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The First Vineyard
MasterCard, issued by BANKFIRST, is a stored value card
designed for those who may have difficulty in obtaining a standard unsecured
credit card and would like to take advantage of either the cash back program or
the unique income opportunity that this card has to offer.
Cardholders will either receive a 1% rebate on their spending or compensation
based on other member’s spending, whichever is higher. Once a cardholder has at
least three referrals below them with a minimum of $1,000 being spent annually
among those cards, they are eligible to earn compensation. Basically, a
cardholder may log onto the First Vineyard site and send an invitation to a
prospective member. Now, if that person signs up for the card and becomes an
active member, the cardholder will earn from their spending. A one-time bonus of
$25 is awarded for each “personal active referral”. Complete details can be
found on the issuer’s FAQ page.
Since this is a stored value card, payments are made in advance. The card can be
funded directly from the cardholder’s paycheck (this includes dividends,
disability and government checks). This card can also be loaded by wire
transfer, by sending a U.S. postal money order via mail, or by making a cash
deposit at any approved locations. There are no fees applied to load funds to
the card.
There is no annual fee and no interest applied on the account nor other similar
charges found with most unsecured credit cards. There is, however, a
non-refundable $39.95 application fee for this card and a monthly participation
fee of $6.95 ($83.40 annually). Although the previous fees apply to this
account, there is no fee charged when a point of sale transaction is made, which
is rare as most stored value cards charge for this.
It is important to note that this card does not report cardholder transactions
to the credit bureaus, which may be considered a major drawback for those who
are trying to establish credit.
Therefore, those who are looking for a stored value card where they can pay in
advance for purchases, plan to take advantage of the cash back or revenue
generating program, and do not need to build credit, may find the First
Vineyard MasterCard to be a beneficial option.
Review Date: May 1st, 2007 |