Meijer Credit Card Review
If you live in the Midwest, you know about Meijer grocery stores and the great deals they have. But if you think their credit card rewards fall under the “deal” category, think again! You need to see this review…
First of all I’d like to point out I’m actually a huge fan of this company. I grew up in Michigan and that is where they were founded. Unlike Wal-Mart and others one-stop-shops, I like the fact that Meijers has remained a private company (the 19th largest in the country).
The Meijer credit cards have now been around for years and they are usually heavily promoted at their stores. It seems like they are always peddling some promotion to get you to fill out their credit card application.
There are currently two offers for 2012…
Meijer Credit Card: This is their store-only card which is not associated with any major network (such as Visa or MasterCard) and it can only be used for purchases at their stores/gas stations. At the time of this review, the APR on this one starts at a whopping 26.99%! If you don’t have the best credit you will most likely receive this one instead of the Meijer Mastercard which I’ll talk about next…
Meijer MasterCard: This card operates on the MasterCard network so it can be used anywhere they are accepted. It’s a so called “Platinum” but this appears to be just a marketing gimmick because it doesn’t add any benefits which I would consider special. The interest rate is extremely high on this too, starting at either 19.99% or 23.99% depending on your credit at the time of this review.
The rewards program…
Of course this is probably the main thing that sparked your interest in the first place, but once you run the numbers, you will be surprised to see just how un-rewarding these cards actually is…
- 5 Cents/Gallon Rebate: At first glance, this may sound like a good deal. But remember that is 5 cents, not 5 percent. If gas were $4.00/gallon, that equals out to be a pitiful 1.25% rebate and keep in mind that’s only at Meijer gas stations. Not too impressive, is it?
- Points on Purchases (MasterCard version only): Admittedly they improved this from the 2011 program, but it’s still nothing to write home about. You only earn 1 point per dollar at Meijer and elsewhere. For every 2,000 points (so $2,000 spent) a coupon is given for 20% off groceries/health & beauty. If used strategically, this can be a good deal if used towards a very large grocery purchases. But still the big let down here is that you are only earning 1 point per dollar on spending to earn this coupon.
- “Savings events”: As is the case with most store cards, they will be incentives for credit card holders.
Verdict?
Well for starters, the store-only (non MasterCard) version doesn’t offer the points program for earning coupons. So that version I would advise against. However if you have bad credit and are trying to rebuild, then it might be worth a shot. I can’t imagine the credit score requirements are very stringent for it.
When it comes to the Meijer platinum MasterCard, the points program is better than it was in 2011. Though it’s far from perfect. The main drawbacks are:
- Only 1 point per dollar on spending
- 5 cents off per gallon is of little value with gas prices in the $3-4 range
- Signup bonus is dismal. It’s only 10% off first purchase. Think about it… even if you spent $1,000 that only equals a $100 discount. Many card offers give you signup bonuses of up to double that amount or more.
Is it better than in the past? Definitely. But as you see, Meijer’s still has some work to do to improve this card and make it more competitive.
To: Mary
If Meijer indeed charged you a late fee, dispute the charge in written form; see the back of your statement as to who you send the dispute information, it’s
probably GE.
If you do not receive a response from GE as to WHY they will not remove the
charge, or you feel that their response is inadequate, contact your state’s
attorney general office (state government) and file a consumer protection complaint against them; they will probably investigate the matter; at least here in Michigan, they do.
If you are still not satisfied, contact the federal consumer protection office;
and file a complaint; heck file the complaints at the same time, in addition, file complaints with the state BBB office, as well as the federal BBB office.
Don’t let them bully you; if they screw around, I would just return their
merchandise, then you don’t owe anything. And then go to Walmart, Target, etc. and purchase the same items.
Remember, you are the customer! They are not doing you any favors, you
are doing them a favor when you purchase items, since you are creating profit for them. By the way, is this the company that paid no taxes on their profit?
REMEMBER, do all your correspondence in written form and watch your time limits; meaning, look at the back of your statement to find out the
time limit; for example, does it say on the back that you must contact them
to dispute the charge within 60 days? (make sure you put everything in writing).
I don’t trust GE. Remember, they do not care about us. In fact, now that I think about it, if you have to file a complaint, file a complaint against Meijer at the same time; make sure you reduce it to written form; then go to Meijer’s, customer service dept, bring two copies of your complaint, and have them sign your copy; this shows that they received it, and if they won’t, leave their copy with them, and take your copy and write down the time, date, and the service rep who refused to sign or initial it. This shows that you acted in good faith, and they acted in bad faith, then attach this information to your complaint to your state attorney general’s office and to the federal, and to the BBB, both federal and state area BBB.
