Chase AOL VISA: It's Not Worth It

Why didn't I set this credit card on fire when I had the chance!?  You, my friend, still have the chance.    While most credit card companies are somewhat unpleasant, Chase Bank is more along the lines of gleefully mean spirited.  This is not a company with a goal of keeping customers. 

I have other credit cards, some of which will get a glowing review.  It isn't that I'm angry with credit card companies in general (although none of them will be getting a christmas card from me this year).  It's just that there are some that value their customers and want to make their money through repeat business, and some that would rather squeeze everything they can out of you before you revolt and tear up the card. Chase is the latter.

When I made requests to credit card companies to lower the interest rate on my cards, all of them did so except the Chase AOL Visa.  Citibank worked with me on a brief financial difficulty, Chase did not, despite that I'd been a customer for almost ten years.  In response to a late payment, Chase raised the interest rate highter than any other card has done in this situation.  And they would not lower it again, no matter how many on-time payments followed.  Even after I entirely paid off my Chase card, they would not lower the interest rate to match my other cards. My Citibank card is at 14%, despite a couple of late payments over the years.  My Chase AOL Visa is at 29%.  What's wrong with this picture?

All credit cards penalize you if you make a late payment, but plan on paying hundreds of dollars more for this mistake if you have a Chase card than if you have a Citibank or Discover card.

Is there anything nice I can say about the AOL Visa?  Not really.  The initial sign-up offer was good, but in the long run it was not at all worth it.  The same goes for the Rewards Program.  The AOL Visa has a great rewards program, but you pay for it a dozen times over.

You can get a better credit card than this one.  Good customer service is out there.