I have mixed feeling about the Bank of American Core checking account. I've had one for years with few issues, and as a student I appreciated the low monthly fee and the fact that my age allowed me to avoid paying any extra fees. However, I did find it annoying that after I turned 24, my monthly balance had to be 1500 dollars in order to avoid being hit with recurring fees. The over draft charges were crazy as well. Now that I'm older the account is pretty much a dud. I barely use it because I don't want to be slammed with fees. The lack of interest on the account also makes it less than great when you look at other banks. Also, this is worth mentioning- their customer service is HORRIBLE. On the few instances where I had issues with my account, they were rude and unhelpful. Overall I guess the account is OK if you're young, but for an adult over 23 it's just a pain.
The Capital One Platinum card is hit and miss with me but for the most part it's a good card. I appreciate the fact that you can get this card even if your credit is a little rough around the edges. It's pretty customer friendly with roadside assistance, insurance etc. I wish it offered more in the way of rewards, and the interest rate is really high considering the utter lack of frills. But if you're just looking for a basic credit card, you could do a lot worse. If you would like a similar deal with more rewards, the Capital One Quicksilver Rewards card has similar rates but also offers cash back.
We made an account with Renasant a few months ago and so far it's been 10 times better than the other banks nearby. We had an account with a small local bank that was plagued with problems. Renasant is big enough to handle issues but small enough that your experience still feels personal. I like the fact that we can get a checking account without huge monthly fees. At one point we got double charged for something and the bank cleared it up quickly without hassle. I really like this bank!
The Journey Student Rewards card is a really great choice for students. It doesn't require good credit, which is important for student cards. The cash back is a little low, but you get an additional 25 percent every month for paying your bill on time, which is awesome because it rewards good behavior. This card is quite a bit better than the other choice for students, which is a secured credit card like the Capital One Secured Mastercard, which has a monthly fee to use.
As far as store cards go, the TJX Mastercard offers some nice rewards for shopping in the store- 5 points per dollar, which can add up really fast if you shop at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or Homegoods on a regular basis. It also offers rewards for buying at other stores, which is rare for store cards. But the interest rate is really high, and you have to have pretty amazing credit to use the card at all. You might as well just get a regular rewards card, like the Capital One Quicksilver, which offers better rewards and will take you with Fair credit.
As far as store cards go, the Menard's Store Card is decent. Not great, not terrible. No fee to use is always nice, but unless you do a lot of shopping in the store or have plans to buy a big ticket item, it's probably not going to do you much good. But it stacks up about the same as the Wal-Mart Store Card, and offers a gift card for your first 100 spent using the card, so there's that.
The Playstation Card from Capital One is one of those cards that I would have to label as 'Okay', but not great. Yeah, it's kind of useful for buying off the Playstation store, and I like that you get rewards. There's no fee to use it, which is also nice. But it's the kind of card that has such a narrow application that it mostly sits in my wallet taking up space. The APR is too high in my opinion, but if you play a LOT of games and make A LOT of purchases on the PSN, it might be worth it.
As far as in-store rewards cards go, the Ann Taylor LOFT Credit Card is just "OK". There are some things about it that I really enjoy- namely, there's no annual fee to use it. This is good, because most people are not going to shop at Ann Taylor enough to really rack up points using this card. I do appreciate the fact that they'll give you a discount once a year, but I would really like to see more cash back rewards, especially since you have to have pretty amazing credit to get this card in the first place. I can think of several stores with better store cards, namely (and I hate to admit this), Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart Store Card offers similar perks but is available to people with lower credit ratings and there aren't penalties to worry about.
Overall I wouldn't necessarily say that the Sears Credit card is amazing. It doesn't offer any kind of rewards incentives for making purchases, which in this day and age, you expect a credit card to do. But if you shop at Sears frequently or are planning on buying bigger ticket items like tools or appliances, the card can be very useful. We've used it a few times when we were doing our Christmas shopping and it's been a real help. I appreciate the fact that your credit doesn't have to be perfect to get the card- decent credit is enough. Overall it's an acceptable card that's good for one or two things, but in general is kind of meh.
For me it's hard to overlook the 75 dollar yearly fee to use this card, and the fact that getting it requires near perfect credit. Those are big draw backs. BUT if you are able to get the card and afford the fee, it offers some great rewards. The cash back for gas and groceries, along with the $150 back if you make $1000 in purchases is nice. Overall the Blue Cash Preferred card from American Express is decent card if you can get it, it's just hard to get.
The Target Store Card is one of the better in store credit cards available, especially when you consider it against cards from similar stores. You get 5% back on purchases right off the bat, as opposed to the pitiful 1% maximum that the Wal-Mart Store Card offers. The card is also available to people with "Fair" credit scores, making it much easier to get approved than similar store cards. The rewards come in really handy, especially if you already get a discount at the Target pharmacy, and the card has a decent grace period for late payments. Overall a really worthwhile card to sign up for.
The Wal-Mart credit card is pretty cool if you already shop at Wal-Mart regularly. I like that there's no annual fee to use the card, and the maximum late fee is 35 dollars- other cards charge a heftier fee. There are only issues that I see. The first is that you can earn, at most, 1 percent back on purchases. Compared to other in store credit cards, that's not very much. The second would be that you have to have good credit to get the card in the first place. Most of the time if you're doing a lot of shopping at Wal-Mart, you credit score isn't going to be high enough to actually qualify for the in store card.
I started my policy with State Farm three years ago. My mother had a policy that she initially added me to, but once I moved to Mississippi, I started my own for myself and my husband. The experience has been very hit and miss. The application process was very easy, which I appreciated. The agent worked with me to find discounts I would have overlooked- namely, a discount for being a good student. She helped me customize my policy to my needs, which as a student, made a big difference for me. Unfortunately I was in a car accident my first year of college, and dealing with State Farm was kind of a nightmare. The claims department was uncooperative and often argumentative. It took ages to get my claim through all the red tape, and apparently there was some tangle with my body shop that left my car in the shop for nearly a month. I've since discontinued my policy and picked up with another company.
My overall experience with Bank of America was horrible. I started a Student Savings account with them- they told me at the time of start up that it would be free. A month later I get a service fee of 9.99 for the account. When I went down to talk to them, they said the fee was because it was SUMMER! They told me the account was free so long as I was a student, and I was in high school at the time. They removed the fee only when I threatened to close the account and move to another bank, but they were hell to deal with every time I wanted to make a withdrawal from the account. When I got fed up and wanted to close the account, they tried to collect more fees and hold my money for 2 weeks, even though I hadn't violated any rules or contracts. I will never, EVER start another account with this bank!
All of my dealings with Bancorp South have been very positive. My husband and I decided to become members when we realized that our small, local bank was simply too little to solve problems when they arose. During our time with Bancorp South, only one major mistake was made- a computer error resulting in my account being billed for $1111 dollars instead of $111. I was terrified, but Bancorp South worked with me to fix the issue, and my money was returned to me 2 days later. Over all, a great, friendly bank that's big enough to be useful, and still small enough to care.