A six month intro rate at zero percent seems pretty standard. However, the Bank of the West Platinum MasterCard® Credit Card does stand out a little bit in other ways. The regular rate at 16.99% is a bit better than the entry-level Discover Card I had, which was at 18.99%. Also, having no annual fee is a good thing, although the lack of "rewards" may damage the value of the Bank of the West Platinum MasterCard® Credit Card in the eyes of some, however I have little problem with this, as those rewards typically only add fractions of pennies on the dollar and add unneeded complexity to my credit.

Anyone else think that the Bank of the West sounds like something from the Old West, like a bunch of bandits are sticking up the Bank of the West and the sheriff’s got to come in and handle the situation. No? Well, you’re probably thinking about what this Bank of the West Platinum MasterCard Credit Card has to offer and how it stacks up against the competition. Let’s get right to it then. The Bank of the West Platinum Credit Card requires excellent credit for approval, but doesn’t have rewards, which means it better offer some pretty long 0% introductory interest rates on purchases and/or balance transfers to make this card worth it. Unfortunately, the Bank of the West Platinum MasterCard only offers 0% on purchases for six months and doesn’t offer a low intro rate of any kind for balance transfers. That, of course, means that you can do better than the Bank of the West Platinum Card, so let’s get to the alternatives.

The card that’s recommended for you depends on your spending habits and needs. If you pay your bill in full every month, you’ll want rewards. Some of my favorite rewards cards currently out there are the Chase Sapphire Preferred because of its high initial bonus. The Capital One Venture Card is good if you like to travel because it’s basically a 2% cash back card as long as you redeem miles for anything travel-related. The Blue Cash Everyday Card is great for everyday spending because it gives you 3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% at gas stations and grocery stores and 1% everywhere else. If you don’t pay your bill in full, there are three Citi credit cards that offer 0% on both purchases and balance transfers for 18 months. Any of these cards would be preferable to the Bank of the West Platinum MasterCard Card. Remember, all of these cards require at least good credit, so you shouldn’t apply for one if your credit isn’t yet to that level.