Bryant University Alumni Visa® Rewards Card

Bryant University Alumni Visa® Rewards Card Review

The Bryant University Alumni Visa® Rewards Card from Commerce Bank is a cash back rewards card. As such, you earn a percentage of your purchases as cash back. This is a tiered rewards card. This means that you earn different cash back amounts on different types of purchases.

This credit card earns you the most cash back when you make purchases at fast food restaurants or coffee shops or when you use ridesharing services. You also earn a higher cash back rate on gas and regular restaurant purchases.

This credit card offers new cardholders some pretty sweet perks, too. Once you sign up for this card, you can take advantage of a very low introductory APR for 6 months. This interest rate promotion applies to both purchases and balance transfers.

One of the great features about this card is that there is no annual fee to worry about. Keep reading to learn more about the unique features of this credit card.

Earn Cash Back on Purchases

The Bryant University Alumni Visa® Rewards Card earns cardholders cash back on all their purchases, which is a big plus for this card. This card features a tiered rewards system by which you earn different amounts of cash back depending on what you purchase.

The purchase categories for this card are a little unusual compared to its competitors. Cardholders earn 3% cash back on purchases at coffee shops and fast food restaurants. Additionally, cardholders earn 3% cash back on rideshare purchases.

Many rewards cards lump all dining together into one category. This card’s purchase categories may not appeal to every consumer, especially the health conscious.

After that, cardholders earn 2% cash back on dining and gas purchases. However, these purchases need to be made at businesses categorized as restaurants and gas stations. This means that if you purchase food at a grocery store, you may not earn this amount of cash back. Similarly, purchasing gas at a wholesale club may not qualify for 2% cash back.

Nevertheless, this card does earn you cash back on all your purchases. So, even if you don’t shop at the right category of business, you’ll still earn 1% cash back.

Redeeming Your Cash Back

The Bryant University Alumni Visa® Rewards Card actually gives you options for you how can redeem your rewards. Don’t le the words “cash back” fool you.

You earn your cash back as points on your account. What’s great about this card’s rewards program is that you receive your points daily. Many other rewards cards don’t issue points until the end of your monthly billing cycle.

Once you’ve earned your points, you can redeem them for items from the Commerce Bank Rewards site. You can redeem your points for merchandise, travel, fuel discounts, and discounts. Anyone can browse the catalog to see what’s available for redemption.

However, the value of each item isn’t listed on the public site. You need to have an account and log in to see how many points you need to obtain an item.

You can also opt to redeem your points for cash back. However, this Visa® Rewards Card only issues cash back as a statement credit to your account. There is no option for a cash deposit. The good thing about cash back with this card, though, is that you’ll receive your statement credit within two days of redeeming your points.

There is no cap to how many points you can earn with this card. However, you do have five years to redeem your points before they expire.

Low Intro APR on Purchases

The Bryant University Alumni Visa® Rewards Card also provides new cardholders with a special introductory APR when they first sign up for this card. For six months from the date of opening an account, you can enjoy a very low interest rate on all your purchases.

This feature can be very beneficial if you need to make a large purchase. However, keep in mind that the six-month promotional period begins on the date that you open an account and not when you make a purchase.

This means that if you make a purchase 5 months into owning this card, you’ll only have one month to pay off your balance before the regular APR kicks in. As such, it’s important to decide what you want to purchase before you sign up for this card. That way you can maximize the amount of time you have to pay off your purchases.

Low Intro APR on Cash Advances

The Bryant University Alumni Visa® Rewards Card also offers an introductory interest rate for balance transfers. This card offers the same lower APR and the same six months for balance transfers as it does for purchases.

However, this deal may not be as attractive when you need to transfer over a significantly large balance. For starters, six months isn’t a lot of time to pay off thousands of dollars without causing financial strain. Remember that you should pay off credit debt in cash.

If you transfer over a $3,000 balance, your monthly payments will come out to $500 a month to pay it off before the regular APR kicks in. This is on top of making your regular credit card payments.

Additionally, there is a relatively high fee for transferring a balance on this Visa® Rewards card. That $3,000 transfer, for instance, will cost you around $150.

Additionally, there are many, many credit cards that offer better balance transfer rates and terms. You can easily find 0% APR on balance transfers, for instance. As well, many balance transfer cards will extend this zero-interest period for 12 months or longer.

Should You Apply for the Bryant University Alumni Visa® Rewards Card?

You should be a Bryant University Alumni to apply for this credit card, as it does show the school’s emblem on its face. However, graduating from Bryant isn’t a requirement for applying to this car.

This credit card offers some interesting benefits. However, none of them are particularly exceptional. The cash back rewards aren’t really cash back but rather a regular points system. Earning 3% cash back is, in reality, earning three points for every dollar you spend.

The purchase categories in this rewards program only appeal to certain consumers. Earning the most points on fast food, coffee, and rideshare is very specific and gives you little flexibility in how you earn points.

Additionally, the introductory APR promotion is mediocre at best. There are many other credit cards that offer more attractive introductory APR promotions.