When determining which credit card company is right for you, it’s important to consider everything the credit card company has to offer. Equally as important as a low APR or advanced security features is the credit card company’s customer service. When determining which credit card company is right for you, it’s important to consider everything the credit card company has to offer. Equally as important as a low APR or advanced security features is the credit card company’s customer service.

Because most consumers overlook customer service until it’s too late, we made calls to the top five credit card companies (American Express, Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Discover), then ranked them on how well they met the following customer service benchmarks:

Helpful Web sites. First we visited their sites to see how user-friendly they were, and whether toll-free phone numbers were easy to find.

Knowledge of agents. We asked three advanced credit card questions (security features, 0% APR availability, and debt consolidation features), then rated their responses.

Helpfulness of agents. Finally, we assessed our general sense of treatment as valued customers, which went into an overall rating of each company’s customer service.

American Express

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: Less than two minutes.

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: When we got through, we talked to a helpful and professional representative. Even their automated voice system woman who greets you when you first pick up is very concise and polite, as far as robot ladies go.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: The customer service representative spoke confidently about their 0% APR cards for select customers, as well as low APR cards and offers. The only question the agent was not able to answer was about credit card debt consolidation features. However, Amex did provide direct and concise information for all other questions we asked.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: The service rep was clear and not pushy (albeit mechanical), and let us know that someone is available to help further at their toll-free number, 24/7.

Bank of America

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: Less than two minutes.

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: We called the main number and went through ten button-presses before being connected to a live human (though admittedly some of those keypresses were out of confusion). Some of the steps were obsolete and frustrating — for example, selecting to respond by voice or by hitting a key. On one occasion, a poorly-timed sneeze caused us to have to go back in the menu. When finally connected to a “Bank On Call Specialist,” it was clear that, though thorough, the gentleman on the other end was in as little mood to be friendly as we were by this point.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: When asking about the basic security features the card offered, the rep responded by mentioning the “Safe-card” feature that generates random numbers each time the card is used, instead of a traceable account number that “could potentially be stolen.” We playfully replied, “That’s got to be a good feature if you’re up to no good.” He did not find this funny. Even after saying “That was a joke,” the Bank On Call Specialist didn’t even give up a pity-snicker.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Operating out of Los Angeles, the Bank of America 800-number is not 24/7 like some of the others, but does operate late and on weekends. (Please note, however, that this information was given by the service rep in person; meanwhile, the Bank of America Web site proudly boasts 24/7 customer service representatives on call. We didn’t bother calling back 23 times to figure out which it really is.)

Citibank

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: Less than a minute; quick and easy.

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: With but one button-press after calling, you are speaking to a live operator. We spoke to a good-humored gentleman who, though having to transfer us to the “application department” to answer general questions, laughed genuinely at the response “Okay, super-duper” when he asked us to briefly hold. (Customer service reps who don’t hate their jobs always reflect well on the company.) He transferred me to a female agent who was equally well-tempered, and the whole ordeal was genuine and friendly.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: They promptly filled me in on topics like rewards card bonuses and low APR credit cards. Citibank seems to handle issues like stolen credit cards with sensitivity and care, and they assured me that “Identity Theft Specialists” handle any potential issues one-on-one.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Citibank agents seem particularly user-friendly in times of crises. Also, Citibank’s customer service hotline is available 24 hours.

Chase

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: Less than two minutes; one click from homepage. A little overwhelming were the various numbers to call based on topic, but the list was explained and labeled.

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: After a few selection menus and a reasonable amount of holding time, we got through to a professional (if somewhat dry) customer service representative. Also, right on the Web site was the information that cardholders can receive 24 hour automated services by phone, or live representatives from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. daily.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: The agent answered questions about 0% APR and low APR cards generically, promising only that “select customers” are eligible.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: We left feeling that Chase dictates who is deemed “eligible” for certain offers the way the cool kids at high school decide who sits together at lunch. (Just a feeling.) The exchange is professional and void of hullabaloo, if not otherwise robotic and monotone.

Discover

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: It took but a moment to locate the phone number (listed in the style of Chase’s Web site, only minus the visual chaos).

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: Once calling this 24/7 live-operator (and automatic-optional) service number, it was only seconds before being connected. The customer service representative was the sweetest and not-in-a-fake-way of all the credit card companies we tested.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: The agent answered all questions with specifics, and plenty of pertinent information (security issues, costs, eligibility for special offers, etc.). Additionally, many of the offers seemed to far surpass the competition: for example, 0% fraud liability on the spot, and more-than-fair graces towards simple customer errors or lapses.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Both for the information and the manner in which it was delivered, the taste left in our mouth was all sweet and no-parts bitter.

