I searched the internet for the best deal on visa card rebates and found Chase Bank USA, N.A. Offered a 3% rebate on visa card purchases. Or, at least, 3% on your top 3 spending categories for the month. The rest of the purchases provided a 1% rebate. This sounded like a great idea to me, after all, I have an excellent credit rating, always pay my balance in full by the due date, and Capital One was only giving me a 1% rebate, so why not? I applied at Chase and was immediately approved and obtained a $9500 credit limit. This was several months ago.
Well, I decided to redeem my "points". I got onto my account on line and was having trouble finding out how to "redeem" my "points" online. They had plenty of ways I could redeem my points for purchases from company's such as blockbuster, red lobster, the gap, starbucks, avis, sea world, ect... However, I could see no way to apply my "points" as a credit or "payment" towards my current monthly visa balance as I have always done with Capital One. No doubt, red lobster and star bucks are fine companys, and I sometimes purchase things from all these company's, however, I just wanted the "points" to be applied as a credit to my current balance.
After much searching for a phone number and waiting for someone to talk with I actually got through to a "live" person. Be advised it took me almost 15 minutes of searching on the chase cc website for an actual customer service phone number. My "customer service representative" acted as if she had never heard of any one applying their "points" to their credit card balance before. I felt as if I was talking to someone from the planet vulcraft who had never heard someone ask for their "points" be applied to their balance.
Well, after much confusion this fine customer service representative advised me that she would have to transfer me over to a "specialist" who could see if she could provide me with a "points" redemtion plan like I was talking about. After more waiting I finally accessed the tremendously overworked "credit card specialist" who was paid to hear my sad story of how I didn't want to use my points to buy over priced stuff from stores who paid CHASE to have their company associated with them. I just wanted to use my 3% rebate "points" to be applied to my account.
The "specialist" acted like it was hard but that she could now understand me. She now seemed to comprehend that I just wanted the "CASH BABY". She warned me it was a difficult proposition and that it might take them a few months to get me all the particulars worked out. She never did mention the name of this "new plan" but I was confident I was on my way to receiving my promised 3% rebate which could be applied to my balance. I evidentaly didn't look look in the right spot on the application when I enrolled in the CHASEFREEDOM plan and I evidently was interested in their "cheapo plan"... You know, the one that lets you simply apply your "points" to your credit card balance?
So the specialist evidently did her job because after a few weeks I received a REJECTION LETTER from CHASE Bank stating that I was denied access to their "Visa Signature credit program" because I have too many loan accounts opened. This is hilarious to me since I have practically no debt and an 880 credit score. This is from the same company that approved me immediately with no questions asked 6 months ago when I didn't realize that I was enrolling in the plan that offered 3% back on overpriced items from vendors that CHASE bank has an advertising revenue stream with.
I am just glad I found out early that CHASE FREEDOM visa card program is a joke. Do yourself a favor and get a Visa Card where you get straight talk and a 1% rebate that you can simply apply to your balance.
Jeff
Fort Wayne, Indiana
U.S.A.
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