New Credit Card Details (Comenity Capital Bank)
Feb 4, 2014, 6:11 pm
#181
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: B6 Mosaic, Bonvoy LT Titanium (x SPG LT), IHG Spire, UA Silver
Posts: 5,849
If you had any Virgin America purchases, those post separately. Had my points post for all other purchases, then a couple days later points for VX purchases, then a few days later the extra 2X the points for VX purchases.
Feb 7, 2014, 2:03 pm
#183
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,654
Feb 8, 2014, 7:27 pm
#184
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 91
New Cards - a comparison
Within the past few weeks, I've gotten 2 new premium level airline credit cards. The differences are startling.
About 3 weeks ago, I received the VX Premium card from Comenity. As discussed, it's flimsy and I worry that the numbers will come off. Their support for online options are limited.
Today, I received my new Aadvantage World Elite MC from Citibank. It arrived in a classy black presentation box. (The unwrapping experience is worthy of Apple) The card itself is very impressive and understated with metallic dark slate color and silver highlights. The online and mobile experience is world-class.
Quite a comparison. You can tell who the big dogs are in both airlines and banking. Although, in both cases, these are the premium cards in their offerings, perhaps the difference in the companies' sizes makes it an unfair comparison. (Although the base annual fees are $149 vs $450, the latter has a statement credit of $200 - and benefits like AC membership are more extensive).
...now that I got the $1K spend taken care of for VX, I've gotta' get working on $10K for my 100,000 AA bonus.
About 3 weeks ago, I received the VX Premium card from Comenity. As discussed, it's flimsy and I worry that the numbers will come off. Their support for online options are limited.
Today, I received my new Aadvantage World Elite MC from Citibank. It arrived in a classy black presentation box. (The unwrapping experience is worthy of Apple) The card itself is very impressive and understated with metallic dark slate color and silver highlights. The online and mobile experience is world-class.
Quite a comparison. You can tell who the big dogs are in both airlines and banking. Although, in both cases, these are the premium cards in their offerings, perhaps the difference in the companies' sizes makes it an unfair comparison. (Although the base annual fees are $149 vs $450, the latter has a statement credit of $200 - and benefits like AC membership are more extensive).
...now that I got the $1K spend taken care of for VX, I've gotta' get working on $10K for my 100,000 AA bonus.
Last edited by MarkBearSF; Feb 8, 2014 at 7:36 pm
Feb 9, 2014, 10:07 am
#185
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: B6 Mosaic, Bonvoy LT Titanium (x SPG LT), IHG Spire, UA Silver
Posts: 5,849
Which in the end matters little. It is simply a piece of plastic to earn Virgin America points.
If your main aim in a credit card is a fancy box from a mega bank, than the VX card is not the right one for you. Otherwise the card serves its function which was the only reason I got it.
If your main aim in a credit card is a fancy box from a mega bank, than the VX card is not the right one for you. Otherwise the card serves its function which was the only reason I got it.
Feb 9, 2014, 9:04 pm
#186
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Virgin Elevate Silver, Alaska MVP
Posts: 13
Within the past few weeks, I've gotten 2 new premium level airline credit cards. The differences are startling.
About 3 weeks ago, I received the VX Premium card from Comenity. As discussed, it's flimsy and I worry that the numbers will come off. Their support for online options are limited.
Today, I received my new Aadvantage World Elite MC from Citibank. It arrived in a classy black presentation box. (The unwrapping experience is worthy of Apple) The card itself is very impressive and understated with metallic dark slate color and silver highlights. The online and mobile experience is world-class.
Quite a comparison. You can tell who the big dogs are in both airlines and banking. Although, in both cases, these are the premium cards in their offerings, perhaps the difference in the companies' sizes makes it an unfair comparison. (Although the base annual fees are $149 vs $450, the latter has a statement credit of $200 - and benefits like AC membership are more extensive).
...now that I got the $1K spend taken care of for VX, I've gotta' get working on $10K for my 100,000 AA bonus.
