Best online payment cards?

Dwarf980 said:I really messed up... honestly, I was just being lazy and didn't want to wait in line at JPMorgan Chase, so I went to Erste instead. No big deal, though—I can always figure them out. Especially if they start giving me grief over that $6,000 loan spread over five years. If they do, I’m moving my business straight to Wells Fargo; their terms and everything else are much better.

On top of that, from what I can tell, Erste seems to be one of the few banks that doesn't even offer a standard Mastercard, just revolving credit. Plus, when you're using online betting sites, they hit you with a $4 fee per transaction. It's absolute robbery.

I'm telling you, they are easily the most incompetent bank in the country!

I just switched over to Erste Bank because of my mortgage.

Didn't bother seeing a notary for the revolving credit. Had to grab it since the interest rate was better, but I'm not actually gonna use it. Me and credit cards? We don't really vibe.

Maybe things have changed?

I’m looking to get a card I can actually use for online shopping—stuff like Amazon orders or booking flights. Since I don't have a steady monthly paycheck coming in right now, would I be able to set up a card or an account where I just deposit cash whenever I have it and then use it for those kinds of purchases?

I’ve got an American Express debit card linked directly to my checking account over at JPMorgan Chase.

Look, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but nobody is going to hand you a credit card if you don't have a steady monthly income coming in.

You can probably grab some kind of student account at JPMorgan Chase right now
I mean, your limit is really nothing to worry about, just a little something minor
Give them a ring and just ask...
0800356356

slygull92 said:Nobody is going to issue you any kind of credit card if you don't have a steady monthly income.

Haha, 😂 😂 😂 😂 talk about the stupidity of the day.

Look, my friend—you absolutely can open a bank account whenever you want, regardless of whether you have a regular paycheck coming in or not.

Even if you aren't bringing in a steady monthly paycheck, you can technically open a checking account somewhere, but they’ll usually just toss you a basic "Debit" card. And honestly? Those things are often useless for anything online—you’re basically stuck using them just to pull cash out of an ATM. I have no idea if they'd even let you get a credit card tied to an account like that, though I highly doubt it.

The thing is, most big banks won't even let you open a standard checking account without proof of regular income. If you call them up or try to handle it over the phone, they'll give you a hard "no." But... there's always a loophole. If you actually walk into a branch—say, a place like Hypo—and tell them you're in the middle of a job interview or just finalized a deal with a new employer, a handful of banks might actually cut you some slack and open the account for you.
Along with that, you'll just get that same basic debit card.

Maybe—and this is a big maybe—if you open a foreign currency account or stash some cash in there first, they might consider giving you a credit card that actually works for online shopping. Still, from their perspective, that's a massive gamble. Without a steady stream of income coming in, what happens if you go on an online shopping spree, drain the account to zero, and just... vanish? They're the ones left holding the bag.

At the end of the day, a credit card is just a loan. And no bank is going to hand out credit just because you have a friendly face; they need some kind of guarantee that you’re actually going to pay them back.

Best,

Where on earth is all this info coming from?
I mean, anyone can walk into a branch and open a checking account regardless of whether they have a job or not... you just have to be okay with paying those annual maintenance fees
The real headache has always been the credit cards, though I suppose they're finally starting to sort that mess out

Richard Lewis16 said:where is this info coming from?
anyone can open a checking account regardless of whether they have a job or not—you just have to pay the annual maintenance fee
credit cards are where the headache starts, but it looks like they're finally starting to fix that too

What a massive crisis! So huge that they’re actually beginning to address it.🙄 Honestly, I feel like some old-school socialist mentality is still lingering in our banking systems and labor laws here in the States!

I mean, what kind of "permanent full-time contract" actually grants you more rights than a temporary gig, a freelance contract, or an independent contractor agreement? (just a rhetorical question there)

On one hand, nobody lives forever, and on the other, you could lose your job at any given moment. So, all those extra perks tied to having a "permanent" position are honestly kind of ridiculous. A bank should really be looking at historical data instead. Like, go ahead, open an account, get a card, start with a small credit limit. You manage your finances well for a while, then they bump up the limit, maybe give you another card... Honestly, they shouldn't even care where your money comes from right now, because just because you have a steady paycheck today $5000 doesn't mean you'll have it tomorrow. You might be living off your savings for a bit while you hunt for the next thing... or maybe you'll pivot to freelancing or consulting. There are a million different ways life plays out...

You can actually transfer funds directly into someone else's account if they maintain a solid payment history...

Give me a break... how can you say you can't open a checking account without a steady paycheck? Of course you can. Just go ask at JPMorgan Chase and see for yourself. You get a Maestro card automatically, though you can't use that for online shopping. But if you open a foreign currency account and drop $5 in there, you'll get a Visa Electron debit card right away. And if you happen to have some savings sitting in a CD, they'll hand you a Mastercard or a Visa charge card regardless of whether you have a regular income or not. The only catch is your limit is tied to whatever amount you've got tucked away, but nothing over $20 $0.00. I know this is true because it's exactly how I set mine up. I don't have any income here in the States, nor does any money come into my US accounts because I work abroad. I didn't even ask for a Mastercard, they just offered it to me. Like I said, you get that Visa Electron debit card automatically the moment you walk into the bank and deposit $5.

