If you're just looking for a run of the mill credit card this is it. It doesn't have any sorts of rewards, or bonus points which is really the only thing actively working against it. Another thing that has been frustrating for me is that while all my other cards automatically reassess my limit based on my credit score, but this card doesn't do this. I am even a customer at the bank. This card has become my emergency only card and is mostly unused in favor of something that gives me rewards. However Bank of the west is a good bank to work with and the customer service is always friendly and works to solve my problems as soon as possible. When my credit card number was stolen after a trip to Europe, the bank immediately took action and reversed all the charges and pursued the criminals.

Who wants a standard credit card? I mean in a time when most credit cards have words like “platinum” “gold” “preferred” and “accelerated” sprinkled in their official titles, “standard” just seems so unappealing. But perhaps that’s the genius of the Bank of the West Standard Credit Card; it seperates itself from the pack and gives you something to think about. I could also be reading into things way, way too much, but let’s see whether the Bank of the West Standard Card separates itself from the pack as far as its terms are concerned. Unfortunately, the card gets off to a bad start given that it doesn’t offer any rewards. Then again, you only want to use a credit card for one purpose (e.g. getting the best rewards or the lowest interest rates) so the lack of freebies could certainly be made up for by some good rates. Alas, it’s not meant to be. The only thing that the Bank of the West Standard MasterCard Credit Card has to offer in the rates department is a 0% intro APR on new purchases. It doesn’t offer a low introductory rate in balance transfers and has a 20.99% regular APR. For a card that requires excellent approval, this Standard MasterCard sure doesn’t give much back in return.

You obviously need some other options, so starting with rewards, three cards to check out are the Chase Sapphire Preferred ($500-625 initial bonus), the Capital One Venture Card (2% cash back across all purchases when you redeem miles for travel), and the Blue Cash Everyday Card from Amex (3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% at gas stations and department stores and 1% on everything else). When you’re talking about interest rates, my favorite card is currently the no balance transfer Slate Card from Chase, which gives you 0% on purchases and transfers for 15 months and does not charge a balance transfer fee (most cards charge 3%). All of these cards are much better than the Bank of the West Standard MasterCard and you can qualify for all of them with the same excellent credit needed to get the Standard Card.