1st FINANCIAL BANK USA Credit Card Issue

1st FINANCIAL BANK USA Credit Card Issue

August 26, 2005

This is a credit card company which gave a credit card to my 18 year old unemployed son. He is a full time college student and does not work anywhere since he also plays football for his school. I am his mother and I pay his bill each month. Because I pay everything on line I wanted to set his account up on line. I have called there several times only to be told that the site is secure and for card holders only. Well duh! If I have my son's social security number, date of birth and all of his other pertinent information, is should not matter who sets up the darn account! I told the woman on the phone that I make the payments and it should not be an issue for her to speak with me. All they want is the payment. I asked her what would she do if I did not make the payment. She said well you can call customer service to make a payment and we will charge you a fee if you call it in, or if you make it over the phone. I asked why they charged a fee. You know it costs them $9 to duplicate a check! I find that a little difficult to believe. This is one of the worst credit card companies I have ever dealt with. Each time I send in the payment at least seven days in advance, for some reason, they "CLAIM" it arrives one day after the due date. Now I can see this happening sometimes, but not all of the time! I know that my son is just starting out and he has exceptionally outstanding and unblemished credit but I can't continue with a company that has no regard for its customers or for the persons who try to ensure they make payments on their behalf. There is no flexibility with this organization and the last two times I said I was going to close the account they upped his limit. Tell me how does a full time college student with no job and not credit get a credit card with a $3,000 limit? There is definitely something amiss about this company. Zina H. Click this link to e-mail the message author: Email User

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The reason that they won't give you any information is not because they are trying to be difficult, it is because there are privacy laws that regulate releasing information to 3rd parties when it comes to financial accounts. It is simple enough to have your son call in and give permission to speak with you. After this is done they can give you payment amounts etc.

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I have had this card for some time. I always pay ontime and over the min. My issue with this company is when you call for questions or just general stuff you get treated like you are in collections or refusng to pay a bill. I called to change my due date and the lady was so rude to me. "Well, what day do you want?" in a very annoyed tone. I recently called to see if I could get a better interest rate and I spoke with a "supervisor" Melissa. She was the rudest person I have ever dealt with in my life!! She said, "if you don't like the terms and conditions then too bad." She was extremely unfriendly and should be placed in a non customer service related area. I felt like I was talking to collections rather than customer sercice. If they are not able to help you then they should be nice about it and find someone who can. I will be paying this card off and never using credit cards again. I agreed to a "fixed" APR of 14% and because they issued credit cards out to people who couldn't pay or failed to pay; we are now paying the price with ridiculous interst hikes. If I fail to pay then charge me; if I pay then reward me or at least don't change the game in the middle.

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This was my first credit card, and while this definitely shouldn't be your main credit card as you get older and gain respectability in the credit market, it is a great tool for building credit. They offered me a credit card while all other companies deferred me. I started out with a $1000 dollar credit limit, have always paid on time and with a check. The $9 online payment fee is ridiculous, but easily avoidable by sending a check. I have since been offered cards from more reputable companies.

Don't do anything stupid, and this card will help you build credit. Definitely recommend it to RESPONSIBLE 18 year olds looking to establish credit.

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This credit card company is absolutly ridiculous. I have a 2,000 limit and i am 22. I always pay twice a month on this card and of course it hasn't come down from 1,995. If I pay on July 30 for my August payment... they put me down as being a late or NO payment for that August depending on when thier billing cycle ends/starts! Why is that my fault? I am making the payments yet they charge me late fees on my credit and payment over the phone fees on my credit... Needless to say I only pay once a month now WITH a check.

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It is a deccent card. as long as you pay ontime and by mail (mail out your check at least a week in advance)they have decent rates. however they jsut changed their most attractive feature. There is no longer 0% interest under $250. They charge the same interest on all purchases. 23.something% in my case.

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I have a card with this company. If you check your statements, they also apply payments made minus 3 cents. Thus, if you pay $450, they will only apply $399.97. I just caught onto this recently but I'm not so sure it's legal for this company to do that. Also, if you're just starting out with credit cards, this is not the company to go with. They do not have any regard for customers who pay on time or who have good credit. They treat everyone the same with these ridiculously high interest rates.

