Volkswagen Platinum Credit Card Review - For Loyal Fans

Volkswagen Platinum Visa® Card with Rewards Review

Summary - The Volkswagen Platinum Visa® card with Rewards will allow the Volkswagen fan to earn reward points that will go towards the purchase of a new Volkswagen. Furthermore, this credit card has a reward program and allows you to exchange points for other rewards. What caught our eye was that you can exchange points for American Airlines certificates. This credit card will also appeal to those who want to redeem reward points for American Airlines tickets. (we will explain why in a second). Let's take a closer look at this card.

Reward Formula - The Volkswagen Platinum Visa® Card with Rewards lets you earn two points for every dollar you spend on Volkswagen stuff (as their website puts it). Reward points can be used for a purchase or lease of a new Volkswagen vehicle, or to make a payment on a current VW lease or loan. It can also be redeemed for VW DriverGear™ and accessories for your car and VW parts or service. There is also a reward program, so you can also redeem points for other non-volkswagen items. You can redeem checks is $25 increment once you have earned 2,500 points.

Annual Fee and APR - There is no annual fee for this card. The apr is prime rate plus 6.99%, 10.99% or 14.99%. The average daily balance method (including new purchases) is used to compute monthly balance. You also get an introductory 0% apr on both purchases and balance transfers for twelve billing cycles.

The Volkswagen Platinum Visa® Card with Rewards as an American Airlines AAdvantage credit card?

The Volkswagen Platinum Visa Card with Rewards also has a reward program with travel and shopping rewards. One reward that caught our eye was that you can exchange points for American Airlines® certificates, which are valid towards any published airfare on American Airlines/American Eagle and AmericanConnection (with some restrictions).

Below is a table showing the rewards for American Airlines certificate.

The reason why this is interesting is because the American Airlines AAdvantage credit cards issued by Citibank do not allow you to earn double miles. The Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Card for example has $85.00 annual fee, but you cannot earn double miles. The apr is also prime rate plus 9.99%. Citi also has a bronze AAdvantage card, wih no annual fee, but you only earn one mile for every two dollars you spend.

Hence, AAdvantage members should also take a look at this card as well, since you pay no annual fee, get a lower apr and earn same number of miles as the Citi AAdvantage credit cards.

Other Rewards - The rest of the other rewards are very decent. The reward program is not as comprehensive as say the Citi ThankYou Redemption Network, but you do get electronic rewards, home items, various gift certificates for dining and shopping merchants. For travel rewards, you get gift certificates for the Marriot, Hyatt hotels and also for Avis.
 

In the German corner - We've review the old Volkswagen card here in Ask Mr. Credit Card, so it only stands to reason that we will lean on our own information. Not only did the Volkswagen Platinum Visa allow you to earn points towards a new Volkswagen (which is great because Volkswagen has some of the most loyal customers on the planet), but it also allowed you to exchange your points for other rewards like travel discounts (and you could even double the card as an American Airlines card if you so chose.) Not a bad deal for a company that makes traditionally small cars!

In the American corner - GM's rewards card offer 5% rewards back towards the purchase of new GM vehicles. There is a cap for redeeming points towards a new car, but GM also offers a "bnous shop" where you can redeem points towards discounts at places like Barnes and Noble, Dell, etc. Again, not a bad deal.

So compared to the GM card, the Volkswagen rebate is less by 3% (5% less 2%). This, in our opnion, is a big negative point for this card.

In Toyota's corner - Sleek, stylish, foreign. That sounds an awful lot like Volkswagen, only, instead of bier and sauerkraut they've got sake and sushi (but you get the idea.) A Toyota Rewards Visa offers five points per dollar when you're spending money at a Toyota dealership, and one point per dollar when you're spending everywhere else. You can redeem the points for service, accessories, AND a new car. So, if you're planning on holding onto your car you can get those new spark plugs, get that 30,000 mile service, new wiper blades, or anything else you need with points from the card.

Plus, they offer point redemption on purchases AND leases of new Toyotas (something GM doesn't offer because their points only work on purchases.)

The big difference - Well, you can redeem on a lease with Toyota, and GM is not foreign and exotic like Volkswagen or Toyota. GM has the bonus shop if you want to get discounts or use your points at traditional vendors. However, Toyota allows redemption on parts and services too (a nice perk). The Toyota Visa beats the Volkswagen Visa in the rebates you can earn (5% versus 2%).

Our Thoughts - We recommend the Volkswagen Platinum Visa® card with Rewards to either the Volkswagen fan who wants to save money on Volkswagen product purchases or also American Airlines flyers as a quasi "no annual fee American Airlines credit card". To be honest, this card falls short in terms of rebate earnings compared to its' peers. You only earn 2% rebates versus 5% for the GM Card or Toyota Visa. But on the positive side, they have got a few nifty rewards (like being able to get American Airlines flight) that the other cards do not have.

Update - Volkswagen's card is no longer offered,, you may have a hankering for parts/services AND a bonus shop, but you can't have both.