Credit Cards

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Chase Cash Plus® Rewards Visa® Card


The Chase Cash Plus® Rewards Visa® Card, issued by Chase, is designed for those with very good credit who plan to take advantage of the cash reward program.

Through the reward program, cardholders earn five points for every dollar spent at grocery stores, gas stations, and drug stores, as well as one point for every $1 spent on all other purchases. After earning 5,000 points, cardholders can choose between a $50 check or a $50 gift certificate to leading merchants such as The Home Depot®, Best Buy, Pizza Hut®, and BLOCKBUSTER®. There is a maximum of 30,000 points that may be earned in one year, and points expire in three years.

The card has a reasonably low interest rate for purchases (for a reward card), no annual fee, and an attractive 0% APR introductory rate for up to twelve months, which can be applied toward purchases and balance transfers.

Finance charges applied use the "Two-Cycles Average Daily Balance" method, which is a more costly method in applying finance charges for those who occasionally carry a balance as compared to the "Average Daily Balance" method used by most card issuers.

The card provides platinum cardholder benefits including up to $500,000 in travel accident insurance, auto rental insurance, and various travel and emergency assistance services.

Therefore, those who plan on taking advantage of the reward program and plan to pay in full each month after the introductory rate expires (to avoid costly finance charges) will benefit most from what the Chase Cash Plus® Rewards Visa® Card has to offer.

Most Attractive Feature(s): No annual fee; 0% APR intro rate on purchases and balance transfers for up to twelve months; up to 5% cash back reward.
Least Attractive Feature(s): Uses "Two-Cycles Average Daily Balance" method when determining finance charges; higher APR for less qualifying applicants.