What credit card is the best??

Grinds06

Hi All,

During my college years I had an AIB student card. I am now starting a PhD and as my card is nearly expiring, I would like to apply for a new one. I don't have a clue about interest rates etc-I take it they apply if you cannot pay your bills every month-correct??. I will only be using my card for online necessities i.e. travel etc so I don't see me ever having to worry about not been able to pay the bills.

From reading previous threads, I see some people talking about tesco or pigsback.com credit cards. I am a member of both-would it be a good idea to apply with them

Many thanks in advance:)

Grinds06

Hi All,

Thinking of getting a Tesco cc. From reading other posts, it seems they do not offer online banking. Having checked this online, www.tescofinance.com show that their cc does have online banking-does this only apply to their UK cc.

Also can one pay their tesco cc balances online from an AIB/BOI account

Many thanks in advance

tooler7

I would say apply for the click card, cause you already have an Aib mc2 cd you can apply for the click cd(8.5%) and then just transfer the balance and limit over

100gSoma

Grinds06 wrote: »

I don't have a clue about interest rates etc

educate yourself here

http://www.comparecreditcards.ie/

dotsman

100gSoma wrote: »

educate yourself here

http://www.comparecreditcards.ie/

Find that website very difficult to compare cards. Also they rate the AIB Be card in the top 10, but not the Click? Likewise, the BOI Platinum, but not the Clear?

OP, when choosing a Credit card you need to consider the following (in no particular order:

• APR - Very important if you ever think you will not pay off the bill within the interest-free period.
• Introductory Rate - Only important if you are transferring a large amount. Please remember that this is only an introductory discount, usually followed by an APR much higher than most cards. Also, typically, any payments you make go towards the transferred balance first while any spending you do on it sits in the background racking up enormous interest
• Online Banking - Essential in my opinion. The ability to clearly see your transactions in real-time, previous bills and pay money into the card on your own time.
• Cash APR - In my opinion, you should never use a credit card as an ATM card, except for major emergencies. Typically this rate is much higher than the standard APR. I don't rate this highly, as I just never use my credit card to withdraw cash.
• Additional Charges - The hidden charges. Can be very different between cards, but again decide for yourself how relevant these charges are. In the 9 years I've used a credit card, I've never paid a cent in charges!
• Ease of application - How easy it is to apply. With some places, you will have to jump through hoops. Others are much easier.
• Vanity - How "cool" does the card look. Some people rate this highly:D
• Insurance - Some cards include insurance with them. These types of insurance differ greatly. Some come with the card, other types of insurance are "optional" extras. Only important if the insurance is required by you.
• Extras - Some cards contain a range of extras features, mostly gimmicks, the odd one useful. For example, my card includes a cashback feature (basically I get paid to use it!) and a concierge service (offering emergency cash/legal/medical/intrepretaion services free of charge) - sounds great, but I've never actually used it!

Remember most of all. A Credit card is a payment tool first and foremost. The "credit" aspect is for once-off cashflow situations, emergencies, and (unfortunately in most cases) fools:)

JackieT

dotsman wrote: »

For example, my card includes a cashback feature (basically I get paid to use it!)

Really? Which card is that?

mickoneill30

Grinds06 wrote: »

Thinking of getting a Tesco cc. From reading other posts, it seems they do not offer online banking. Having checked this online, www.tescofinance.com show that their cc does have online banking-does this only apply to their UK cc.

Also can one pay their tesco cc balances online from an AIB/BOI account

I've a Tesco CC. No online banking with it. I just tried to register on that site you linked but it said it didn't recognise my card.

You can pay the balances using Billpay so you can link that with an AIB or BOI acct. Takes about 3 or 4 days to clear though (another niggle with that card).

CSC

I didn't think there was a credit card on the Irish market that offered cash back. I spend a fortune on the credit card each month and pay balance off in full so would love to get a cash back card.

dotsman

JackieT wrote: »

Really? Which card is that?

CSC wrote: »

I didn't think there was a credit card on the Irish market that offered cash back. I spend a fortune on the credit card each month and pay balance off in full so would love to get a cash back card.

I've a platinum with aib. It is only a few quid a year, but it more than covers the stamp duty. So for me, I never pay charges, haven't paid interest in years and now get my stamp duty paid for me and few quid in change.

