First Financial Bank USA 1FBUSA, FFB All around BAD idea. EXCESSIVE fees. will NOT work with you. TERRIBLE choice for revolving credit! Sioux, South Dakota

Where to start?  I liked the card for the first few months I had it.  It was my first credit card, with my mother's help/permission I signed up for the offer I received in the mail at age 18 (3 years ago approximately).

As many have mentioned.  It's draw was that it was a "student card" and no finance charge for purchases under $250 (with the stipulation you remained in good-standing)  I kept it under that for some time and didn't have any problems.

I moved 400 miles away to go to college and got into the all-too-normal-these-days student credit crunch.  Of course, by this point, they'd raised my credit limit from the initial $250 to $1,000 and then jumped it to $3,300 where it stayed until I very recently was able to pay them off.

While I was away I was laid-off from one job and obtained a seasonal job thereafter but could not pay it fast enough to stay above their outrageous fees: $37 overlimit fee; $37 late fee; $12 autopay fee over the phone; $9 autopay fee online.

I had several go'rounds with them before I came home.  I have now been paying on my stupidity (partially) but also their fees and finance charges.  In the last year alone I have paid them nearly $1500 and charged less than $120 and made regular payments and it never once put a dent in my balance.  My APR was 28.9% when I closed the account. 

As of last week I was delinquent three months seeing as I lost my job (again)  They were made aware of the situation within a week of the occurrence, yet made NO attempt to work with me.  They once offered a "payment plan" that I never did figure out.  I told them I had very little if any money coming in and they offered to "let" me pay my full past due payment and half of the normal due every two weeks (the same as making the full payment every month, duh!?)

And get this.  They called and asked me if I had any other notes.  I'm a co-signer on my car.  She told me to "not make the payment on my car"(jointly in my FATHERS name, that it wouldn't hurt anything since I was already late with them, might as well pay them and be late on my car instead one month.  I understand she was trying to keep me from going two months late and it being reported, but to be late on two accounts instead of one just sounds like a BAD idea to me!

To end the story we recently consolidated our debt with a personal note.  We called the company to attempt a settlement.  After approx. fifteen minutes the Service Rep would do nothing.  She finally budged on two $37 fees that were to be assessed to my account that day (because it was 2pm their time and it was supposed to be paid my 12pm-never heard that one before then, it was always 4pm) But added the 3.50ish finance charge for the following day and lord only knows what else.  So we got out of a whoppin $50 dollars on a $3.5k balance (of mainly fees at this point).

In conclusion.  This card is ABSOLUTELY NOT for students.  For ANYONE who does NOT have experience with credit card companies and their schemes and fees.  I would not recommend it to ANYONE.  But if you were a little wiser than I was when I started some of this *might* be avoided.  Overall **BUYER BEWARE** sorry to be so long but I am still very irritated with this company.