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Home › Society › Economy › Banking, Insurance & Loans › Best online payment cards?

Best online payment cards?

Started by neonorca11 · · 👁 22 views · 563 replies

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Participants neonorca11Keith Taylor4Scott Johnson45slyhound5Susan James42crimsonhound3swifteagle15Dennis Lopez46Noah Young16Joshua ChavezChloe Young9Brenda Allen27Kenneth Myers10brisknomad6Nicole Morales3Chris Mitchell11goldenbadger8Richard KellyJoseph Lee9Richard Smith31Peter Williams37Kimberly NguyenHannah Barnes5Henry Moore2 …
wiredlynx28 wiredlynx28 Active Member
151 messages
joined Mar 2014
#221 ·
Mark Sullivan62 said:I’d definitely suggest sticking with a Mastercard or Visa, especially if you’re planning on traveling outside the States.

Seriously, take Germany for instance—I lost track of how many ATMs I tried in Frankfurt, but not a single one would touch my Diners Club card; the only exception was some random machine at the main train station.

Then I go to a hotel and they're basically like, "Diners? Who even is that? Never heard of it... sorry, we can't help you."

Even with Amex, until pretty recently, you couldn't even use it to pay for tolls through the tunnels in Austria.

But with a Mastercard or Visa? I have never, ever had a single issue.

Globally, Diners is known as Cirrus.
That means you can withdraw cash from any ATM displaying the Cirrus® logo.
And honestly, almost every ATM in the US and across the globe carries that Cirrus mark.
In America and Canada, Diners is just as widely accepted as Mastercard.
So, whether you're buying groceries or grabbing cash from an ATM, using Diners is basically the same as using Mastercard.
Charles Ramos7 Charles Ramos7 Regular
529 messages
joined Jul 2010
#222 ·
I’d love for someone to explain why anyone would bother pulling cash from an ATM using a credit card. Haven't you guys heard of Maestro? 🤷
cosmicpuma15 cosmicpuma15 Member
24 messages
joined Jul 2010
#223 ·
A suggestion for credit cards: max out the limit, then pay the bank back 😁
Nicholas Turner Nicholas Turner Active Member
125 messages
joined Oct 2010
#224 ·
Exactly. When it comes to solar payments, there just isn't a viable alternative out there right now.🙂
Daniel Gonzalez4 Daniel Gonzalez4 Member
10 messages
joined Aug 2008
#225 ·
If you're staying within the States, I’d definitely go with American Express. Their installment plans are honestly fantastic—you can split up payments without getting hit by interest. It's a huge plus compared to Diners Club, since they don't tack on those extra fees for doing the same thing.

Now, if you're planning on heading out of the country, though—forget about American Express or Diners. Just grab a Visa or a Mastercard instead. I've traveled quite a bit through Europe and Latin America, and I can tell you from experience that Visa and Mastercard are accepted practically everywhere. I've even used my Visa at a local market in Brazil. With American Express or Diners, you might get lucky at some big-name retailers or the occasional high-end hotel, but that's about it.
wiredlynx28 wiredlynx28 Active Member
151 messages
joined Mar 2014
#226 ·
In Europe, Diners is basically as good as Cirrus
but over in the US and Canada, it carries the weight of a Mastercard
just grab whichever card fits your lifestyle best
Kate Diaz Kate Diaz Member
41 messages
joined Aug 2008
#227 ·
wiredlynx28 said:In Europe, Diners is basically as good as Cirrus
but over in the US and Canada, it carries the weight of a Mastercard
just grab whichever card fits your lifestyle best

Well, sure, you can look at it that way. But at the end of the day, Mastercard is Mastercard, and Diners is Diners. If they were interchangeable, why would they even bother with different names? I’ve personally tried using a Diners card to pull cash in Los Angeles and New York City, and it was a non-starter. It’s nothing like what you can do with an American Express.

