimes more with certain retailers. Hopefully they won’t start charging, as mentioned in above link…Blerg.
Consumer Reports periodically rates credit cards. Unfortunately that info is only in their magazine and pay site, so I can’t look it up at the moment.
AMEX offers two types of cards, a charge card which has no limits and a credit card which does. The charge card has an annual fee, starting at $450 and must be paid off every month. The credit card does not.
Umm, I don’t think that’s right. IIRC its a $75 annual fee.
There are credit card comparison sites, like cardratings.com, but I didn’t see a way to sort by daily limit.
There’s a daily limit on credit cards? I don’t think that’s right for most of them. There is a limit on debit cards, so that thieves can’t wipe your account, mainly (and I guess so you can’t bounce it easier too).
I’m pretty unhappy with how CCs are going in general. I have to say that my BoA card has been good for one thing: protection. They’ve caught dubious charges twice and saved me a lot of hassle, and I don’t even pay extra for that. OTOH, the annual fee Lorini mentioned has me worried. We got a notice that it might happen, but nothing directly about my card just yet. If they start charging me an annual fee, I will definitely stop using the card.
Maybe I should apply for the Amazon card after all. I didn’t want another card, but I like those perks.
AMEX. Good rewards program, plus it has a lot of other benefits as well.
I’ve got a Chase rewards card I’ve never had any complaints about. When everyone else said credit cards were racing to raise their rates, mine were dropping like crazy. Also I like that you can pick different rewards programs. I have the Disney one.
Shut up, I love Disney.
I have a subscription to CR. I’ll try to remember to check this when I get home tonight, since I don’t recall my password atm.
I’m going to buck the trend and recommend a VISA card over American Express. If you only have a single credit card, you want it to be accepted as many places as possible. In my experience, VISA is accepted at more places than AmEx. In the US, VISA and MasterCard have equal acceptance, but VISA is slightly more accepted in Europe, if you want to use it when you travel home.
I don’t have any recommendations for issuer – probably a local credit union would be fine. I think Chase, Citigroup, and Bank of America are the top 3 issuers. My VISA is with BoA & I’ve had no problems, but like others have mentioned, they are planning a trial of annual fees for some cardholders. I’ll stop using the card if I’m affected.
Which told me that the only credit card I have is the best card (FOR ME) to use:
It looks cool, too. I still get cashiers that are confused by it once in a while.