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I am a 5 year customer of this company and I can tell all of you 18 year olds starting your credit that this is not the answer! I found this out the hard way. When I got my account, my thoughts were, "yes" i can build my credit, make a name for myself... so on and so on. In reality this company has been more of a hassle than i could have imagined. I have had the problem of misapplied payment and supposed late payments. Ever since i received this card I have paid twice a month on the same dates to make sure i wouldn't make a late payment and they all have been done through online bill pay with my bank. Not to mention that by having a credit card it really doesn't do a whole lot for your credit. I found this out after 4 years of having this card, i went to get my first car loan and found out the hard way, when i got turned down by multiple banks or I was offered a 14.2% interest rate. Which if you don't know is outrageous, I currently have a 4.2% rate. When you go out to get credit you are much better off getting a small personal loan and paying that off. It will do leaps and bounds to your credit score and when the time comes to buy that car or house, a bank is much more likely to give you the loan. A small credit card is fine but a credit card is not the answer. Joshua M. Age 23

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This company was the first credit card I ever got while attending college. I thought that the $150 limit was smart since it gets quite tempting to buy things on credit at first. I've never had any problems with them. I just make sure that what I purchase on credit I pay later when the statement arrives. So far, this credit card company has been quite good. Just need to make sure that you send them a payment before its due. All I can say is that if you don't have any source of income coming in then maybe its not so smart to apply for a credit card in the first place.

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I'm eighteen years old, and about two weeks after my 18th birthday I got something in the mail to apply for the 1st financial bank credit card. I took a class in high school that taught me all about what I have to look out for in the future, when I get out into the real world. And, of course, what I should look out for with credit cards.

So I read up on it, and it actually seemed pretty good. So I applied and got my card. It hasn't been long, but I love this card.

They gave me a $150 limit, which, at first, I thought was completely ridiculous, considering my other credit card is $800...but looking back, since I was an eighteen year old female consumer, the 800 dollar card got maxed out within two weeks. I'm still paying that one off.

So, they ARE looking out for me...especially since I don't get charged interest.

These complaints aren't making much sense to me. The 9 dollar charge for eAutopay doesn't compare to what you would normally be charged with interest, for one.

Another thing, which is pretty obvious, people without jobs shouldn't have credit cards. Point blank. If they can't pay for it, they shouldn't have it.

So while I read this ridiculous complaint and most of the comments, I'm going to go with the people that aren't bashing the company. They seem to be the only smart people here.

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i'm having crazy problems with this company too. i paid my november payment on october 30 and they counted that towards october, so when i did not pay a payment in november they charged me a thirty five dollar fee.

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I can't agree more!!!! this company is nothing but a complete and total rip off and absolutely should be SHUT DOWN. We did the same thing with our son when he went off to college and he paid the entire, complete bill as listed on the statement. We told him to then close the account. However, the next month we received a bill with a balance of .03 which we ignored because we had paid the balance in full. The next month there was a 37 dollar "late fee" accompanied by threat letters that his credit would be ruined and a collection agency would be assigned. This company should NOT be allowed to prey on college students and should be prosecuted for predatory lending practices.

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All the complaints here are from irresponsible people. This is a good company and has helped many young kids establish credit. I started out with them at $1,000.00 when I was 18, and now at 22, it has grown with me over the years to a little over $4,000.00.

If you or your kid isn't quite an adult yet... don't get this card, don't give them a debit card either. Use cash. Because they/you are obviously not bright enough to handle a credit card on your own, without winning about going over limits. Grow up.

ONLY READ THIS REVIEW...

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1st financial bank is a great company. They gave me the opportunity to establish my credit when I was 18 with a credit limit of $150. I paid the card every month and now at the age of 22 my limit is at $10,000 and my credit score is close to 800, and it's all because 1FBUSA gave me a chance. They are also very helpful over the phone and even waived a late fee. All you have to do is communicate clearly, competently and calmly

Yes they do charge $9 online payment fee - which is why I signed up for automatic bill pay (for free).

Yes they charge you late fee if you don't pay on time - which is another reason i signed up for automatic bill pay.