Summary

We ranked the top five credit card companies on customer service (American Express, Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Discover), and here are our final results.

#5: Bank of America. Though offering the standard services, and having a widespread name and corporate recognition, the actual customer service perhaps suffers at the hand of being such a titanic operation. It’s difficult to find information on the Web site (at least, information that agrees with their live operators), and the personal care touch is gone. Perhaps Bank of America outsourced their customer service operation. Outsourced it to Mars.

#4: Chase. Although adequate, Chase has every one of those small-annoyance features that are frustrating to customers: limited information about APR and the like until agreeing to apply; hold time with crummy music; a slightly confusing Web site; dull and/or mechanical service representative interaction; and limited hours of live person availability. are all attributes that prevent Chase from boasting wonderful customer services. Not really a pain-in-the-neck customer service system, Chase is just average. Not bad bad, but not great.

#3: American Express. American Express does the job. No bells and whistles, but a well-rounded customer service department, with enough features to leave us generally satisfied. The rep made a card recommendation for me after only a few questions, and after further talking it turned out to be a good analysis. American Express’s customer service skills are much like the aesthetics of the card itself: not the most brilliant gold color, but definitely still gold.

#2: Citibank. Great customer service. It’s nice to report that there was almost a tie for first place rather than a tie for last place, and in this case Citibank should be proud of that close call. Nice clear Web site directory, one-touch access to a live person, and interactions with human beings who made it clear they didn’t hate working for Citibank at all. Agents told us about great featured bonuses for customers, but not in a way that made us feel pressured. Wonderful customer service upkeep, Citibank!

#1: Discover. Who knew it really pays to Discover™? Aside from offering the easiest, most practical perks (regular 5% cash back on purchases made at restaurants, gas stations, etc., as well as comprehensive security and credit rating services), the interactions with the Discover folks make you feel valued and respected. Be it hospitality or above-and-beyond professionalism, the general response we had after interacting with Discover is that we want to move to where Discover is headquartered, then raise our families and send our kids to school there. Talking to a credit card company’s customer service line rarely leaves you feeling so warm and fuzzy.

We hope our credit card customer service roundup is helpful, but as always your mileage may vary. The best way to find out is to call yourself. Good luck finding those 800-numbers, though!

This article has been provided by Creditor Web. At CreditorWeb.com you can compare over 100 credit cards from multiple banks and apply for a credit card online. Read more…

Credit Card Articles from CreditorWeb.com - www.creditorweb.com

The Fair Credit Billing Act is a US federal act that protects many important credit rights including your rights to dispute billing errors, unauthorized use of your account, and charges for unsatisfactory goods and services.

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From Credit Card Cool - www.creditcardcool.com

According to Banking Guy, PenFed will be improving their already-excellent Visa Platinum Gas Cash Rewards card. In addition to 5% on gas and 1.25% on everything else, PenFed will begin offering a 2% rebate on groceries as well, starting in January. With your cash back credited back to your account monthly and no additional fees […]

According to Banking Guy, PenFed will be improving their already-excellent Visa Platinum Gas Cash Rewards card. In addition to 5% on gas and 1.25% on everything else, PenFed will begin offering a 2% rebate on groceries as well, starting in January.

With your cash back credited back to your account monthly and no additional fees for purchases made in foreign currencies (other than those imposed by Visa), the card is excellent for general-purpose use. While membership in PenFed is required, it is easy to join. A list of eligible insitutions is located here; if you are not already a member of one of these groups, you can join the National Military Family Association for a one-time fee of $20, and become instantly eligible for PenFed membership.

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From Credit Card Watcher - www.creditcardwatcher.com

Summary [Steve Taylor] The blovel “68″ takes the form of a series of ‘first hand reports’, people from the future talking in their own voices about their work, their lives and their relationship with communications. We begin with Episode 1, Mudge’s Story.

Technorati Tags: payments

“This clip I’m making about the history of Communications is really doing my head in: now I know why there was such a chunky slab of Points attached to it. I couldn’t say no, even if they’d been offering zip, because every editor in town suddenly seems to be obsessed with the period in which we crawled out of our analogue caves and were somehow simultaneously dazzled and enlightened by the blinding glare of everything digital. Pass on this one and I really look like I’m out of the loop.

