Great for a first card. (Capital One)

Member Name: stokx

Product:	Capital One
Date:	16/01/09 (155 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent online service and availability of credit.

Disadvantages: No good cards for high credit ratings.

Capital one offers both credit cards and savings accounts.
I haven't used their savings products but looking at the site there are no spectacular rates.
I have had a basic Ca1 credit card for just over 2 years and have enjoyed excellent, efficient service.
The online acc management is comprehensive, showing both statements and pending transactions which haven't yet been charged to your account.
You can update your details and make one time payments by debit card online and you can set up email alerts to tell you if your balance exceeds a certain level or if your next payment is due soon.
This is great in principle but the alert is sent X days before the payment is due to reach them, not before it is due to leave your bank. The difference can be as much as 5 days which is a big problem since the people most likely to use the service are those who want to move money out of a savings acc as late as possible.
Statements are always sent in good time which hopefully mitigates this risk but because they are sent so far in advance you might still forget to pay.
At present Cap1 only has 2 cards available and neither are brilliant but they do accept people with poor credit history; they provided my first credit card with an initial limit of just £250.
This card now offers a free identity watch service, 2 free credit reports per year and free insurance on any card with any provider.
Non of these services are worth paying for in my view but they are worth keeping the account open.
I have not had any problems with sales calls and since they made it possible to opt out of cheques online I have not had any unwanted mailings.
The website is so good I haven't really needed customer services, my limited experience has been positive once connected but waiting times can be significant.

Summary: Will continue to use.