Yes they charge you a fee if you go over your limit ,so DON'T DO IT! Every CC company does that, not just 1FBUSA.

Don't be mad at the CC company because you didn't pay your bill on time or you went over the limit, that is your own fault and no one else.

You people should understand that this company is taking a huge risk in giving credit cards to young college students, which explains why they have so many fees. Besides, how else can an 18 year old establish credit? Even with all the fees, if you follow the rules, you will pay nothing in fees.

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Everyone needs to stop complaining about the pay-by-phone and online fees... yes, it's uncommon and annoying, but 1FBUSA isn't keeping it a secret either. If you don't want to pay a fee, send a check each month or sign up for automated payments.

I got their card just before my 19th birthday, and have had it for just more than a year. My limit went from an initial 2,000 to my current 5,000, and I've basically just kept a balance of $250 the whole time. You simply cannot beat no interest on the first $250, and if you stay under that like I do, you'll never pay any interest.

And regarding the late payments, I know I've paid late several times and have never been charged a late fee. I can't believe the people claiming 1FBUSA intentionally processes payments slowly, etc. Maybe the company just likes me. :-)

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Two things here, when a company issues a credit card in a given name... it is FOR THAT PERSON TO USE, (UNLESS HE/SHE GIVES AUTHORIZATION) BUT MORE ITS THAT PERSON'S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE THE PAYMENTS... NOT THEIR PARENTS, NOT THEIR GRANDPARENTS, NOT THEIR AUNTS OR UNCLES, NOT THEIR BOY/GIRL FRIEND!! The company is measuring the ability of THAT PERSON to maintain the cards balance, payment history, upon which, a credit score is reported. As to the "get a card to an unemployed person, no income etc... yeah, this I do disagree with, and there are many companies that offer, HOWEVER AGAIN.... THAT PERSON... CAN DECLINE THE CARD, NOT USE IT... IF THEY FEEL THAT THEY CAN NOT PAY FOR IT!!!! AS TO YOUR SON... HE IS 18... HE IS AN ADULT... LET HIM ACT LIKE ONE, RIDE HIS OWN BIKE, LET HIM SINK... IF HE CAN NOT MAINTAIN HIS SPENDING HABITS!!!

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My daughter got this card. She told me she was charged $9.00 to pay online and I didn't believe her. She tried paying the card in full and they wouldn't let her saying she could only pay as much as the statement said she owed. That way she always ahd a balance. She thought she would always pay on the same date each month but the due date kept creaping forward every month until she was late making a payment. She got a late fee ($39) which pushed her over her limit which caused another fee ($39). If this card is used to teach kids about credit it is a hard lesson to learn... people are trying to take advantage of you any way they can. Just because they put something in their "rules" does not make right if they just put it in there to charge fees. My daughter is honest and doesn't want her credit blemished but these people are evil

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1st Financial Bank Cardholder - My first credit card was/is 1st FB's Card, and to tell you the truth it's done wonders for me. My initial Credit Limit was 150 which was perfect, i've since moved on to Am Ex but the 1st's card definitely helped me establish my credit, (725), and i'm only twenty one.

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Okay, I am 18 years old with NO CREDIT.

I'm in high school and I have a job, and I get paid at least 200/month which isnt much, but its enough for me. Right now I think its important that I establish credit. I get approval forms for credit cards all the time, and I was think about getting the 1st Financial Credit Card because I thought it would be a good way to establish my credit. But reading most of these comments make me think otherwise. The thing is I HAVE to establish credit, I will be going to college soon, so this is an important aspect I need right now. Which credit card would you recommend I get? PLEASE HELP ME.

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I used this card 12 years ago. I had issues (trusted my husband!)but had to file bankrupsy. Even though I have paid the price of a bankrupsy and learned my lesson 12 years ago with great credit now, this card continues to send my old account through collection agencies still trying to get money. I just got a collection notice yesterday (cleared in court in 1997 - now 2008!!) This is ridiculous! Hope others have better experience, but doubt. This is the only debtor I have ever had a problem with since 1997!

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All the extra fees + finance charges are more than what i've actually charged. I am in the process of working to close this card after final payoff. My other cards do not charge a $9 handling fee when I pay online.

