Advanta Credit Card Reviews
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Title: Small Businesses Are Customers, Too
Date Reviewed: 2006-02-27 03:45:59 | Recommended?: Yes
Review: Little did I know when I was just starting out, a simple counselor trying to put together a non-profit, how complex running a business could be. Having had credit cards is not the same as having a company working for you... That's Advanta Small Business... I have grown to trust them for everything I need. The advice I get from their experts has lead me into directions I wouldn't have dared to go on my own...(I recommend them to everyone I know. Other larger companies are learning what Advanta has known for some time. My small business is a customer, too.
Title: Beware Of Applying For This Card
Date Reviewed: 2006-03-24 05:50:54 | Recommended?: No
Review: Do not apply for this card. You can have a good to above average credit score and your application will be turned down. And then you never hear back from them when you plead your case to reconsider. I have no extensive balances and no late payments or anything derogatory in my credit file. Please read the consumer complaints at consumer complaint websites. Numerous complaints about this lender and their poor customer service and then abruptly raising interest rates once you have a significant balance. I do not recommend this lender. I do have two trial lawyers on this issue with Advanta since this creditor is obviously derelict regarding any sort of lending aptitude or professionalism. Fair Credit lending laws are not recognized by this lender. Since others are complaining on other websites about this company I hope my legal action will get a class action suit started against these folks.
Title: Misrepresentation That May Be Fraud
Date Reviewed: 2006-12-17 22:50:27 | Recommended?: No
Review: DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS CARD! I applied for the Advanta Business Platinum Card and received it - no problem. However, when I looked for the promised 5% cashback on computer equipment, office supplies, and cell phone service purchases (previously confirmed by direct verbal assurances that all my computer purchases, both wholesale and retail would qualify), I was shocked to learn that Dell Computers does not qualify as they are registered (by SIC code) as a "catalog retailer". That eliminates a majority of computer purchases worldwide! Microsoft direct purchase? - NO they are registered "marketing". Fry's Computer? - NO. EBattery (laptop batteries) - NO. Sunbelt Software - NO. Verizon Wireless - NO. Starting to get the picture? Did they think that account holders just wouldn't notice? Multiply this by tens of thousands of customers and the magnitude of the dollars involved becomes apparent. This is obviously misrepresentation that may warrant a class action suite (which I am pursuing).
Title: Rip OFF
Date Reviewed: 2007-05-15 03:27:05 | Recommended?: No
Review: Acquired the Advanta Business Card to finance the purchase of equipment at my small business. Low interest on purchases (6.99%) for life. Decent deal.
Made timely payments for 15 months then low and behold I "supposedly" missed a payment. I got a call from someone at Advanta at home telling me I had missed a payment and would I like to make an electronic payment today to keep current. I was shocked and assumed (since I make ALL payments on numerous cards in a timely fashion) that I must not have received a statement that month. I told the representative that and made the payment. Next day I get to my office and low and behold I find the statement with a voucher attached indicating I prepared a check and mailed it weeks prior. A few days later the statement comes and I was shocked to see a $12 undisclosed fee for the electronic payment. I write in (indicating I had made the payment and complaining about the $12 fee). I also call in and ask to have the now 15.99% interest rate returned to the 6.99% rate and extra finance charges returned. Customer service rep acts like this is no big deal and indicates she'll "apply" for the refund.
NOTHING. Next month... Same thing...15.99% rate. I call again... Speaking to "supervisor". Again, it's going to be taken care of. She indicates I should have no problem. The next month... Statement comes and 15.99% rate is STILL THERE and being charged. I call the same supervisor and she indicates I've been denied the refund and since it's not the banks fault I'm out of luck. Not the banks fault???? I mailed a payment. The US post office loses VERY little mail. IMHO, MOST LIKELY ADVANTA either lost the mail and possibly "selectively" lose mail-in payments purposely based upon the customer complaint websites I've read.
