Total Visa vs FIrst Access Visa Credit Card

Introduction

Both the Total Visa and First Access Visa Card are marketed by Vervent and issued by Bank of Missouri. They are identical in many ways yet have important differences. In this post, we compare and make our recommendations as to which is the better card at the end.

Similarities

• Same Annual Fee - Both cards have the same annual fee. It is $75 for the first year and then $48 after that.


• Same Purchase APR - Both have regular purchase APR of 34.99%


• Reports to all three major credit bureaus - Both cards report to Equifax, Experian and TransUnuion


• Same starting credit limit - Both cards have starting credit limits of $300.


• Require checking account to apply - Both cards require you to have a checking accoun to apply for this card. If and after you are approved, you would have to pay a one-time fee to activate the card (which requires the checking account).

Differences

• Monthly Fees - Both cards do not charge any monthly fee for the first year. However, from the second year onwards, they do. First Access charges a total of $99 which is paid at $8.25 a month. The Total Visa charges a fee of $75 to be paid at $6.25 a month from the second year onwards. So from a monthly fee perspective, Total Visa has the lower fee.


• One-time Application Fee - Both cards charge an application fee once you have been approved. The Total Visa charges $89 for their one-time fee whereas First Access charges a $95 one-time fee.


• Mobile App - Total Visa has their own mobile app whereas First Access does not. This is despite the fact that both are issued by Bank of Missouri, which itself has a mobile app.


• 3rd Party Digital Platforms to pay bills - First Access allows you to pay your bills via 3rd party electronic digital platforms like Moneygram.

Which is better?

Based on the comparison above, I would say that the Total Visa comes out slightly ahead. They main reason is because they have both lower monthly fees ($6.25/month vs $8.25/month) from the second year onwards and a lower one-time processing fee ($89 vs $95). Total Visa also has a mobile app which First Access does not.

The First Access Visa Card does give you the ability to pay your bills with 3rd party payment platforms like MoneyGram (though Moneygram will charge you a fee for that) and might be the better choice if you wish to pay your bills that way (which we do not recommend).

To sum up, if I were to pick between these two cards, I would choose the Total Visa ahead of First Access.