I strongly suggest that you look elsewhere for a card.

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When I was 18, my parents got me this card so I can establish credit of which I had none. I think the initial credit line was $1000 but I'm not sure.

I'm 26 now and still have the card--mainly because if I close it, it will lower my credit. Plus my credit line with them is now $17,000.

Let me be honest. The people here who are complaining-like the majority of people-do not know how to be responsable with a credit card. You are late, yes, you get a fee.

Here's the skinny:

-yes, paying onlinee is a $9 fee, and the phone is $12, BUT, ask any cust serv rep, and they will send you paperwork (1 sheet) to have your monthy charges automatically debited from your account at no charge. Its free. You even save on postage. So there isn't online billpay for free, but there is a way to pay for free.

-I suggest getting another card with a low apr for major purchases, but this card is good for establishing credit.

-yeah, the APR is high, but if you pay your balance off in full every month, you'll never pay a penny in interest. it doesn't matter if its 0% or 10 million%....pay it off in full, and you don't pay interest. interest is for people who can't or won't do this and only make minimum payments.

-they are nice on the phone...if you are nice to them.

-ive had the $9 fee waived twice

-i had an issue with mail theft, and not only were my statements stolen, but the replacement cards as well. it was a nightmare. but they were very helpful, and the 3 cards they replaced for me were at no charge.

they are a decent company. not great, but good enough. I say I'm staying because of my 9 year history with them.

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Hi.. My daughter just got this card last fall when she started college. We missed one $10.00 payment and she now owes over $`148.00 in late fees. They added on a late fee for next month before she even got this months statement and realized she forgot to make a payment. The late fee took her over her limit so they charged extra for that. She called and asked why there are already late fees on this account for next month when she hasn't had time to pay her payment and make it right this month. They said they will drop two of the fees and they had better or I am closing this account minus all those fees and they can go straight to hell. I've had credit cards with everyone in the world and I have never seen anything like this. Also the customer service is the worst. They didn't belive my daughter was who she was and grilled her until she got mad and said just take care of this. I think they are just trying to take advantage of young people. I am complaining to the Better Business Burea about this company because it is unethical the way they are charging late fees and acting to people on the phone.

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I got this card when I was 18 with an original credit limit of $250. I liked that there was no interest for balances of $250 or less. They upped my credit limit to $1000, then $2000, and a few more increments up to my current limit of $11,800. I also got an MBNA credit card a year after I got this one. You have to be very careful with the 1FBUSA card in order to avoid fees. I opted for the free automatic payment so there would be no chance of late payments. With these two cards and no late payments, my FICO credit score, at the age of 22, is 810. I still keep the 1FBUSA card because an old account boosts your credit score, and I use the interest-free $250 sometimes. If you know how to play them, you can profit from your experience with them.

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I have had my 1st Financial Bank card for 4 years now and never had any problems, my limit started out at $250 and is now at $5400. I don't use it very often, nor am I irresponsible enough to spend over the limit. I will, however, probably close it soon because the lack of features. I have a Citi Platinum Select card with features like Virtual Account Numbers(so even if someone does intercept that information on the Internet it is useless) and a fully featured online account system. You can't even look at statements with 1FBUSA. My Citi card lets me look at them online and opt-out of paper statements, which I like.

So after reading all of these posts and adding them to my initial suspicion I am going to close it, even though I havn't had a problem but mainly to obviate any possible problem.

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I absolutely hate this credit card!! I have had it for five years now and they have never ever increased my credit limit!! When I first got it they told me my limit was $2500 which seemed weird since I did not have any established credit yet!! Then a couple days later I received a letter stating that they made a mistake and my limit was only $250!! I thought this was fine and a little more reasonable!! I have paid this account off several times and I have still never gotten an increase! I will be closing this account when I pay the $40 I currently owe. DO NOT GET A CARD FROM THEM!! GO TO CITI CARDS!! THEY ARE SO MUCH BETTER!!

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I agree even if you send the payment ahead of time they claim they recieve it late and charge a $37.00 late fee which is crazy. Then they add an additional $37.00 for the next billing cycle. This company is a rip off and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. The customer service representatives are so rude and all they want to do is slap more and more fees on your account.

