Best online payment cards?

So, looking at things from my perspective regarding Visa.
From what I can gather, though, it seems like they're the most expensive option, at least when you factor in those membership fees and sign-up costs.
If I go with one of those, would it be smarter to have individual bills sent to me, or should I just stick with an autopay setup?

One other thing I noticed—for instance, looking at the pages for a place like Whole Foods—is that they seem to treat Visa payments more like cash transactions, which keeps the price lower. Other cards are treated like... well, actual cards.

I'd honestly love it if someone could walk me through why Visa or Mastercard might actually be the better move, since I'm pretty much in the dark about them.

The diner staff here? Honestly, such a joke. They’re super unprofessional, kind of arrogant, and just plain rude. Plus, you can't even find an ATM in this part of the country that lets you withdraw cash using a Diner's card

I didn't have an American card

But my Mastercard? Man, I am beyond happy with it. It covered my F1 tickets, handled the hotel bookings, and they take it everywhere across the States. Totally professional 👍

Stay away from the dark side.

I’ll be honest, I’m still figuring out the whole online payment thing—it's all a bit of a maze, isn't it?—but I really have to give a shout-out to Bank of America. They've been such a solid choice for me. The staff? Just incredibly polite and professional. And they're everywhere across the US, so you're never really stuck. I did run into a little hiccup early on when trying to drop some larger payments... you know, that awkward stage where they're still deciding if they can actually trust you with the big bucks until you've proven yourself. But once that hurdle is cleared, everything runs like a dream. My Visa through Bank of America is working perfectly fine right now, though, looking back, there were plenty of those annoying little surprises that used to pop up from time to time.

I use American Express—both the Blue Cash and the standard card—and I’m pretty happy with them. The Blue Cash is great because it lets me split purchases into installments. I’ve used it constantly while traveling abroad and for all my online shopping. Like someone else mentioned earlier, if your card info gets stolen, they’ll get a replacement out to you with a new number within 24 hours at no extra charge.

I also have a Visa linked to my foreign currency account (didn't even ask for it; it just came bundled when I opened the account), but I haven't touched it once...

Personally, I rely on my Maestro for small, everyday purchases. For anything bigger or for anything online, I stick to my Amex. I rarely carry cash these days.

Mastercard and Visa are definitely the big players—if a local shop isn't taking everything, you’re much more likely to run into trouble with American Express or Diners than with Mastercard or Visa, though honestly, those hiccups aren't really common in modern society. For instance, in some Middle Eastern countries, Amex just isn't that popular outside of high-end hotels, but is that really the deciding factor? ... Smaller online retailers usually stick to MC and Visa. In the States, American Express is actually quite widespread, even if the others are right up there with them.

Hard Rock Cafe and Viacom treat Amex almost like cash. Then you have places like Best Buy offering interest-free payments over six months on Amex... or Mercury used to offer twelve installments right before the holidays on Amex...

[If you're currently deciding which card to pick up, I wouldn't recommend a revolving credit line—regardless of the brand—but that's a whole other conversation...]

On the flip side, back in July last year, I had to report my Maestro, Mastercard, and American Express cards lost at around 8:30 PM. The very next morning, I was catching a 9:00 AM flight to Bangalore, with layovers in New York City and Mumbai. The guy from American Express was incredibly helpful—he actually called around to figure out who could issue me a replacement card, since my 9:00 AM flight meant it was way too early to get anything sorted in Los Angeles. The solution ended up being: once you land in New York City, grab a taxi and head to Kaiser Street 10, and you'll have your card. And it actually worked! By the way, taxis in New York City are actually cheaper than in LA. :-)
By 11:15 AM on August 2nd, I had both of my American Express cards back in my pocket and felt totally secure again. I reported the Mastercard the same day, and after waiting for the mail to arrive (about ten days), I went down to the branch and picked up a new one. There was absolutely no talk of getting a card in New York City, Mumbai, or Bangalore—that wasn't an option and was flatly rejected without any debate.