I’m fascinated, though, by why this stuff is of such interest just now: my humble theory is that we’re about to enter another of those periods of accelerated change and it’s stirring up a deep-rooted instinct to benchmark where we’ve come from before we completely lose sight of it.

Doesn’t make my job any easier, though. It’s all too long ago for even the oldest among us to be of much use. It’s a complete Archive job, hours and hours on the big G driving down through links and layers, losing my voice, losing the will to live. I have ended up, at times; barking at my Companion like it was a recalcitrant child.

I’m starting to get somewhere, but to be honest it’s not the facts that are giving me such grief. It’s the concepts. Let me give you an example.

If you went into a restaurant, sat down, perused the menu over an aperitif and ordered, you would expect that in due course your meal would arrive. How would you react if the waiter informed you that there was a very good likelihood that the food would come? That you should trust him because he was an expert and that, a lot of the time, the food does actually appear. And that several independent research studies strongly indicated a correlation between ordering and being fed. Would you patronise a restaurant on that basis? More challengingly, would you sign a contract upfront to pay for such a service? For a year or two in advance? Believe it or not, that’s what they used to do with Communications.

Clips - what they used to call ads or commercials or banners (they had different names, depending on what sort of screen you were watching - I told you it didn’t make much sense). They would send the clips out on these rudimentary networks - some, really bizarrely, unidirectional - to everyone at once. I know, don’t. Tens of thousands of non-personalised messages, all sent at random to…whoever.

Instead of the eight or ten Big Clips the biggest brands make now just to show how big they are, they literally made thousands. Imagine the cost, the waste. Unbelievable. And the brands, the suckers that were paying for all this, were so in awe of the prodirectors… (Actually, that’s another level of insane complication: the prodirectors were actually two different people, a producer and a director; they worked for a thing called a production company, which was employed by another thing called an agency, which was contracted by the client to design the clips. Oh, and there was another different kind of agency that negotiated the - one way - interact costs with the plethora of connection companies that predated the big G. Believe me, I had to draw a diagram, too)…anyway, the brands paid for this tottering architecture of support, even though no-one could actually show that any interacts had actually taken place.

Hence my restaurant analogy: the best they could do was research people to find out if they’d seen the clip. Not real people, with names and urls, but what they called samples, groups who they thought could be used to extrapolate what each recipient was doing. As if behaviour isn’t totally individual! Every clip was a Big Clip and you could measure…zilch. No wonder everything had to change.

Somewhere, deep down the trackbacks, I’m beginning to unearth examples of the material. Bizarre stuff: talking toy monkeys, fake families, gibbering front-men and -women who clearly have no passion for the product, strange abstract animes - basically anything, absolutely anything except the actual product, the brand or anything remotely relevant about them. A bit of branding in the final frame, that’s it. You know the most alarming thing? The clips that have survived have done so because they were archived by various Awards bodies. I can’t believe that this crap scored the most interacts. Then again, how would those guys have even known?

I’ve tried making the comparison with what I do: journalism. It doesn’t work, because I would never make a clip that I didn’t know who it was for, where it wasn’t clear what it was about or you couldn’t tell what brand had paid for it. We’re all the same, me and every other prodirector: there’s only one sort of Content now and the Big Clips, just the one every few weeks or so, are, I’m beginning to think, a kind of homage to this past era I’m currently exploring, a celebration of the pointless indulgence of making something nobody’s said they want, that fits nobody’s known profile and which may never even result in anybody buying anything at all.”

Postscript

I was tickled to read this in a Digital Money Forum post from December 4th:

“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to no one in particular?” - Associates of David Sarnoff responding to the latter’s call for investment in the radio in 1921 [my emphasis]

Just shows that there’s nothing new under the sun…

This story is presented under a creative commons licence: this means that you are free to copy and distribute it freely. You are not allowed to alter it, claim credit for it or sell it.]

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From Digital Money Blog - digitaldebateblogs.typepad.com

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From Business Credit Cards Blog - www.businesscreditcards.cc/creditcards/bcc-blog.htm

When determining which credit card company is right for you, it’s important to consider everything the credit card company has to offer. Equally as important as a low APR or advanced security features is the credit card company’s customer service. When determining which credit card company is right for you, it’s important to consider everything the credit card company has to offer. Equally as important as a low APR or advanced security features is the credit card company’s customer service.

Because most consumers overlook customer service until it’s too late, we made calls to the top five credit card companies (American Express, Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Discover), then ranked them on how well they met the following customer service benchmarks:

Helpful Web sites. First we visited their sites to see how user-friendly they were, and whether toll-free phone numbers were easy to find.