Bryan Peterson25 said:Honestly, I don't get why people think you can't open a checking account without a steady paycheck coming in. You absolutely can—just head down to JPMorgan Chase and see for yourself. They’ll set you up with a Maestro card right away, though you won't be able to shop online with that one; however, if you open a foreign currency account and toss in about five bucks, they’ll automatically give you a Visa Electron debit card. Or, if you happen to have some savings sitting in a CD with them, they’ll offer you a Mastercard or a Visa charge card regardless of your employment status, though your spending limit will just be capped at whatever amount you have tucked away in that CD, no more than 20 $0.00. I know this is true because I live it; I don't have any income flowing into the US since I work abroad, yet there I am. I didn't even ask for a Mastercard, they just pitched it to me. Again, just go in, deposit five dollars, and that Visa Electron is yours.

That's exactly how it works. I have my own checking account, and they gave me a Maestro card that lets me pull cash from an ATM, but trying to buy anything online is out of the question.

Anthony Bennett6 said:you can actually transfer funds into an account belonging to someone who maintains a solid payment history...

I've still got my old American Express lying around somewhere, but they won't let me touch it.

Your best bet is probably just giving them a call and seeing if you can settle things using a foreign currency account.
thnx

Richard Lewis16 and Bryan Peterson25.

While it might seem like there's a general trend toward banks being more relaxed about opening checking accounts lately, you still can't just walk into any bank and open one without showing some regular monthly activity. Just to illustrate the point, here are two examples:

http://www.wellsfargo.com/Home.aspx?PageID=34
http://www.erstebank.com/gr_tekuci.asp

For those who don't feel like wading through entire web pages, here are two quick snippets:

Wells Fargo:
The bank may open a checking account to any adult, legally competent domestic or foreign individual who ensures a regular inflow of funds into the checking account in an amount exceeding what is established by the limit decision.

ERSTE:
You can achieve client status at Erste Bank very simply—by opening a checking account at Erste Bank and maintaining a regular monthly inflow (salary, pension, etc.) through said account.

Also, when I called Hypo Bank about nine months ago to ask if I could open an account without steady inflows (meaning, without a regular paycheck), they told me no—they actually repeated that three times during a single short conversation—but suggested I could still visit a branch in person.
So, I did exactly that, and they ended up opening the account for me anyway. The teller asked for my employer's details, and I just told her (as if) I was currently in negotiations with someone regarding a new job.

I also get the impression that nowadays, more banks are willing to open a checking account without regular income (JPMorgan Chase, in New York City, etc.).

Furthermore, according to the law, only deposits where taxes and other duties have already been paid (salary, pension, etc.), or deposits that aren't subject to them, should go into a checking account. Any other payments (like freelance work, for instance) ought to go into a business account.
Of course, in practice, things don't always work that way.

Best,

gentlehound15 said:Richard Lewis16 and Bryan Peterson25.

Erste Bank:
You can easily determine a client's status at Erste Bank—just open a checking account there and make sure you have regular monthly deposits, like a paycheck or pension, hitting that account.

Look, we're talking about CLIENT STATUS here, not just opening an account. I opened a checking account at Erste two years ago when I was unemployed, so clearly, that doesn't cut it.🙂

Discovery.v2 said:Haha 😂 😂 😂 😂 absolute stupidity of the day.

You totally can, buddy. You can open a checking account whenever you want, regardless of whether you have a steady paycheck coming in or not.

hahaha, do you even read what you write?
We aren't talking about opening a basic checking account here; we're talking about a credit card. And you CANNOT get one if you don't have a steady stream of income hitting your account.
Also, a debit card is something else entirely—that just goes along with your checking account so you can pull cash out of an ATM.

well, if you just take a second to look back up there, it’s all laid out pretty clearly for you
anyway, I’m pretty sure your account status is currently stuck in limbo $6.75 since they update those foreign exchange rates every few months
you might also want to double-check if they finally sorted out that checking account issue, because according to the paperwork from Chase, it's listed as a Visa Electron, which means you should be able to shop online without any trouble... you probably just needed to input a specific security code
as for Wells Fargo or Bank of America, honestly, I couldn't care less how much market share they hold here in the States
but when it comes to the top three big banks in the US, I know for a fact you can get an account opened through them pretty easily

Lonicera said:Hahaha, are you even reading this?
We aren't talking about opening a standard checking account here—we’re talking about a credit card. You simply CANNOT get approved if you don't have steady income hitting your account.
Furthermore, a Mastercard is just a debit card linked to your checking... it's used for pulling cash out of an ATM.

Fair enough, you've got me there. I went a bit overboard because I was skimming through the thread too quickly to catch the nuance. My mistake—apologies. 🙂