The Best "Corporate Card" On The Planet!
Written: Mar 05 '00 (Updated Mar 05 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: FANTASTIC REWARDS!
Cons: Expensive, low acceptance
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| Almighty's Full Review: Diners Club (Citibank) |
Diners Club has the single greatest points program of any credit card!
Inside Flyer Magazine (a publication dedicated helping commuting professionals maximize their frequent flyer miles) recently awarded Citibank's Diner's Club Card their annual "Freddie" award for "Best Card Program" (for the third consecutive year). Why is it so great you ask? As a regular cardholder you receive one point per dollar spent which can be spent at any time or saved for bigger rewards. Each year Diners Club publishes a 20+ page "Rewards Catalog" containing all the things you can redeem your points for. From frequent flyer miles (on ANY airline) to desktop computers, stereo systems, and cruise trips, any product you can write an Epinion on, you can get for free using the points you accumulate with your Diners Club Card. If you don't find what you want in the catalog, simply call the toll free number and ask them how may points you'll need for that Lincoln Navigator you've always wanted. Plus, it gets even better. If you enroll in their "Club Rewards" program you'll get 2 points for every dollar you spend.
With the card you'll also get discounts on certain car rentals, and 20% off at selected restaurants around the world. The telephone support is absolutely first rate. Need help with exchange rates, or foreign language translation, no problem. The card has no preset spending limit and also allows an extra month (without any interest) before payment is required on new purchases. Very nice for times when you're traveling on extended overseas trips.
So, you're probably saying to yourself "Wow! Why don't I have one of these cards?" The easy answer, cost! The annual fee for the card is $80 and $35 more for each additional card. Enrollment in the "Club Rewards" program is another $75 per year. While the Diners Club card is accepted by every airline and virtually all major hotel chains in the world, it's often hard to find other establishments that accept Diners as a form of payment. Many gas stations will take it, but believe it or not, a huge percentage of restaurants won't take the Diners Club Card.
Citibank has developed and maintains the Diners Club Card (for 50+ years) for corporate clients. I worked for a company where everyone got a card when they started. The company paid for all the fees and even enrolled everyone in the "Club Rewards" program. It was fantastic! By the time I left the company I had accumulated hundreds of dollars worth of free merchandise.
If you can convince your company to give you a "corporate" credit card (for reimbursables, etc.) or if you have input into the selection of a company wide card, you should seriously consider the Diners Club Card. Unfortunately, the high fees and low acceptance rate makes the Diners Club Card a poor choice for the average consumer. If you are looking for a "no fee" card to rack up a ton of points on, you should get a Visa or Master Card due to their higher acceptance rates. I'd recommend Citibank's Sony Card, or Novus's Discover Card as good starting points.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Almighty
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 198
Trusted by: 593 members
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