Don't Be a Chicken And get An Egg Card (Egg Card)

Member Name: criple

Product:	Egg Card
Date:	05/05/02 (214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Introductory 0% , easy Online Servicing, Egg Rewards Programme

Disadvantages: You need a pc for account statements

There are quite a few opinions on this little bit of plastic so I will do my best to give you a balanced view from my own experience.

I am glad to say that I had no problems whatsoever with the online application and received all the necessary paperwork and the card within a short space of time. I find online applications much better than having to telephone companies. It always seems to take forever when you're on the phone. On top of this you seem to feel like your financial situation is being scrutinised and are on edge at the thought of being knocked back. At least with online applications you can relax, apply at a time to suit you and if you are on unlimited Internet access it doesn't cost you anything either. If you should need any help however there is a telephone helpline that you can call.....

I applied for the card in my name as I have other joint cards with my husband anyway but you can have a second account holder free of charge. I was given a generous credit limit and was able to transfer a balance from another card online also. At the time of my application Egg were offering 0% on balance transfers and purchases for 6 months. They are offering a similar scheme at this time until the end of May where you can have 0% interest on purchases until 1st Nov 2001 and on balance transfers until 1st January 2003. The standard rate at the moment for existing Egg customers is 12.9% APR. This rate is still very competitive, believe me I have a deck full of these things.

They also offer cash back of 0.5%. This did used to be 1% but they have introduced an Egg rewards scheme for Egg cardholders in addition to the cash back. Whilst it generally offers discounts if you take out other Egg products they can be very advantageous. A recent offer was if you took out Egg life or critical illness for a minimum of £10 per month you received a free DVD player. Now whilst you shouldn't just take out life cover to get a free gift, for tho
se of us in the market for this type of policy it was a really good offer. I myself applied for the life cover and was accepted even though I do have some existing medical conditions. I received the DVD player within the specified 28 days after 1st direct debit payment and applied for this online just like I did the Egg card itself. They have recently run another offer giving away a mini tv for taking out the same policies....
Other offers have been buying a case of wine and getting another one free. Discounts on travel insurance and cinema tickets. All these are nice little perks and it's nice to be rewarded for loyalty.

Most cards will only offer you introductory rates on balance transfers and not purchases as well so you can really make some savings with this card at the moment. If you don't manage to pay your bill off before you start to pay interest at 12.9% it will still be cheaper than most standard rates.

As far as servicing goes I do most of this online, it is exceptionally easy to track your balance. One of the features I like is being able to change the amount you pay each month, this can be done online at the click of a mouse. This is really useful when you may have a large balance one month that you can't afford to pay off and a small balance another month that you would like to pay in full. I regularly change the amount I pay as you can also specify a certain amount each month that will remain the same until changed by you. You can transfer balances online and even request a new credit limit if you have been overdoing it a bit! I love being in control though.

I often use my credit card and then forget what I have bought; with online servicing you can check and see what you have spent you money on. This enables you to keep better track of your money before your statement comes in. You always receive an email from Egg when your statement has been produced so that you can view it straight away. You get up to
45 days interest free credit also if you pay your balance in full each month. Cash advances and balance transfers are always charged from the day they go on your card.

If you have other products with Egg you can view balances etc all on the same log in page, which is another useful feature. They have improved the website so it is easier on the eye and they have lots of interesting links on the site especially for shopping.

I will sum up with a list of features and benefits.

1)0% on purchases until 1st Nov 2001
2)0% on balance transfers until 1st Jan 2003
3)0.5% cash back on all purchases
4)up to 45 days interest free when balance paid in full
5) Easy online access
6) Egg rewards programme
7)Internet Guarantee

Online Services

1)Check you balance
2)Change your regular payment
3)Transfer balances
4)View statements
5)Change your bank details
6)Request a new credit limit
7)Request a new pin
8)Add an additional cardholder

I recently added my husband to my account and received 6 bottles of wine free. I did this very easily online and at no time did I have to use the phone line for assistance. They used to charge people if they made phone calls and basically you had to do all transactions on the Internet. They have now made it more accessible and do not charge for these services. It has been designed for people with Internet access as you receive your statements online.

All in all I wouldn't be without my Egg card but that doesn't stop me from transferring my balance occasionally to other cards with introductory offers. I wouldn't ever close my account though as there are lots of benefits just for having this card. As it has no annual fee it doesn't matter if you have one and then never use it.

I hope my info has been of help, check it out and don't end up with Egg on your face just in your wallet!

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