The Verdict: Overall, the Eastman Visa cards make a good choice for members of the credit union that want a card free of hidden fees. The Eastman Visa offers a number of travel and shopping benefits, such as the warranty manager, with no annual fee or fees for balance transfers and cash advances. These low-interest cards are ideal for transferring balances, making large purchases and earning rewards with the Platinum card.
Overview: Eastman Credit Union offers members three versions of their Visa credit card. The Visa Classic, Gold and Platinum Preferred all offer a number of advantages to cardholders, including no annual fee or balance transfer fee, auto rental insurance and free electronic payments. The Gold card adds extra shopping and travel benefits, while the Platinum card comes with a rewards system.
How These Cards Work: The Eastman Visa card is accepted worldwide and has a number of fraud protections in place. Verified by Visa allows cardholders to select a password to use online. The credit limit for the cards is a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $2,000 for the Gold card and $2,500 for the Platinum Preferred. There is a current promotional offer to enjoy an APR of 3.50% on balance transfers until July 31, 2012. After the introductory period the APR on all balances converts to the regular interest rate for the card (7.75% to 18.00%). While using the Platinum Preferred card, cardholders earn one point for every $1 spent that may be redeemed through the Scorecard system for merchandise and travel.
Travel & Shopping Benefits: All three versions of the Visa card include zero liability for fraudulent purchases as well as auto rental insurance that protects the cardholder in case of theft or damage. The Visa Gold card adds a warranty manager service to the card, which registers the warranties on purchases and extends warranties up to a year, as well as the travel emergency assistance, baggage delay insurance and automatic travel accident insurance. The Visa Platinum Preferred adds even more benefits: concierge service and ScoreCard rewards points.
Fees: There is no annual fee for any version of the Eastman Visa card. The APR for the Platinum Preferred card is a fixed 9.90%, while the Gold card has a fixed APR of 10.90% or variable rate of 7.75% and the Classic card has a fixed rate of 10.90% and a variable rate of 7.75%. There is no transaction fee for purchases, cash advances or balance transfers. There is no over limit fee or returned fee, although a late payment fee up to $25 may be applied.
Pros:
- No annual fee
- No fee for balance transfers and cash advances
- Promotional APR of 3.50% for balance transfers
- Member of Allpoint for surcharge-free ATMs
- No hidden costs
- Platinum card earns one point for every $1 spent
Cons:
- Must be a member of the Eastman Credit Union
- No rewards for Gold and Classic cards