About 3 weeks ago, I received the VX Premium card from Comenity. As discussed, it's flimsy and I worry that the numbers will come off. Their support for online options are limited.
Today, I received my new Aadvantage World Elite MC from Citibank. It arrived in a classy black presentation box. (The unwrapping experience is worthy of Apple) The card itself is very impressive and understated with metallic dark slate color and silver highlights. The online and mobile experience is world-class.
Quite a comparison. You can tell who the big dogs are in both airlines and banking. Although, in both cases, these are the premium cards in their offerings, perhaps the difference in the companies' sizes makes it an unfair comparison. (Although the base annual fees are $149 vs $450, the latter has a statement credit of $200 - and benefits like AC membership are more extensive).
...now that I got the $1K spend taken care of for VX, I've gotta' get working on $10K for my 100,000 AA bonus.
It's cool you're getting a lot of perks with AA, but I'm also glad my VX card didn't arrive in a lot of useless packaging/waste. My building's blue bin gets full by Tuesday.
Feb 10, 2014, 10:24 am
#187
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
To compete with those getting offers from Amex to use towards an AC membership.
Feb 10, 2014, 2:23 pm
#188
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: LAX, formerly SFO, PEK, PVG, NRT
Posts: 164
Which in the end matters little. It is simply a piece of plastic to earn Virgin America points.
If your main aim in a credit card is a fancy box from a mega bank, than the VX card is not the right one for you. Otherwise the card serves its function which was the only reason I got it.
If your main aim in a credit card is a fancy box from a mega bank, than the VX card is not the right one for you. Otherwise the card serves its function which was the only reason I got it.
And not only that, comparing a card with a $450 annual fee to one with a $149 fee is silly. It's like comparing a BMW to a Ford. They're aiming for 2 totally different markets.
These cards aren't direct competitors because they appeal to totally different people. Most people just aren't sitting down comparing these 2 cards seriously.
Feb 10, 2014, 2:29 pm
#189
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 3
I think his point is about more than the box. It's 2014. With a card that has an annual fee there should be things like a great mobile app, enable you to manage your accounts through solutions like Mint.com, autopay, a card that doesn't feel like it's falling apart at the seems (Virgin has even admitted it's terrible and are sending a replacement). These are now the norm and even free credit cards offer these solutions. Overall it's a bummer that they haven't (yet), hopefully they will soon.
Feb 10, 2014, 3:07 pm
#190
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
Agreed.
And not only that, comparing a card with a $450 annual fee to one with a $149 fee is silly. It's like comparing a BMW to a Ford. They're aiming for 2 totally different markets.
These cards aren't direct competitors because they appeal to totally different people. Most people just aren't sitting down comparing these 2 cards seriously.
And not only that, comparing a card with a $450 annual fee to one with a $149 fee is silly. It's like comparing a BMW to a Ford. They're aiming for 2 totally different markets.
These cards aren't direct competitors because they appeal to totally different people. Most people just aren't sitting down comparing these 2 cards seriously.
Feb 10, 2014, 3:26 pm
#191
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: LAX, formerly SFO, PEK, PVG, NRT
Posts: 164
My example still stands though.
If the AA Citi World MC is a BMW 7-Series, the VX Premium Visa is a Ford Fusion. No serious BMW customer is sitting down comparing consumer reports of a 7-Series and a Fusion.
The entire reason Ford would even try to compare themselves to BMW is to leach off the luxury branding of BMW so Ford shoppers FEEL LIKE they're in the same league as those shoppers.
It's classic aspirational advertising that works, but doesn't mean Ford buyers are the same as BMW buyers. The fact that Ford managed to find a few ex-BMW owners to appear in their ads is irrelevant considering the hundreds of thousands of BMW customers that would only leave BMW for a Mercedes, Audi, or Lexus.
Feb 11, 2014, 8:19 am
#192
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 91
Agreed.
And not only that, comparing a card with a $450 annual fee to one with a $149 fee is silly. It's like comparing a BMW to a Ford. They're aiming for 2 totally different markets.
