Great Service & Benefits -- Wish It Was Welcomed Everywhere!
Written: Feb 10 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheery, Humane Service; Superior Benefits; Good Signup Bonus
Cons: Limited Acceptance
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| TFarmer's Full Review: Diners Club (Citibank) |
Stack Diners Club up against American Express and Diners wins every round but one. Diners is THE BEST CHARGE CARD -- as distinct from credit cards -- that you can get. I jumped ship from Amex to DC last year... and I can recommend the move.
Here's the scoring:
** Travel Acceptance: Both DC and Amex are readily accepted by airlines, rent-a-car agencies and most hotels. WINNER: Tie.
** Other Acceptance: Diners is trying, but Amex has better penetration with independent merchants and restaurants. Diners does send out a little booklet on a regular basis listing newly acquired merchants. WINNER: Amex.
** Fees. Diners is $80 a year; Amex is $55 + $40 to be in the Membership Rewards point scheme, or $95. WINNER: DINERS.
** Service. When you call Diners a real human being answers the phone. They throw in courtesy and responsiveness as a no-cost extra. Amex? Don't get me started. WINNER: DINERS.
** Benefits: With Diners Club Rewards, you get points per dollar spent redeemable for frequent flyer miles on ANY major US airline, plus BA. With Membership Rewards, you get... a very limited selection of airline FF programs. Also, Diners has a restaurant rebate plan called Le Card which credits you back 20% of the total tab when you pay with Diners. Pay for a couple of business dinners a year this way, make back your whole annual fee. WINNER: DINERS, by a mile.
** Statements: Diners updates your Club Rewards totals monthly. Amex sends quarterly MR statements that run several months behind. WINNER: DINERS.
** Payment Plan: Your Amex statement is due within two weeks of receipt; wait longer and risk preemptive cancellation. (Read the Amex reviews/horror stories elsewhere on Epinions.) Diners gives you 60 days to pay without penalty. WINNER: DINERS.
** Signup Bonus: Diners gives you at least 12,000 Club Rewards points for joining. Amex gives you... a bill for your membership fee. WINNER: DINERS.
Obviously you can't keep Diners Club as your only card. But it's one of my two regular cards... and against Amex, there's no contest. Diners is a very well-kept secret, but if you travel at all I recommend you check it out.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
TFarmer
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Member: Tom Farmer
Location: Edmonds, WA
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 10 members
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