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About 8 months ago I got a piece of mail advertising the SonyCard, which is a credit card issued by the Bank of Scotland in association with Sony and saw a deal too good to be true.
I'll come to the good stuff at the end but first the boring stuff about the credit card:-
Interest ... Read review
Advantages: Free Sony Gift, Online banking, Monthly Comps Disadvantages: Not a competitive rate, some catches to competitions
...of Scotland in association with Sony and saw a deal too good to be true.
I'll come to the good stuff at the end but first the boring stuff about the credit card:-
Interest Rates
The APR for the SonyCard is currently at 15.9% for balance transfers and purchases - not very competitive compared with some of the deals around. This is reduced to 2.9% for your balance transfers for the first 5 months after your ... ...you deserve. Purchases of any Sony product (including CDs by Sony artists) earn you triple points, but you have to claim these by filling in a form (paper format again) and sending the receipt. they do all that they can to make this hard for you by not telling you where to send it and making it complicated to complete, but on big purchases this can add up.
'You don't get owt for nowt'is what my grandad used to tell me (it's how we speak up here in Yorkshire!!!!). I used to believe that until I got the Internet and started to find freebies galore. Would you turn down a free CD, DVD, computer game or Walkman? Well I didn't and this is how I got it.
About 8 months ago I got a piece of mail advertising the SonyCard, which is a credit card issued by the Bank of Scotland in association with Sony and saw a deal too good to be true.
I'll come to the good stuff at the end but first the boring stuff about the credit card:-
Interest Rates
The APR for the SonyCard is currently at 15.9% for balance transfers and purchases - not very competitive compared with some of the deals around. This is reduced to 2.9% for your balance transfers for the first 5 months after your account is open. For cash advances, the rate is a pretty high 17.7% plus the 1.5% handling fee of your withdrawal, subject to a minimum of £2
Annual Fee
As with many cards around nowadays, there is no annual fee involved with this.
Eligibility
There are 3 conditions for acceptance and these are pretty much standard for whatever financial service you are trying to get. You need to be a UK resident, over 18 years of age, and have a good credit rating.
Fees and Charges
Make sure that you read the small print here as there are quite a few potentially hidden charges associated with this Card. The main one being that if you fail to make a payment then they are entitled to charge you £20. Charges are also levied for an unpaid direct debit if that is how you choose to pay, bringing me onto the worst thing about credit cards.......
Repayment
The minimum monthly payment is 3% of the outstanding balance or £5, whichever is the greater - a figure pretty much standard with most companies. You do get a 50 days interest free period which is slightly better than others that I have seen. On the plus side, you are covered for any mistakes or unauthorised charges that appear on your bill as a result of Internet shopping. this was the main reason that I applied for the card, so that I could shop on the net with the peace of mind knowing that I was covered if some unscrupulous devils tried to fleece me (although that hasn't happened so far - touch wood!!). You also get 90 days of free purchase protection for accidental damage or theft for purchases made on your card for between £25 - 500 upto a maximum of £2500 per year.
Other features
A good feature that I have just found out about is that this card has an online banking facility. Strangely enough you have to download a PDF form and then send it via the old snail mail - you would think that you would be able to set this up online. Anyway, I have applied for this facility today so will update my opinion when I have used it and rate how good it is.
You also get the chance to enter numerous competitions and thee are advertised by email or snail mail. Generally the email ones have no catches, but the snail mail ones require you to spend so much money in a given period (the last one that I had was £500 in November).
Now to the free stuff
The card has a reward scheme. Its called Pulsebeats and you earn 1 Pulsebeat for every £1 pound that you spend on your card. One downside that I have noticed is that they credit you with Pulsebeats according to each purchase rather than the whole total and therefore you could in theory lose a few that you deserve. Purchases of any Sony product (including CDs by Sony artists) earn you triple points, but you have to claim these by filling in a form (paper format again) and sending the receipt. they do all that they can to make this hard for you by not telling you where to send it and making it complicated to complete, but on big purchases this can add up.
What do you get with Pulsebeats?
The lowest total that you need is 2000 and for this you can choose from various CDs, Playstation games, DVDs or a walkman (Sony products only). You can get things like electric keyboards for 30000 points. Really it is a bit of a scam to need to spend that much money, but the best bit is that they give you 2000 points after you make your first purchase - hence you could pick a free gift from one of the above straight away.
Would I recommend it?
Well there is no doubt that there are some better credit cards out there, but this one does have some good facilities. If it wasn't for the carrot of a free gift and the protection for internet shopping to tempt me I probably wouldn't have got it at all. So yes, I would recommend it but only to get your free gift and then you can close it if you like. For heavy card users and those who don't repay the full amount I think that there are much better deals out there for you. I only use it occasionally as my Internet shopping card and so pay it off in full every month.
To apply, you can do it via their website at www.sonycard.co.uk
Advantages: Loyalty scheme, special offers, special rates Disadvantages: APR is higher than some others
...These include CD's, DVD's, and Sony electronic equipment. Currently when you apply for a Sonycard, you receive 2000 pulsebeats, which will buy you a CD, for example Beyonce's Dangerously in love is 1600 pulsebeats. It's not the best loyalty scheme, as it is limited, but its nice getting something back for your spending. Most people will find something they like in the catalogue. You can also receive triple pulsebeats on Sony products bought with ... ...some months to win various Sony products.