These cards aren't direct competitors because they appeal to totally different people. Most people just aren't sitting down comparing these 2 cards seriously.
And not only that, comparing a card with a $450 annual fee to one with a $149 fee is silly. It's like comparing a BMW to a Ford. They're aiming for 2 totally different markets.
These cards aren't direct competitors because they appeal to totally different people. Most people just aren't sitting down comparing these 2 cards seriously.
A card has to justify itself. Besides signing-up for the new VX card I dropped my spg Amex. (arguably a more premium card). After a year with my AA card and the included AC membership, I may very will cancel my Amex platinum ...and keep my VX card. So, yes they all compete with one another for my continued business.
I don't know about yourself, but saying that a BMW driver wouldn't consider a Ford may be true, but carrying that argument to credit cards is a bit specious. I assume that many of us who are now using the VX Comenity card also have a more "premium" card as well.
...and although the annual fee is nominally $450, right now, it's $249 with the statement credit, which brings it closer into competition.
No, I don't particularly care about the card's packaging (certainly to the point of affecting a purchase decision). But, especially after all the complaints about the sub-prime quality of the card and the limitations of the online support, I thought the comparison was interesting.
Feb 11, 2014, 9:55 am
#193
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,654
You're right. I haven't seen those commercials.
My example still stands though.
If the AA Citi World MC is a BMW 7-Series, the VX Premium Visa is a Ford Fusion. No serious BMW customer is sitting down comparing consumer reports of a 7-Series and a Fusion.
The entire reason Ford would even try to compare themselves to BMW is to leach off the luxury branding of BMW so Ford shoppers FEEL LIKE they're in the same league as those shoppers.
It's classic aspirational advertising that works, but doesn't mean Ford buyers are the same as BMW buyers. The fact that Ford managed to find a few ex-BMW owners to appear in their ads is irrelevant considering the hundreds of thousands of BMW customers that would only leave BMW for a Mercedes, Audi, or Lexus.
My example still stands though.
If the AA Citi World MC is a BMW 7-Series, the VX Premium Visa is a Ford Fusion. No serious BMW customer is sitting down comparing consumer reports of a 7-Series and a Fusion.
The entire reason Ford would even try to compare themselves to BMW is to leach off the luxury branding of BMW so Ford shoppers FEEL LIKE they're in the same league as those shoppers.
It's classic aspirational advertising that works, but doesn't mean Ford buyers are the same as BMW buyers. The fact that Ford managed to find a few ex-BMW owners to appear in their ads is irrelevant considering the hundreds of thousands of BMW customers that would only leave BMW for a Mercedes, Audi, or Lexus.
Nor do I feel like my important parts grow if I have a fancy card, nor do they shrink if my card is not perceived as fancy.
Right now, I "aspire" to earn a bunch of VX points, I "aspire" to have the card help with retaining status, I "aspire" not to have change or baggage fees, and most importantly, I "aspire" to feel extra-super-important by having an uber-cheap looking piece of plastic in my wallet.
Feb 11, 2014, 8:30 pm
#194
Join Date: May 2009
Location: California
Programs: AS 75K Gold, UA Silver, Marriott LT Platinum, Hyatt Explorist, National EE
Posts: 236
Payments Posting
I made 2 payments last week yet my available credit hasn't reflected those payments. I called Comenity and they state is will take 7-10 business days to fully process. This makes is harder to meet the $30K spend to get 15,000 status points within a couple of months. Just keep in mind the ~2 week delay of your payments posting.
Feb 12, 2014, 6:19 am
#195
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 91
I made 2 payments last week yet my available credit hasn't reflected those payments. I called Comenity and they state is will take 7-10 business days to fully process. This makes is harder to meet the $30K spend to get 15,000 status points within a couple of months. Just keep in mind the ~2 week delay of your payments posting.
No miles yet. My statement date is coming up in about a week and when I make that payment, we'll see what happens.