Best Benefits and Service, Only One Drawback
Written: Dec 15 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Service, 60-Day Billing Cycle, ClubRewards
Cons: Limited US Accpetance
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| Pharsalus's Full Review: Diners Club (Citibank) |
I have been a Diners Club Cardmember since 1994. I have also carried an American Express Platinum Card since 1992. Although American Express has superb travel services -- both for booking and for emergency assistance --I would never give up my Diners Club Card for international travel. Here are the reasons:
1) The sixty-day billing cycle is a godsend. Although AmEx will not cut off its best customers after 30 days, it is a nuisance when traveling to have to call AmEx and "reassure" them that you are going to pay, and then also possibly forfeit your Membership Rewards points or have to pay $15 to reinstate them. With Diners Club, you receive a polite reminder on your statement that you have a 30-day past due balance, and that's it. No late fees, no phone calls, no forfeited benefits, and most importantly, no worrying that you might not be able to use your card somewhere. This policy treats Cardmembers like responsible adults, and acknowledges the difficulty of scheduling payments when you are on the road, and possibly in countries where the mails are unreliable and the phone service makes touch-tone pay-by-phone impossible.
2) Diners Club customer service is simply awesome. Once I could not make an electronic payment that I had planned to make (the phone tones where I was were not compatible with my bank's pay-by-phone system), and actually risked going past 60 days past due -- something I have never done with any charge card. I called Diners Club collect and explained the situation. They told me honestly what the late charge would be, and told me that as a result of my payment history over the years they would not report me or cut me off. The payment ended up being credited the very day my billing cycle closed, so I scraped by just under the wire, but being treated honestly and with respect by Diners Club in this situation won my long-term loyalty.
3) The Club Rewards program is the most comprehensive and most flexible rewards program in the industry. It beats AmEx Membership Rewards hands down for me. First, the conversion ratios in general are superior to AmEx's, particularly during some of the spectacular promotions Diners Club has run with Hilton and United, among others. In addition, being able to convert miles to United, my preferred career, is a huge benefit. And the merchandise rewards are much more creative and interesting than AmEx's. My guess as to why is that AmEx is marketing to a much wider customer base, who would cash in 2,500 points for a $25 gift certificate to the Gap, whereas Diners Club has a narrower demographic that appreciates rewards like fine pens and fine crystal. The service staff at Club Rewards also have the same commitment to courteous service that the Card staff embody.
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There is one serious drawback to Diners Club, and that is its limited acceptance in much of the United States, outside the travel and entertainment area. Given the muscle of Citibank, I've never really understood this. Overseas, Diners Club can be used at most shops as well as at restaurants and hotels. Here, it is rare for a store to accept Diners Club, which makes it not very useful as a general purpose US card. Perhaps that's the point -- it's still a travel and entertainment card. But it does mean that for me, AmEx remains my preferred card for use within the US.
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$80 a year is one of the great bargains out there for this superb, superior product!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Pharsalus
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Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 0 members
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