Perhaps the biggest advantage of credit cards are the rewards, but do the ones from Comerica actually deliver?

Comerica Park, downtown Detroit

I’ve never been a customer of Comerica bank myself but I do know quite a bit about them – they were founded in the area I grew up, Detroit (though their headquarters now are in Dallas). Anyway, being that I’m always on the lookout of great credit card deals, I decided to review what Comerica offered…

There are actually 4 different Comerica Bank credit cards for consumers. Below is what they were offering at the time of writing:

Comerica Visa Signature Card

Signup offer: 0% for 6 months on balance transfers and purchases. A $25 account bonus.

Rewards: This Comerica credit card pays 1% cash back – or – the cash back can be converted into gift cards, merchandise, and travel at a 1:1 value according to the CSR when I called to ask.

Verdict?
Well, the CSR did seem helpful and knowledgeable so that’s a plus, but as far as the rewards go, I don’t see one good reason to fill out an application. The 1% cash back is low and the signup offer is definitely nothing exciting. Why get this Comerica card when there are 5% cash back credit cards on the market.

Comerica Visa Platinum Card

Signup Offer: There’s no cash/points bonus but there is 0% for 6 months on balance transfers and purchases.

Rewards: When I click on the “Learn More” tab for this credit card, it takes me to a page that talks about it offering the “simplicity of a traditional card” and makes no mention of a rewards program. Maybe there is a rewards program and they just forgot to mention it? At least I hope that’s the case, because giving no rewards makes no sense.

Verdict?
This Comerica credit card is not any better!

Comerica College Rewards Visa

Signup Offer: Receive 1,000 bonus points with signup. Based on what the customer service rep told me about the value of points, that only equals a $10 value.

Rewards: This is basically your typical run-of-the-mill 1% rebate card, because the rep said that the redemption value is 1 cent per point (i.e. $25 gift card costs 2,500 points). Aside from gift cards, there are also options for merchandise, travel, cash, etc.

Verdict?
Under product features the bullet point says “Excellent rewards” but I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you? However it does appear to be a decent option for college students because rewards really shouldn’t be the focus anyway. That being said, there are other credit cards for college students that give up to 5%.

Comerica Young Adult Visa

Signup Offer: None.

Rewards: None.

Verdict?
Despite that there is no rewards program or signup offer, I don’t think this Comerica credit card is that bad. Why? Because according to the application, it is for people that are 16 or older and have an adult co-signer. If 16 you’re lucky for the chance to get a card in the first place, so forget about the rewards!

Conclusion?

If you have decent credit, you can do a heck of a lot better than the Comerica credit card rewards which are currently being offered.  Although I respect Comerica Bank, I think their cards need a major re-vamp in order to compete in today’s world where many other issuers give much better rewards.

Written or updated April 2011