American Express is perfectly fine for regions heavily tied to the dollar—think Central and parts of South America, or East Asia. You can get much further with an American Express than a Diners when booking hotels or paying for things online. So, there really isn't much of a debate there.

The real question is whether you should go with Mastercard or American Express. Personally, I’d suggest sticking with Mastercard. That said, many airports offer exclusive lounges for American Express cardholders, which is definitely a nice perk.
Mark Sullivan62 Mark Sullivan62 Active Member
147 messages
joined Jul 2009
#228 ·
wiredlynx28 said:Globally, Diners is known as Cirrus.
That means you can withdraw cash from any ATM displaying the Cirrus® logo.
And honestly, almost every ATM in the US and across the globe carries that Cirrus mark.
In America and Canada, Diners is just as widely accepted as Mastercard.
So, whether you're buying groceries or grabbing cash from an ATM, using Diners is basically the same as using Mastercard.

What on earth is this Diners-Cirrus thing?

Who are you even talking about here?

On my Maestro card, I see the Cirrus logo right next to the Maestro branding

And all those ATMs being mentioned—they clearly had both the Maestro/Cirrus logos on them, yet my Diners card worked perfectly fine without a hitch...

@Kate Diaz: You were talking about Europe, not Latin America...
wiredlynx28 wiredlynx28 Active Member
151 messages
joined Mar 2014
#229 ·
Kate Diaz;15761045 said:Look, you can try to argue otherwise, but a Mastercard is a Mastercard and a Diners is a Diners. If they were the same thing, why would they even bother using different names? I’ve tried using my Diners card to pay for things or pull cash in Los Angeles and New York City. It just doesn't work.

You say one thing, I say another...
Just look at the back of any Diners card; you'll see this logo right here.
image

And if you want to see what a typical Diners card looks like in the US or Canada, check this out.
image

You can verify all of this yourself on the official site at http://www.dinersclubus.com/dce_content/home
Jose Gonzalez7 Jose Gonzalez7 Newcomer
9 messages
joined Sep 2008
#230 ·
So, I picked up an Amex Green Card today. Honestly? Total letdown. The installment options for the consumer credit on this thing are practically non-existent. $333 🤷

Is there actually a credit card out there that offers decent installment plans even for smaller amounts?
darkmaker94 darkmaker94 Regular
417 messages
joined Aug 2011
#231 ·
Yeah, Diners gives you access to $167. 😉
Daniel Gonzalez4 Daniel Gonzalez4 Member
10 messages
joined Aug 2008
#232 ·
Jose Gonzalez7 said:So, I picked up an Amex Green Card today. Honestly? Total letdown. The installment options for the consumer credit on this thing are practically non-existent. $333 🤷

Is there actually a credit card out there that offers decent installment plans even for smaller amounts?

Jose, you can actually get interest-free installments on much smaller amounts. Usually, we're talking around $500, but it really just comes down to the specific agreement between American Express and the retailer.
Consumer credit is a different beast entirely—you can typically stretch those payments out over a much longer period, but you'll be hit with interest and extra fees, so it isn't exactly a great deal.
Kate Diaz Kate Diaz Member
41 messages
joined Aug 2008
#233 ·
Jose Gonzalez7 said:So, I picked up an Amex Green Card today. Honestly? Total letdown. The installment options for the consumer credit on this thing are practically non-existent. $333 🤷

Is there actually a credit card out there that offers decent installment plans even for smaller amounts?

Actually, yes, American Express. 😁 😁

The other day, I went to Home Depot and picked up some wallpaper for $150 using two monthly installments through my American Express.

At the end of the day, how much of an installment plan you get approved for depends entirely on the retailer. It’s like shopping at different department stores; sometimes they offer better terms if you use Diners Club, and other times it's better to use American Express. Personally, it bugs me that Diners Club seems to tack on a 1.5% fee every single time you opt for installments, whereas American Express doesn't.