So, there you go. I'm willing to admit that other banks might handle Mastercard better than JPMorgan Chase, but that’s just how it went for me.

refugee said:So, looking at things from your perspective regarding American Express.
But from what I can gather, it seems like they’re the priciest option—at least when you factor in the annual fees and those initial sign-up costs.
If I go with them, what actually makes more sense... just paying off the bills as they come, or setting up an automatic payment plan?

Generally speaking, you're better off going with autopay. If an automatic transfer pushes you slightly into an overdraft, the interest you'll pay on that is usually way lower than the late fees they'll hit you with if you miss a bill—and honestly, if you end up using a revolving credit line, those late charges become incredibly expensive. My advice? Just grab a standard green card (the non-revolving kind) from American Express. It isn't nearly as pricey.

Quick follow-up:
If you’re looking at an American Express card, just keep an eye out for those specific keywords—either "charge" or "debit." If you already have a checking account over at JP Morgan Chase, the debit option is usually much easier on the wallet. Otherwise, you'll be looking at a $42 setup fee plus a $83 monthly membership fee.

Personally, if you've got a standard checking account at a big bank like Chase (or even somewhere like Bank of America) and you’re already paying for one of those bundled account packages, grabbing a Mastercard or a Visa isn't actually that pricey. It basically gives you total peace of mind since you'll be covered for transactions anywhere in the world without any hiccups.

Alright everyone, thank you all so much for the advice!

I think I'm actually going to go with an Amex, since I already have my checking account set up over at Chase.

I really like their branding, plus they’re incredibly responsive and offer a great range of extra perks here in the States.

Diners Club, are you guys still around?

I'm pretty sure Diners Club doesn't exist here in North America; maybe they have a presence in Europe.

Back when I was just a broke college student, I applied for an American Express card and listed my annual income at $18,000. They turned me down, claiming I needed to make at least $23k a year.

Later on, they actually reached out to me to try and sign me up, but I wasn't interested. Honestly, I don't see myself ever getting one. 🙂

Since Vistula and Mastercard are accepted practically everywhere, I’ve truly never felt the need to carry an American Express.

I picked up this card when I signed up for that "all-in-one" student account package at Chase—so now I’m wondering if it actually works for online shopping, specifically on sites that take Visa credit cards.
Thanks.

Richard Smith31

You can only do that if your bank actually provided you with the CVV2 code. On Visa cards, those are just the three digits on the back. To be honest, I’m pretty sure you couldn't do that with a standard debit card here in the States last year, but if they updated their security protocols this year, who knows?
If you have that code handy, then you're good to go.

Best,

Look, that Visa card you're holding? It’s just a basic debit card tied to a foreign currency account. In my experience, those things are pretty much useless for anything online. I mean, I tried using one of those back when I was dealing with some international vendor last year, and it was a total nightmare—it just wouldn't clear. You basically can't use it for internet purchases at all.

I remember once trying to settle a bill where it was specifically listed as a Visa Electron transaction rather than a standard debit card.
I honestly can't say for sure if it would have cleared if I'd just used a regular Visa, you know? It's one of those little banking quirks that always makes me second-guess things. If you try it and it actually goes through, definitely let me know.

It won't work because it's just a debit card... they're always asking for a credit card number.... even if you have plenty of cash sitting in your account, a debit card just isn't going to cut it for them.

I’m hoping someone with actual experience can weigh in here, rather than just getting defensive 🙄

Yeah, you definitely can. With those newer EMV chip cards, they include the CVV code right on them, and I've found that it goes through without any issues. I actually tested it out on a few different sites myself.

Dennis Lopez46 said:Can someone who actually knows what they're talking about weigh in here, instead of just trolling?🙄

Yeah, you definitely can. Most modern chip cards come with that CVV code printed on them now, and it works just fine. I've tested it on a few different sites myself.

Well, look at Mr. Know-it-all over here.👍

I'm glad to hear that's an option in the States now too, but I have a question. Since I don't spend much time around my old accounts, I don't really use my local cards. I'm still using this old debit card from Chase—is there any way to get a new one that actually has the CVV2 code on the back?
Do I just have to wait for this one to expire, or is there some other trick to it...

Thanks in advance for the help!

I mean, where exactly is the issue here?
Just give the bank a call and ask them directly.
Why go looking for trouble when everything is running smooth?
Later