To be honest, as I've said above, I wouldn't choose a card based on one single aspect, such as an extra. Just include it in your overall assessment of a card.

pog it

I have the platinum visa credit card from AIB too and get the cashback reward. Tis a bonus but at the same time you have to be careful if you aren't paying the balance straight away, the interest rate is higher on the platinum card than on AIB's Visa Click card.

I think the Click card would be a far better option if you aren't clearing your balance every month. It's c. 8.7% interest which is decent for a credit card!

tooler7

pog it wrote: »

I have the platinum visa credit card from AIB too and get the cashback reward. Tis a bonus but at the same time you have to be careful if you aren't paying the balance straight away, the interest rate is higher on the platinum card than on AIB's Visa Click card.

I think the Click card would be a far better option if you aren't clearing your balance every month. It's c. 8.7% interest which is decent for a credit card!

The Platinum card is a very good card the cash back reward is if you spend over 5,000 a year and is very usefull if you spend alot with your credit card and not a bad rate either at 11.5 % but to be honest i would still go for the click card and mainly because the interest rate is 8.5% and the terms for the card is less than the platinum one problem that i find that people have though and get mixed up with is that you do not get any stmts via the post and and sent to your online banking and you pay through your e-stmts

footballcrazy

Just applied for a credit Card online with Tesco.

How long does it usually take to get a reply to see if you are getting it or not?

tooler7

Every bank is different but around five working days

pog it

There are credit cards with better interest rates than Tesco!!!!
Don't waste your hard earned funds!

Grinds06

Hi All,

Thank you for your replies. Have contacted Tesco and they said they will have their online banking facility up and running in 6 months so maybe give them 12

I take it you can use billpay online i.e. pay your Tesco cc through an AIB account. Sorry I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to billpay etc

mickoneill30

Since I posted my bit above I found out that you can pay your Tesco Card directly from your AIB internet banking. That's a new feature since they updated the site.

Haven't tried it out yet as my due date isn't for a couple of weeks but it might be quicker than paying from
AIB - > Billpay -> CC.

cats-pyjamas

during my phd i had the aib mc2 card, they upped the limit to 2000 because I had been with them for so long. Go for a card with 0% interest periods, and the lowest rate you can find after the 0% period runs out. You might be able to stick with the aib student credit card or you might find a better one - don't rule out sticking with aib, depending on their current offers.

tooler7

problem with the mc2 card now though is the max limit you can now have is just 1,000e

mickoneill30

cats-pyjamas wrote: »

don't rule out sticking with aib, depending on their current offers.

That's the problem with AIB. You need an offer.

I opened a "High" interest acct a couple of years ago. For the first 6 months the interest was good, then it went to shag all. I went in to close it and when the guy asked me why I said I was putting the money into another acct that earns interest. He told me no probs you can open a new "High" interest acct again and get the introductory rate again. I didn't bother, I just transferred it to another bank that I wouldn't have to monitor.

I've a credit card for years with AIB. The current rate on it is > 18%. I know if I go into AIB and ask to transfer it or close the account they'll bring it down to the rate of their current cards. Obviously I'm paying off the acct in full ever month or I would care about the rate a bit more.

I used to have a Cashsave acct with them. I was paying fees for years till I copped on and saw they had current accts with less or no fees. When I went in to transfer it I asked them what the point of the Cashsave was. The response from the lady at the time was they've no advantages. So the only advantage (for them) was that I was paying them money when I didn't need to.

As a customer I don't want to be closing accounts before they tell me how to pay less or get more interest. Why can't they just do it automatically.

/Rant over.
And I know it's probably not just AIB.

Grinds06

I am thinking of going with the Tesco cc because as I said in an earlier post, interest rates wont really apply to me as I always was able to pay the bill every month and that was in my degree year i.e. no money at all so shouldnt see the same problem happening in my PhD years as I will be getting a small salary.

Fingers crossed it goes ok. Does anyone know are you tied into a contract with a cc i.e. can you cancel your card anytime. I have emailed Tesco regarding this but they still have not got back to me. I do agree with other posts that their customer service is dreadful :mad::mad:

CSC

You can cancel a card at any time. You will pay the government levy on closure.