Go on! Smile as you pay your credit card bill this month!

If the last story weren’t enough to make you smile, then perhaps this one should do the trick! Most of us are getting high rates of interest on our credit cards! I recently noted that my credit card rate was 19.50% per year! That’s extortionate! So I paid off the entire amount, in protest!

I thought it was time to start looking and when I got word of Smile’s credit cards. The gold card and classic cards are currently offering attractive rates (until June 1st). Perhaps that’s why they were voted so well… Well, we’ll see.

The cards both offered attractive rates, no credit card annual fees, cashback on spending, and upto 46 days interest free periods!

Whoopee! I’m smiling already…

Except. The smile suddenly changes to a frown.

*What credit card doesn’t give us free annual fees? Why on earth would I sign up for a card that does? Why should I pay to spend money? I’ve never understood that one!

*The interest rates are getting jacked up from June 1st (like ten days away!), to, in my case 18.9%p.a. on the classic card, and 14.9% on the gold card (since I don’t have a smile current or checking account).

Yep, Bank of England is really increasing their rates, too! But I don’t remember it being a 2% jump, do you?

*and every card has interest free periods while the statement settles and is mailed out! Don’t they?

So, hey… I’m still smiling because they won the Guardian Consumer Finance Awards from 2002 ~ 2005! But what happened in 2006? And this year? If the rates aren’t that fantastic, what else seems to be the reason for Smile’s popularity as a banking service: and that’s the secret – their service. It seems that they do put customer service above everything else. They cut call automation, they personalize communication, and they train their staff extensively.

So, if you put a smile on your staff’s faces, then putting one on your customers’ shouldn’t be so hard. But those rates are quite high! I know, I’ll get a card from Smile, get nice service, too; and still pay off my credit cards in full!

Then I’ll be really smiling, as I cash my cashback points, have no annual fee, and don’t pay any interest!

This smiling post is brought to you by Smile.

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