Knowledge of agents. We asked three advanced credit card questions (security features, 0% APR availability, and debt consolidation features), then rated their responses.

Helpfulness of agents. Finally, we assessed our general sense of treatment as valued customers, which went into an overall rating of each company’s customer service.

American Express

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: Less than two minutes.

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: When we got through, we talked to a helpful and professional representative. Even their automated voice system woman who greets you when you first pick up is very concise and polite, as far as robot ladies go.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: The customer service representative spoke confidently about their 0% APR cards for select customers, as well as low APR cards and offers. The only question the agent was not able to answer was about credit card debt consolidation features. However, Amex did provide direct and concise information for all other questions we asked.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: The service rep was clear and not pushy (albeit mechanical), and let us know that someone is available to help further at their toll-free number, 24/7.

Bank of America

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: Less than two minutes.

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: We called the main number and went through ten button-presses before being connected to a live human (though admittedly some of those keypresses were out of confusion). Some of the steps were obsolete and frustrating — for example, selecting to respond by voice or by hitting a key. On one occasion, a poorly-timed sneeze caused us to have to go back in the menu. When finally connected to a “Bank On Call Specialist,” it was clear that, though thorough, the gentleman on the other end was in as little mood to be friendly as we were by this point.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: When asking about the basic security features the card offered, the rep responded by mentioning the “Safe-card” feature that generates random numbers each time the card is used, instead of a traceable account number that “could potentially be stolen.” We playfully replied, “That’s got to be a good feature if you’re up to no good.” He did not find this funny. Even after saying “That was a joke,” the Bank On Call Specialist didn’t even give up a pity-snicker.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Operating out of Los Angeles, the Bank of America 800-number is not 24/7 like some of the others, but does operate late and on weekends. (Please note, however, that this information was given by the service rep in person; meanwhile, the Bank of America Web site proudly boasts 24/7 customer service representatives on call. We didn’t bother calling back 23 times to figure out which it really is.)

Citibank

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: Less than a minute; quick and easy.

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: With but one button-press after calling, you are speaking to a live operator. We spoke to a good-humored gentleman who, though having to transfer us to the “application department” to answer general questions, laughed genuinely at the response “Okay, super-duper” when he asked us to briefly hold. (Customer service reps who don’t hate their jobs always reflect well on the company.) He transferred me to a female agent who was equally well-tempered, and the whole ordeal was genuine and friendly.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: They promptly filled me in on topics like rewards card bonuses and low APR credit cards. Citibank seems to handle issues like stolen credit cards with sensitivity and care, and they assured me that “Identity Theft Specialists” handle any potential issues one-on-one.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Citibank agents seem particularly user-friendly in times of crises. Also, Citibank’s customer service hotline is available 24 hours.

Chase

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: Less than two minutes; one click from homepage. A little overwhelming were the various numbers to call based on topic, but the list was explained and labeled.

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: After a few selection menus and a reasonable amount of holding time, we got through to a professional (if somewhat dry) customer service representative. Also, right on the Web site was the information that cardholders can receive 24 hour automated services by phone, or live representatives from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. daily.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: The agent answered questions about 0% APR and low APR cards generically, promising only that “select customers” are eligible.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: We left feeling that Chase dictates who is deemed “eligible” for certain offers the way the cool kids at high school decide who sits together at lunch. (Just a feeling.) The exchange is professional and void of hullabaloo, if not otherwise robotic and monotone.

Discover

TIME TO 800 NUMBER: It took but a moment to locate the phone number (listed in the style of Chase’s Web site, only minus the visual chaos).

HELPFULNESS OF AGENTS: Once calling this 24/7 live-operator (and automatic-optional) service number, it was only seconds before being connected. The customer service representative was the sweetest and not-in-a-fake-way of all the credit card companies we tested.

KNOWLEDGE OF AGENTS: The agent answered all questions with specifics, and plenty of pertinent information (security issues, costs, eligibility for special offers, etc.). Additionally, many of the offers seemed to far surpass the competition: for example, 0% fraud liability on the spot, and more-than-fair graces towards simple customer errors or lapses.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Both for the information and the manner in which it was delivered, the taste left in our mouth was all sweet and no-parts bitter.

Summary

We ranked the top five credit card companies on customer service (American Express, Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Discover), and here are our final results.

