I have been using Manhattan Platinum Standard Chartered card for the past 1+ years. Overall I am very pleased with the card.
Pros:
Lifetime free. (May not be available at life time free for all).
5% cash back at many retail outlets. Bigbazaar for sure. Not in More super market. Got the cash back at some unsuspecting shops also. I got a cash back when I swiped the card at a cloth shop in Brigade road, Bangalore. Got atleast 1000+ as cash back in this 1+ years of usage.
Points earned for transactions in which cash back is given as well.
E-pay option is free and hence you can pay off your dues through any bank’s net banking account.
Customer service is good. They got the T-pin ie telephone pin generated by calling me so that it will be helpful to me to authorize myself when I call their customer service. When I was doubtful of paying the amount on the due date and I was expecting a delay of one day, the customer service person said that they wont charge me if it is through e-pay mode and there is a delay of 1 or 2 days. However the amount got credited on the due date and hence I cant verify if they really dont charge for delays due to online payment. I once went for some insurance cover which covered the card dues and I didnt understand it properly and there was some amount added to the bill for this insurance cover. I called them back and said that there was some misunderstanding and I didnt need that insurance cover. I however paid the complete bill and they credited back the amount they deducted for the insurance cover in the next bill.
6. I have opted for e-statements so even if I get the physical bill delayed or even if I dont get the physical bill I dont have any problem. Ofcourse I always got the physical bill and of late I havent changed my address and so I am not receiving any physical bill.
- Since the past 6 months or so I am getting a sms on my mobile for any transaction (online/POS) for any amount so that is really helpful. And also this sms reaches me within a few minutes of my transaction.
Cons:
Rate of interest is pretty high. I never went for EMI option anytime so that doesn’t hurt me.
Cash payment at banks attracts a charge of Rs.100
Only few branches of Standard Chartered in Bangalore.
ATMs and hence drop boxes are less compared to other banks. E-pay option helps a lot.
Not may good options for redemption of points. I have accumulated around 7000 points till now. I thought I will accumulate 2000 more and then probably redeem them for a Nikon coolpix 8 MP camera. I checked the site https://indiaplaza.in/manhattanplatinum now and the page is not avaialable :(
Finally:
If you can keep a tab on the amount you are spending and you keep paying off bills every month then this card is a boon. Even if you miss paying one bill or if the bill payment gets delayed then you have to pay the late payment charges + service tax which is high. Ofcourse this is true with any credit card.