AT&T credit cards with a calling card... a decent deal overall.
by yusakugo - Written: Mar 18 '01 (Updated Mar 18 '01)
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Pros: Good customer service, good benefits package
Cons: People with poor credit history will find a better deal elsewhere
The Bottom Line: Good overall card if you have good credit history and pay your bills on time. If you need a calling card, this card makes more sense. Decent rewards program.
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| yusakugo's Full Review: AT&T Universal |
I've held a At&T Universal Card since my college days almost 10 years ago. I was offered a generous line of credit and a Platinum card at that time. My fist reaction was, cool, I get a calling card with my second credit card (My third was American Express Standard Green card). I haven't regretted having this card... it is still the card I use the most with my American Express Blue card being a very close second. I haven't had any problems with it or with the customer service.
Customer Service: is it any good?
If you've read my American Express Blue review, you know that a credit card company will retain my loyality and continued use of their credit card with good customer service. Now to date, I've never had a problem with any portion of my credit card. A representative has answered me no longer than 5-10 minutes after requesting one through the computerized menu... most of the time within 1-2 minutes after request. The service representatives have been courteous and friendly... quickly answering any questions I had about my account. Discrepant charges were quickly taken care of (usually within 24 hours I saw any charging discrepancies placed under dispute through their website).
The customer service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. You can always get a representative on the phone... trust me, I called at all hours of the night over my 10+ year stint with their card.
Now, I should remark that my credit card bills usually go anywhere from $250 to $1500 a month on the AT&T Universal Platinum card and I pay the balance in full when I receive it. I've heard some negative reports about AT&T Universal's customer service that I have not experienced. Whether this may be due to my credit history with AT&T being in good standing and quickly paying my balance in full, I don't know. I noted several reviews here at epinions.com who were rather unhappy with AT&T Universal. In my experience, I'm sticking with the AT&T Universal Platinum card. I will note that I still feel American Express and MBNA have better customer service though.
Features... what do I get with the Universal Platinum?
The card is basically a gray color credit card that really looks like most other Platinum cards. It definitely doesn't distinguish itself in your wallet compared to the American Express Blue card.
Once you're approved for the Universal Card, AT&T gives you $100 of free calling card time. This is something new since I never received such a deal years ago. Note that using your calling card features are based on whether you sign up for a calling plan as well. The one that comes to my mind is the One Rate Plan where you pay $0.25 a minute outside and $0.10 a minute from home... plus a $0.30 surcharge if using a payphone. I haven't used the calling card features in 8 years now since my cellular phone takes care of those problems where I might need a calling card.
You get a so-so rate of 16.9% APR for purchases made on the card. Now there are much better introductory deals out there. I currently have a 15.9% APR. Not the best APR out there but around the average.
Balance transfers receive an introductory 3.9% APR for the first 9 months.
Hey, no annual fee.
As with all major credit card and credit card issuers, you get fraud protection. You are not responsible for charges that you didn't make whether online or offline. I had a quick response from customer service on this point. Supposedly, AT&T Universal monitors your account for any odd charges and activity on the card.
Now, all the benefits I'm listing below are for Platinum Card holders not Gold or regular card holders!
$1,000,000 Travel Accident Insurance... just in case you die or are dismembered in your travels. This is $1,000,000 per person, including spouse and dependents. A feature I never hope to use for obvious reasons.
$3,000 Lost Luggage insurance... this is $3,000 per person per occurrance.
You get an Annual Summary of transactions on your Platinum card (you must request for it, it is not automatic!)
Up to 25% off your AT&T calling card calls (dependent on the amount of money you spend on the calling card... the more you spend the higher the discount.)
MasterRental Car Insurance Coverage... covers up to $50,000 of damages on most car rentals of 15 days or less. You don't have to buy the rental companies car insurance. The insurance only applies if the car is rented by the cardholder and driven by the cardholder.
Gold Ticket Exclusives... by checking www.mastercard.com, you can find deals and upgraded seating for events and plays as well as entertainment complexes.
Purchase insurance of $1,000 per item and $50,000 a year. Anytime your fully purchase an item with your AT&T Universal Platinum, if you accidently break it, lose it, or have it stolen, you have a 90 day period from date of purchase to have the item replaced or repaired. This is after you fill out all the required paperwork and produce all the required documents (like an original receipt).
Extended Warranty for up to an additional year on any purchase fully made with a AT&T Universal Platinum. This only applies if the original manufacturer's warranty is 1 year or less.
You also get Travel Assistant services, Travel Medical Assistance, and Travel Legal Assistance.
You get Master RoadAssist Roadside Assistance. You call 1-800-MC-ASSIST and tell them where you are and what the problem is. AAA will be contacted and will come to help you with your auto problem. At least, you don't have to get seperate AAA membership if you don't use it.
Apparently, there is a Platinum Class vacations where you get deals on vacation packages from a variety of sources. I believe this became Master Select Services now.
You can check your accounts online. The system is a bit slow, but it is updated at the beginning of the day with all the information from the day prior. You can get past statements and download statements into various money management programs like MS Money or Quicken. You can also pay online as well. It's a fairly simple interface, but the server is not always responsive on slow connections.
Universal Savings Program
This is basically the rewards program for the card. 1 dollar charged equals 1 point. 1500 points is the lowest rewards redemption possible. You can decrease the APR on your account, get phone cards, AT&T phones, various gift certificates in varying amounts from various retailers (Macy's, CompUSA, Target, etc...). At best, the rewards can equal up to 1% cash back on your purchases since $50 gift certificates equal 5000 reward points. The system is okay overall and I've found a few useful things especially when they have special offer rewards (AT&T Trimline phone plus 2 hours of AT&T calling cards for 3000 points).
Overall
I'm quite happy with this card overall. I get good benefits... especially for traveling and a decent rewards program. With my experience with AT&T Universal Platinum Card, I would recommend it. However, the calling card feature is less useful than it once was with the proliferation of celluar technology.
I would also note that Citibank is now in charge of AT&T Universal Card services.
You can read my American Express Blue card here (cut and paste review)
http://www.epinions.com/content_13432163972
This is my WingSpan Bank 5% rebate (for select merchants) Platinum card review (cut and paste again)
http://www.epinions.com/content_13393170052
Recommended:
Yes
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