Question about Capitol One's FF Card.
 

I'm thinking of getting a Capitol One card<BR>and not sure how I feel about booking through<BR>them for a flight. Anyone know how their service and rates compare? Asked them how<BR>their rates were and was told they often have<BR>cheaper air rates because they buy in bulk. Can't believe they buy seats on every flight.<BR>Considering them because the miles can be<BR>used on any airline and their annual fee is<BR>only $19. Thanks for any input.

I can't address your question as I haven't redeemed any miles yet, and I have a Capital One card. Just wanted to tell you that there is another big advantage to this credit card, which is there is no addon fee for foreign currency transactions beyond the 1 pct Mastercard fee. So, I got this card specifically to use for foreign purchases, with the bonus of FF miles and a very good low interest rate, all with a much lower-than-avg annual fee (I will never pay $50+ to have a credit card to get FF miles as I don't spend that much on anything). I know some people on here have said they charge thousands and thousands of dollars a year by CC to get free trips, but I just don't spend that much money so could never get that many free miles. I've only had it a few months but so far have liked their customer service. As I recall, they have some travel agency number that is affiliated with them in some way (maybe it is them) and I wasn't even sure how you redeemed miles, but you can apply the FF miles to any std flight you choose up to the cap value (eg, $500 for RT domestic)--if their agency books the ticket and sets the price, I wouldn't think they could be any worse than the publicly-available fares you can find through sales, Travelocity, etc., if so; that would really be out-of-line. Unlike airline programs, I think this card gives you the advantage of any airline usage, but you have to kind of plan ahead to get APEX fare just like you would if buying yourself. However, it would do you no good to try to find a $300 fare in comparison to $400 fare for your 25K miles US redemption, as I understand it -- you'll pay the 25K miles for any ticket of value up to $500. Now, it is flexible that you can pay the difference if you want a fare over their cap value, which could be convenient. I don't really know of any other card that gives you as good benefits for only $19, but my attitude is that of a person who could not justify a $60 fee for a credit card; someone who maxes it out each month may find an airline card better

Christina,<BR><BR>Please take a breath.<BR><BR>Inhale

Cheryl, I don't have the card, but there were a couple of threads recently that discussed it as well as other credit card offers. If you do a search for 'Capitol One' or 'Capitalone', you should find them. <BR><BR>I just signed up for the Continental credit card because I actually wanted a credit card that worked with one particular program. I haven't received that card yet but I'm going to try it out for a year to see what the returns are like. In addition to the credit card, I can also accrue miles by using AT&T and by registering my card with a dining club.<BR><BR>If you get Capital One, you might want to see if there are additional ways that you can earn miles.

Christina,<BR>How many days are you seeing Capital One giving you between the time you get the bill and the lastest you can send the bill to be credited just before the end of grace period?<BR><BR>One lousy card I used to have computed the so called 25 day grace period this way.<BR><BR>Day 0: closing day<BR>Day 10: bill arrives by mail<BR>Day 14: send bill by mail<BR>Day 24: my account is credited<BR><BR>In reality, I only had 3 days to send in the bill to avoid the late charge!

Cheryl,<BR>I mentioned on your other post that the one thing to be aware of with this card is the maximum dollar limit that they place on tickets. Be sure to read the agreement carefully before signing up.

I just got a bill -- it was postmarked 10/31, I think I got it about 11/2, and it is due 11/27. That's not too bad, I have another card that it seems I only have about a week to mail it in.<BR><BR>To Inhale ... I gather you are criticizing my post and dislike it. It may surprise you to know that I write quite a bit for a living, and also type very fast, and I do not spend any time editing my posts, so the above did not take me that long to type. If you do not like my posts, feel free to skip over them and not read them.

Christine: Not a criticism, just a suggestion--paragraph. It makes it so much easier to read--particularly long posts. I don't know if this is what "Inhale" meant, but this is something I would appreciate all posters doing.<BR><BR>j

Mike -<BR>I also have a Capital One card. Here is my latest.<BR>Billing Period - 9-29-01 to 10-28-01<BR>Post Date on Envelope - 11-01-01<BR>Received - 11-05-01<BR>Payment Due Date - 11-18-01<BR><BR>Hope this helps you.

And if you allow a week for them to receive and post your payment, that leaves less than a week to pay it once you get it. I once complained to Citibank because my payment was "late" when it took me just a week to pay it --I was out of town at the time. They removed the charges and changed my "due date" to just 4 days before they post it. Now I have 2 and a half weeks after I receive the bill to pay it.