Just to be clear, I carry both Diners Club and American Express in my wallet.
Kate Diaz Kate Diaz Member
41 messages
joined Aug 2008
#234 ·
American Express holds one significant advantage over the field. They can approve credit within ten minutes without requiring any tedious paperwork or causing unnecessary headaches—you simply give them a call, and the credit is on its way. As for the terms, they are only slightly less favorable than a standard bank loan; you’re looking at an interest rate of 9.98% (compared to the 8.5% to 9.5% range typically offered by major banks) and a 2% fee (versus the 2% to 3% you might see elsewhere).
Timothy Kim9 Timothy Kim9 Active Member
100 messages
joined Jun 2007
#235 ·
Sorry, Kate Diaz, I'm pretty sure the fee is closer to 4%
Kate Diaz Kate Diaz Member
41 messages
joined Aug 2008
#236 ·
Timothy Kim9 said:Sorry, Kate Diaz, I'm pretty sure the fee is closer to 4%

The fee hits 4% if you opt to have the loan funds deposited directly into your checking account. However, if you choose to have the credit applied to your credit card balance instead, the fee drops to 2%. Since about 95% of retailers treat an American Express transaction the same way they treat cash, there isn't much practical advantage to taking this loan as cash in most scenarios.
wiredlynx28 wiredlynx28 Active Member
151 messages
joined Mar 2014
#237 ·
Kate Diaz;15811861 said:American Express has one massive edge. They approve credit within ten minutes without demanding a mountain of paperwork—you just give them a call and the funds are on their way.

I personally hold both an American Express and a Diners Club card, and when I reached out to American Express regarding a loan,
they informed me that I’d need to be a cardholder for at least 12 months before qualifying.
Meanwhile, with Diners Club, I could qualify for credit after just 6 months.
wiredlynx28 wiredlynx28 Active Member
151 messages
joined Mar 2014
#238 ·
Kate Diaz said:American Express holds one significant advantage over the field. They can approve credit within ten minutes without requiring any tedious paperwork or causing unnecessary headaches—you simply give them a call, and the credit is on its way. As for the terms, they are only slightly less favorable than a standard bank loan; you’re looking at an interest rate of 9.98% (compared to the 8.5% to 9.5% range typically offered by major banks) and a 2% fee (versus the 2% to 3% you might see elsewhere).

I hold both an American Express and a Diners Club card, and when I went looking for credit through American Express,
they told me straight up that I had to be a cardholder for at least 12 months before I could qualify for a loan.
But with Diners Club, I can actually access credit after just 6 months.
Kate Diaz Kate Diaz Member
41 messages
joined Aug 2008
#239 ·
wiredlynx28 said:I hold both an American Express and a Diners Club card, and when I went looking for credit through American Express,
they told me straight up that I had to be a cardholder for at least 12 months before I could qualify for a loan.
But with Diners Club, I can actually access credit after just 6 months.

While the official rule for American Express is 12 months, there is some flexibility... if you are a consistent payer and maintain a higher spending volume, you might qualify sooner. For instance, my monthly American Express statements usually hover between $2,000 and $1333; I was approved in my 12th month, but I actually just applied for and received additional credit today.

On a purely mathematical note, Diners Club carries a 12% interest rate while American Express is at 10%, and Diners Club charges a 3% fee compared to American Express's 2%. That's essentially the breakdown.
wanderingharbor61 wanderingharbor61 Member
20 messages
joined Aug 2011
#240 ·
Count me in with the American Express loyalists!

Just got back from my trip abroad, and I ran into one massive expense—we're talking nearly $11,000—and honestly, the thought of lugging that much cash around was just too much for me. So, I put it on my American Express. I gave them a heads-up about the big purchase beforehand, and they cleared it instantly. No drama.

I stay far away from Diners Club, and while I carry my Dell and Visa cards and they work fine, it's exactly what the title says: American Express is king.

P.S.
marko, get in touch, seriously, reach out! 😁

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