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This is a good company. I have had a card from them for about 3 years now, and have never had a problem. They have waived the fee to pay by phone multiple times for me. For instance, one time I noticed my bill was due on the day I was going to mail out a check. I called them up and told them my dilemma and they waived the pay by phone fee (which is actually a fee to wire them money from your bank) and didn't issue me a late charge. Another time I accidentally made a check out to 1st National Bank, instead of 1st Financial Bank, and a late charge showed up on my next bill. After looking at my bank statement and seeing the photocopy of the check I wrote, I explained the problem and they abolished the late fee and additional finance charge. I think this company is great to build credit history. They have even called me up when I subscribed to an online service (which I had never done before) and got gas at the same gas station twice in one day just to make sure that someone else wasn't buying things with my card. They are forgiving if you know how to communicate and have good manners on the phone, and they have always done the right thing for me. Like I said, this company was great for building credit, and now I can get better credit cards that give me rewards, cash back, and free airline miles. I am now 23 and my credit is impeccable, thanks to 1st Financial Bank.

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I am a 19 year old breaking from school and working full time. I, too, got this card in the mail before I went to school at 18y/o and went for it. Twice I paid more than $325 when I had a $250 credit line for going less than five dollars above the balance, both times due to late fees. Online payments are $9 each. Phone payments are $15 each. The only way to avoid paying fees is either returning a payment by mail or using their automatic-withdrawal service which I do not trust at all..

Do not get this card. Don't even get started with these people. They will get defensive on the phone when you can't believe $100 has been added to your balance overnight and school you on their internal "codes and practices." It'll drive you positively nuts.

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This is the truth. My grandson received a card from them and had similiar problems. Pay by phone -$9.00, if call answered outside of USA the cost is now $12.00. To pay on line $9.00. Late fee $37.50 and they never receive it on time even if you mail the payment the day you get the bill. This Bank needs to be looked into for its practices. I thought there was some type of regulatory board to over see these credit card companies and banks.

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This credit card company is horrible. I received a mere limit of 150 due to my not having a credit history, 7 months and on time more than the minimum payments, i find myself with no credit history still. This credit card company is horrible and I would not recommend it to anyone.

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So yes I gte a $900 increasse on my credit and spend about $312.70 and now I try to buy a christmas gift online and the websites say my credit is declined. Then I call YOUR company and they say I have an account balance of $444 or something like that. How do I have only $444 dollars when I should have around $600 still on my credit card? I am very unhappy about this. I need to buy gifts now.

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This card is the biggest rip-off going. We cut up our son’s after 1 month. They didn’t send him a bill - good thing Mom noticed, because the late fees would have mounted (for ANYTHING - there is a fixed fee of $37 for ANY transgression). They tacked on a $37 fee for going $50 over his limit of $250 - 1 penney over will generate this charge! Big fees if pay on-line - big fees for the student to pay over the phone.

A VERY. VERY bad credit card. Definitely NOT worth the pain!

Second Day:

Well it just gets worse - First Financial gave erroneous information to us, from which we stupidly paid our bill in full. My son was over his $250 limit by $1.00 - for that he was charged $37 PLUS another $37 for the next biling cycle - before he even had a chance to see the first blll and 1 month before that first bill was even due!!

A horrible, horrible company. I have written to our local Consumer Complaint Board.

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This person has no idea how the world of credit works. There are privacy issues now days as well there should be. And if her son is in college he should be able to set up the account and then give her access to it. It is not uncommon to give a college student a $3000.00 line of credit because chances are more likely than not they will be responsable with the card and when they graduate be making more than the average person and then the credit line will go way up. If you don't want the late fee then mail the payment earlier!!

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This is the worst credit comapny ever these people are crooked....run run run....Don't let your kids get this credit card. Every college student that I've talked to who has this card hates it. Every time that you talk to someone in customer care, they tell you somethning different everytime you call. They have no standards...they lie and intenetionally add additional fees to your bill. They are Crooks!!!!!! Becauae of all the extra fees. its taken me 9 months to pay off a 300.00 bill. BEWARE!