I have a “Financial Rewards” VISA card through Bank of America (BofA). I have it through them since, at the time, they were the only ones who seemed to be offering such.
In past dealings with BofA, I’ve been put off by what I interpret to be “Nickel and diming” behavior. They seem to have service fees for everything, monthly service fees for your checking account, check writing fees, you name it.
I found it amusing when I received this “Cardholder Thank You” item mixed in with the bits and pieces that accompany my monthly VISA bill.
What was humorous to me was that this advert, in the form of a fake check, and with BofA’s logo displayed prominently at the top, had this to say in its fine print (you’ll need to click to read it):
So, Bank of America is telling me that, even though they are sending me this advertisement in an envelope that is coming from them, with their letterhead on it, as a “Thank You” for being a possesor of their VISA card, that I can take advantage of by including the order form (on the reverse of the fake check) with my VISA payment, they have nothing to do with this offer?
I’m not sure I’m really impressed with a company using its brand to shill for “Gift Services, Inc.” and yet will neither stand by the quality nor service associated with the products.
I… think I’m going to get a new credit card from a company that I would prefer to be associated with. These “cash back” credit cards are becoming much more popular now, and no blackout dates 🙂
**Update June 30, 2006** I tried to find Gift Services, Inc. using Google. I found one company by that name based in Denver, Colorado, but the “Cardholder Thank You” document indicates that this company is using a P.O. Box in Utah. Same outfit? Perhaps.