I don’t trust the BBB either since now they accept money from companies
like or similar to GE. They no longer have any credibility, they have become prostitutes. Oh screw it, write Mark Levin! LOL! Palin for President!!!! Drill baby drill!!!!
Anyways, here in Michigan, I always shop at Meijer and at different city locations; I have had problems with purchases ( I make many) and I can honestly say that
all disputes have been resolved to my satisfaction. I am fair, and in response they are fair; one time I had to call the customer service on the back of the receipt when a cashier gave my deli chicken to her co-worker
when I refused to pay the higher price when they quoted a lower price. Since the deli clerk had just come to America from Germany, and was learning English, I guess we did not communicate too well!
So I called, not to complain, but to express how this Meijer lacked business smarts; they were making much money off me, since I had my prescriptions filled there; I could care less who filled them; K-mart, Walmart, Walgreens,
Rite-Aid, etc. Well, the end result– I received a free cooked chicken!
Not only did they violate my consumer protection chicken rights, they
had no business smarts!
Anyways, I have thoroughly entertained myself, maybe not you, through this writing.
I say good luck Mary if their is a potential dispute, hopefully Meijer will be
fair. GE, not fair; they abuse their power. Paypal was sued in Florida (headquarters) by the former Florida Attorney General because they were screwing the sellers. Paypal settled the case, and the sellers still got screwed since they settled pennies on the dollar, and in the meantime, Paypal made money through interest, off the the backs of the sellers’ money. I think it was GE who backed Paypal!
So, if I am right, GE makes money off of Meijer credit card customers, Paypal customers, Sears, K-mart, etc. and pays no taxes! Hum-Hum
Could it be that GE contributes large donations to our elected officials whose job it is to make law. Law for who? Not the average American taxpayer. So, we pay our elected officials to represent the interest of GE and the likes.
Well that does it, I will not buy GE light bulbs!
I am calling Mark Levin!!!! Palin for President! DRILL BABY DRILL!!!!!!!!
I love my Meijer MasterCard! I take advantage of the frequent 15% off GM and 5% off groceries because the discount also applies to sale merchandise, resulting in some very good prices, especially on toys for our grandchildren. Don’t worry about check clearance time if you pay at the register. Your account is credited immediately even though the check may take a week to clear. The gas discount and $10 rebate checks are nice too if you generally shop at Meijer anyway. As for the steep APR….well, the solution to that is simple…don’t charge more than you can afford to pay off at the end of the month! If you do, YOU are the one with the problem…not Meijer!
Dont even think about getting this card. very HIGH APR. I have one and I need to keep it as it was my first card but I would not recommend it. By check bounced ONCE ( i changed my bank accounts and forgot that I have mailed a payment) and they closed my account right away. it took 3 months to reopen it and clear my credit history
I don’t know where your information about the “not even minimal benefits, to gays, or work place protection for gays.
I worked at Meijer for 3 1/2 years, no I am not gay, but I did work with gay people and I never saw any discimination against them, nor did I ever hear them complain about this happening. Since we had started working at the store before it even opened, we became friends, so I think I would have noticed, or they would have said something. The only time Meijer would get involved in someones personal life is if a Team Leader was dating a Team member, especially one that was in their department. Or Lines leader dating a Team Leader of the same lines, GM, Grocery,etc.
I enjoyed my job at Meijer,and would probably still be working there had I not gotten stressed out due to family obligation that I had to leave Meijer, and yes I am rehireable, my son-in-law is a Team Leader and has been for over 15 years.
As far as the credit card, You do get 5cents off of each gallon. If they are higher than other stations, no it wouldn’t be a good deal to buy gas there. Maybe your area is different than Indianapolis. I buy what I can get cheaper and get that money off, plus it goes toward a Meijer gift card. I’m spending the money anyway so why not????
this card also takes 9 days to process-I mailed my payment 7 days before due date-they did not process my check until 9 days later-so now I owe a late fee. To add insult to what I consider injury I opted for the account security feature-so I also get to pay .23 to safeguard the late fee. I am mailing out the late fee 16 days before due date-hopefully it will make it to florida in time so I will not owe a late fee on this late fee.