Visa Classic (Providian Bank)

Pros: Its a real live credit card...with your name on it ( fake enthusiasm )
Cons: Dishonest greedy company, No grace period, Outrageous interest rate, High fee's

Background,
I am 22 years old, and I currently have an American Express Blue, and Citi Bank platinum select Master card.
I love these two cards, and have had no problems with them.

Of course, in order to get those beautiful cards, I...

Pros: Customer Service; Good Terms for secured card
Cons: none

After a horrendous experience with Capital One's secured card, Providian has been a pleasant surprise. I've had a Providian account for 3 years. My card started at 100% secured, and is now, for the last year or so, about 40% secured. In the beginning,...

Pros: Unsecured, online account access, regular increases, decent discount program
Cons: Sloppy customer service, and they never met a fee they didn't like!

After some student loan overextensions, my credit needed some repair. I received an offer in the mail form Providian for an unsecured Visa Classic. Here's what you need to know.

1) The APR - mine was set at 19.8% when I opened the account in...

Pros: none I can think of ...
Cons: $49.00 processing fee, 23.99% interest , .....

Providian "Gold" Visa

My daughter , all of nineteen years old - and with no established credit - received an interesting piece of mail today . With a shrug she passed the envelope to me - "Look at this Mom, " she said...

Pros: Gives cards to people who are just starting out.
Cons: They can not keep their word, they mislead people.

I received a pre-approval letter in the mail in February of 2001 from Providian. My husband had just joined the Army a few months prior and was due to graduate in March. I thought that the card would open a lot of doors for me while I was in Georgia...

Pros: You have a credit card
Cons: Everything about this company

I needed a credit card to use for on line things I wanted to buy, but my credit history due to a marriage problem was not all that great. So I called Providian bank after seeing a commercial about their secured Visa card.

Ok .... that...

Pros: Good starting limits, credit limit increase within 6 months
Cons: Processing and Annual Fees

My experience is with the Providian Visa Classic card ... I'm not really sure why they have a logo for the WebCard on here, but anyway ... I applied for the card about 6 months ago after seeing a commercial on television ... I already had good credit,...

Pros: Friendly Employees
Cons: Sloppy work, insecure, incompetent?

Note: I am not a Providian customer, nor will I ever be. I have been unfortunate enough to have extensive contact with their customer service, billing, collection, security, and tracking departments, which I will detail below.

I was recently...

Pros: Access account information by automated 24 hour 800 number service, better credit line than most "secured" Visas
Cons: it is still credit, and you still have to pay the bills, at the end of the motnh

Like a lot of other people, my first credit experiences had plenty to teach me. Unfortunately, sometimes those lessons don't come when income stays stable. Through several job changes, and moves around the country, and not having proper advice about how...

Pros: Will offer credit to any breathing person
Cons: ungodly APR, no grace period

I had managed to go through 24 years without ever having or needing a credit card. I was always responsible with my money and had savings for any emergencies. Then the time came when I needed a new car, and of course, a car loan. Luckily, we ...

Pros: They might go out of business
Cons: Deception; false advertising

The one and only negative item on my credit report was lovingly provided by the kind folks at Providian. Here is the sad tale.

Providian reported delinquencies on my account in August of 1996 and February of 1997. I cannot explain those dates...

Pros: Providian offers credit to those who have none.
Cons: Using their card will definitely give you credit.....bad credit.

My experience with Providian National Bank has been extremely stressed filled and left me very dissatisfied. I applied for their card after being told I was already approved and all they needed was my processing fee. "I am already...

Pros: Not much, guys.
Cons: Everything - it's going to drain your life-force and pocketbook.

I had some credit problems when I was in college and graduate school - you know, easy credit, spend the rest of your life paying for it. But rather than file bankruptcy, I went the route of debt consolidation three years ago. I pay $600 per month to the...

Pros: Easy To Get If You're A Student - Acceptable Almost Anywhere
Cons: High Interest - No Grace Period - Lousy Online Access

Websites with student cards tend to have the Providian VISA prominently displayed. This is how I came to Providian; I was finishing high school in 2000 and wanted a credit card, and this was one of the first I applied for.

I received a card...

Pros: None I can think of now!
Cons: Bad service, high fees, rude staff, corrupt practices

Yes the BBB Better Business Bureau knows Providian well. They are the worst of a long list of bad credit card companies. They push high interest high fee cards. Yes they will give a card to anyone but you'd better be prepared to pay!

Also...