Customer services are always friendly. I have had to phone up a few times, and every time the queues haven't been that long and the staff are always friendly and know what they're doing.
Sonycards are also distinctive, with their bluey silver design, and really stand out from many other credit cards.
Sonycard have also started online access for those with a Sonycard. However, I have yet to use this, so ...
fuzzibear 14.04.2004 (24.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Card
Advantages: Free Pulse Beats, exclusive monthly competitions to win amazing prizes, efficient and friendly customer service Disadvantages: APR could be more competitive
...points) and get some free Sony stuff! Whether you want to save for a free CD or a DVD player, this is the credit card for you! You receive one PulseBeat per pound spent, so the more money you spend, the quicker you can get free Sony stuff. Also whenever you buy a Sony product you get triple PulseBeats. This is great if you buy a lot of TriStar Columbia DVDs, Playstation games, or Sony Music CDs, or even a widescreen Sony TV as you will receive a ... ...to win 'money-can't-buy' holidays and Sony stuff like that cool robot dog AIBO. In the past they've offered trips to the Oscars ceremony and a VIP trip to the Monaco Grand Prix.
They gave me 1300 free PulseBeats when my account was opened, but at the time of writing they are giving away 2000 free points, which is pretty generous that means you can get a free DVD, or free Playstation game, or even a Sony Walkman immediately!
The card is run by The ...
tanga 22.02.2001 (23.04.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Card
Advantages: Good opening offer Disadvantages: Need to spend a lot to earn points/ Send you credit card cheques
The Sony Card is an American Express credit card from MBNA. It is basically a reward card earning you one Sony Pulse Beat for every pound you spend (triple points if you buy Sony products). The trick is to find a link where you are guaranteed points as soon as you sign up. If you go through Sony site you will only receive 4000 points but I got it through a link on moneysavingexpert (see earlier review) with 8200 points but this now seems to have ... ...intend buying a lot of Sony products.) You may be better getting a cash-back credit card where you can earn from 1-3% cash-back and spend it as you like. As there is no fee you could just sign up for the opening offer and redeem your points then hang on to see if there are any further offers available, while still using another card. One thing that I did not like is that they send you credit card cheques whether or not you want them and they phone ...
bazh66 28.07.2007 (25.09.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Card
Hi!
Today I want to tell you something about the Visa Card Gold.
******************************************************
Contents: 1.) introduction 2.) advantages of the visas Card gold 3.) general remarks on the credit card 4.) which is visas? 5.) the history of visas 6.) Abbrechnungsarten 7.) which Card do with loss of the visas? 8.) international mission 9.) fees 10.) Far card types of visas ******************************************************
... ...of a visa card. First I had like many different also the visas Card Classic. With this card I was also fully and quite content. I could no more cash almost everywhere with my visas Card pay, had with me carry. All in all it was perfect. A half year ago however, I got a super supply then from my bank. A Premium account was offered to me, with which I automatically also a Card gold visas should get. First I asked myself naturally, what is to bring ...
Sternschnuppe2002 08.02.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Card
Advantages: Its Sony Disadvantages: You still have to pay it off
...welcome as it was the Sony Card application form.
The blurb said that the rewards program (called Pulse beats) was better than the norm, typically 3% of value rather than 1% - the twist is, if you buy Sony products you get double points - and at 1 point per £1 normally, this can soon stack up.
The rewards program is strictly Sony - no cash back, no vouchers - just Sony goods. So if your not into Sony - this is not the card for you.
The application ... ...it off, and within 10 days the cards are in your hands. As you can see by the picture - it is a reasonable looking card with a silver magnetic stripe.
You can request to have a PIN for the cash machines - which I didn't want.
They do operate a 24 hour lost and stolen helpline, which I have not had to call.
Customer service is reasonable, with a big PLUS being that you don't have to sit behind one of those push button menu things to get your call ...
mrnasty10 27.08.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Card
Competitiveness of APR
Product package
Quality of Customer Ser...
Reward Scheme
Additional Charges
Security and Privacy
Ease of Application
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Advantages: Looks cool, perfect for sony addicts. Disadvantages: dubious customer service actions
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Advantages: You earn Pulsebeats which can be redeemed against Sony products Disadvantages: You have to spend a lot of money to get a Sony product
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- you can get a free personal CD player if you apply and are accepted), or over the phone.
~# ... and finally #~
As already mentioned, I've had my card about 6 months now and am extremely happy with it. I don't use it on a frequent basis, which is why I haven't yet racked up many reward points. Still, anything is better than nothing in my book, and I don't think I would change to another provider given that I'm perfectly satisfied with the APR, interest rates on transfers (if I had anything to transfer) and the rewards points will eventually allow me a big choice of goods to spend 'em on (a friend of mine has the SonyCard which I was tempted with, but opted against because I don't want to be restricted to just one type of product). I've always found the people at the end of the phone very helpful, and when the postman lost my initial ...