So... This month... I tried calling corporate. I talked with a woman who supposedly is the Presidents administrative assistant, Emily. Supposedly, the "board" didn't approve my refund request because my story changed. First I said I didn't receive a statement, then that it was lost in the mail or I had just forgot to mail it and then I blamed them. Due to my inconsistent stories I was denied. BULL. My story didn't change, I just didn't KNOW, OFF HAND, that I HAD mailed a payment when the guy called me. I only assumed I didn't get a statement because I PAY ALL STATEMENT I receive. IMO, I was denied because this company no longer wishes to honor my 6.99% promised interest rate.
Another point of interest... They do not provide any way of doing automatic payments on their website. Unlike their legitimate competitors, they want to maintain a pliable "out" of their obligations.
They were friendly while they screwed me. They have strung me along for 3 months when, if I'd known, I'd have already of transferred the balance to another card or just paid it off (I've got the money... Just want to use it for other things right now).
I will be looking for out their for class action suits as an attorney myself I'm sure somebodies got one going. I know I'm being scammed. The check WAS sent and they are shafting me.
DON'T TRUST ADVANTA... RUN AWAY.
Title: 90 Days Interest Free Annually
Date Reviewed: 2008-10-23 07:58:45 | Recommended?: Yes
Review: It's a pretty sweet card if you have good credit, though it is a bit gimmicky.
Title: Advanta Credit Card - UNETHICAL
Date Reviewed: 2008-11-29 00:04:39 | Recommended?: No
Review: I have had an account with Advanta (Small Business Card) for slightly over two years. I signed up under the intro rate of 2.99% (life of balance transfer) - I never charged anything on the card other than what we transferred to it initially. We have excellent credit and have NEVER been late on this card (or ANY card). In May of this year I made an electronic payment which was 'kicked back' three days later due to insufficient bank routing #. I called and the lady told me they had a 'system glitch' over the weekend (I made the payment on Friday) and not to worry she would fix this to where I wasn't late and wouldn't owe a late fee. "Great!", I thought to myself, and went on about my life. In October of this year my husband just happened to notice my statement and that the rate was a whopping 20.31% !!
I have never, ever had a finance charge remotely like that in my entire life! I called Advanta and expressed my *concerns* and flounced around a bit. I told them that what they were doing was unethical and to reduce my rate. They declined. I was carrying a $7,100.00 balance at the time - Out of sheer disgust I found a way to pay the entire balance off by the next due date (last month) to avoid such unreasonable finance charges. I told them to CLOSE out my account and to kiss off essentially. Here is where it gets GOOD.
Listen to this CAREFULLY... SO I paid the ENTIRE BALANCE OFF, IN FULL, LAST MONTH at the outrageous rate of 20.31%...
I received a bill TODAY in the amount of $171.14 AT THE INTEREST RATE OF 37.18% !!! I called "Lana", a supervisor, who advised me that yes, they did increase the rate LAST MONTH and sent me a notice THAT I NEVER RECEIVED and told me I missed the "opt out" grace period if I wanted to refute the (SECOND) rate hike. The reasons they gave for the increase were totally bogus. I have a 800 beacon score and we have never charged anything on the card since I transferred the balance TWO YEARS AGO. This company is absolutely the WORST I have ever delt with. BEWARE! I don't know where to go from here, or even if all the reporting in the world (to various agencies) will make a difference but SOMETHING MUST BE DONE. I didn't even know a 38% interest rate EVEN EXISTED!! WOW. The most I have ever paid on a credit card at any point in my life was 9% during college! They jacked my rate up after sabotaging a late payment and jacked it up again AFTER I closed the account AND paid the balance in full! If I didn't have to pay off the $7,000 balance I could afford to hire an attorney just out of principle!
Companies like this deserve to fold like a cheap suit. Unfair lending practices, unethical (and I have to believe illegal) dealings and simply OBSCENE rate hikes. Where's the justice ? Those rats should be forced to go down with the sinking ship...
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