#5: Bank of America. Though offering the standard services, and having a widespread name and corporate recognition, the actual customer service perhaps suffers at the hand of being such a titanic operation. It’s difficult to find information on the Web site (at least, information that agrees with their live operators), and the personal care touch is gone. Perhaps Bank of America outsourced their customer service operation. Outsourced it to Mars.

#4: Chase. Although adequate, Chase has every one of those small-annoyance features that are frustrating to customers: limited information about APR and the like until agreeing to apply; hold time with crummy music; a slightly confusing Web site; dull and/or mechanical service representative interaction; and limited hours of live person availability. are all attributes that prevent Chase from boasting wonderful customer services. Not really a pain-in-the-neck customer service system, Chase is just average. Not bad bad, but not great.

#3: American Express. American Express does the job. No bells and whistles, but a well-rounded customer service department, with enough features to leave us generally satisfied. The rep made a card recommendation for me after only a few questions, and after further talking it turned out to be a good analysis. American Express’s customer service skills are much like the aesthetics of the card itself: not the most brilliant gold color, but definitely still gold.

#2: Citibank. Great customer service. It’s nice to report that there was almost a tie for first place rather than a tie for last place, and in this case Citibank should be proud of that close call. Nice clear Web site directory, one-touch access to a live person, and interactions with human beings who made it clear they didn’t hate working for Citibank at all. Agents told us about great featured bonuses for customers, but not in a way that made us feel pressured. Wonderful customer service upkeep, Citibank!

#1: Discover. Who knew it really pays to Discover™? Aside from offering the easiest, most practical perks (regular 5% cash back on purchases made at restaurants, gas stations, etc., as well as comprehensive security and credit rating services), the interactions with the Discover folks make you feel valued and respected. Be it hospitality or above-and-beyond professionalism, the general response we had after interacting with Discover is that we want to move to where Discover is headquartered, then raise our families and send our kids to school there. Talking to a credit card company’s customer service line rarely leaves you feeling so warm and fuzzy.

We hope our credit card customer service roundup is helpful, but as always your mileage may vary. The best way to find out is to call yourself. Good luck finding those 800-numbers, though!

This article has been provided by Creditor Web. At CreditorWeb.com you can compare over 100 credit cards from multiple banks and apply for a credit card online. Read more…

Credit Card Articles from CreditorWeb.com - www.creditorweb.com

In a move it says is “aimed at enabling consumers in Mainland China to buy directly online from North American retailers,” Alipay has announced a cooperation agreement with Philliou Selwanes Partners (PSP), a New York City based consulting and advisory firm, to promote the acceptance of its Chinese payment service to North American merchants.

In a move it says is “aimed at enabling consumers in Mainland China to buy directly online from North American retailers,” Alipay has announced a cooperation agreement with Philliou Selwanes Partners (PSP), a New York City based consulting and advisory firm, to promote the acceptance of its Chinese payment service to North American merchants.

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Payments News from Glenbrook Partners - www.paymentsnews.com

In a sting operation backed by the People (a British newspaper), reporters from the paper caught various retailers selling pre paid credit cards without ID checks. Kids are known to use these cards for purchasing alcohol, weapons and gambling online.

From it’s research, the People established that that UK youngsters can obtain pre-payment cards for as little as £3 from shops and newsagents with negligible checks on age, name or address.

These cards can then be used by youngsters to buy adult goods and services online.

The teenager used by the …

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From Credit Card Cool - www.creditcardcool.com

Chase has introduced the Chase Freedom Plus card, a new and improved version of its Freedom credit card. It appears no different than the regular Chase Freedom cards, except that it offers a 3% rebate on spending in your top 6 monthly categories, rather than your top 3, in addition to a 10,000 point […]

Chase has introduced the Chase Freedom Plus card, a new and improved version of its Freedom credit card. It appears no different than the regular Chase Freedom cards, except that it offers a 3% rebate on spending in your top 6 monthly categories, rather than your top 3, in addition to a 10,000 point introductory bonus. Also, it appears that there is a $30 annual fee, which is waived the first year, although the terms on Chase’s website are conflicting about that.

Link

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From Credit Card Watcher - www.creditcardwatcher.com

A Deeper Look Into What Makes Your Credit Card Tick

Most of us take it for granted… We want something, we whip out our credit card and — abracadabra — the transaction is magically processed by the credit card fairies and the item is ours. However, in real life there aren’t credit card fairies magically transporting your credit card information back and forth. In real life, the process is a bit more complex. Wondering just how complex? Read on!

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From Credit Card Tips, Etc.h - www.creditcardtipsetc.com