Update 5/9/24: According to this comment they are no longer processing applications.
The Offer
- Hanmi Bank is offering 50,000 points after $5,000 in spend within the first 90 days on the World Elite Credit Card
Card Details
- $99 annual fee
- Earn 1 Rewards Point for every $1 spent
- 0% foreign transaction fees
Our Verdict
Not sure how much points are worth, but assuming they are 1¢ each this bonus is worth doing Points are worth 1 cent each. I’m also not sure if the state restriction is enforced for credit cards, but those are the states allowed for the bank account bonuses.
Hat tip to reader John C
For those who applied this card , did any of you receive the bonus? I completed the spend long back but didn’t get the bonus. If I call Hanmi, they say to call the credit card services number, if I call them they tell to contact Hanmi.
NO
Update, I did a CFBP complaint (who then forwarded it to FDIC) and finally Hanmi paid the bonus points and sent a letter. Requested statement credit. will use it up and dump the card before 1 year. worst experience lol.
I tried to apply for the world elite personal card yesterday evening, but when I got to the end of the application I got an error saying
“Additional Information is Needed to Process Your Application
Please contact your financial institution for next steps. Do not attempt resubmission.”
I called the number listed right away, but turns out the team I needed to speak with is only available during regular business hours. So I called again just now and spoke with a rep.
She said that the application is temporarily put on hold because of an internal problem. She said they are investigating some fraudulent applications, and she doesn’t know the timeline for when applications will be open again. And no, it’s not just the online application, she said I wouldn’t be able to apply over the phone or in a branch either.
Both my card and first statement with the $95 annual fee arrived in the mail today. It took 9 days to receive the card. I set up online banking, scheduled a payment, and then activated the card (via the website). I then made a $1 charge from Amazon, which went through. I am in New York.
Received card today. Card activation denied over the phone using automated system, denied again when speaking to rep. Told me to call customer service during business hours.
I activated by registering on their website. But card getting declined. When I called cust service, they got in touch with another department and asked me to visit their branch with id, residence proof & w2
Getting this resolved has been a pain. Was also told to go into a branch, but the folks there had no idea about this product or the in-branch verification. They were nice enough to check with their credit department, who more or less confirmed there is no in-branch verification.
Called 53 back and the said to wait for a letter in the mail with further instructions. It looks like the in-branch verification is SOP for all third party cards issued by 53, but not all banks support it.
Meanwhile I’ve received the first statement with the $95 annual fee on it.
More trouble than it’s worth if you run into activation issues, oh well.
Same here, charged the $95 fee but the card does not work for any transactions whatsoever. This almost seems like it’s time for a CFPB complaint…
Nope, no letter. I’ve put in a complaint with the CFPB directed towards Fifth Third. It’s been 10 days, but I haven’t received a response yet.
how do you activate on the website? already regretting this card. nearest branch is half hour away
Register for online access. Then after you login, there is an activation link
Anyone received the card? Looking to make a tax payment by April 15th and only 1 day left :(.
Delete.
Texas Capital had the same offering and I took it. I believe it’s a standard 5/3 bank card portfolio. I wonder if 5/3 would approve me for another.
https://www.hanmi.com/business/business-credit-cards/
Business version is $95:
Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend at least $10,000 in the first 90 days
I guess if you’re bored and want a $500 – ($95 or $99) bonus for a 1% card then this could be interesting.
Received auto-approval email about 1 minute after submitting application. Pulled TU report for me (in NJ), currently have 9 inquiries on TU, and I’m about 15/24.
Not sure why people here are complaining about an easy/free $400… thanks Doc!
There are naysayers on practically every post on DoC.
true, but this one is particularly lackluster. it takes a credit pull, a new account on a personal credit report, and a card with literally zero benefits except the $400 bonus. If it was a reasonable business card (not 10k spend required), I could see it more.
Same experience for me in NY. The email went to my spam folder.
Is this a sponsored post?
$500 minus $95 AF. Card only earns 1x. It’s a personal card, so it counts towards 5/24, and it has practically zero benefits. It’s with some unknown (likely inconvenient) bank. I guess it’s interesting for… historical reasons…?
Absolutely atrocious waste of a personal card slot. Might be ok if you blew through 5/24 and never plan to go back under?
Most people are way way over 5/24.
more like lol/24
How can you consider receiving a $401 bonus (8% CB on $5K of spend) having “practically zero benefits”?
They’re probably talking about ongoing benefits similar to other $95 “traveler” cards, like the CSP or Citi Premier? With those, there are credits and points multipliers, at the very least, while Hanmi is kind of vague about what “Travel like a VIP with amazing card benefits” actually means. It might just be the slate of standard MasterCard offerings?