Who are they?

Juniper is a relative new comer to the banking scene. Established in 2001 by Jim Stewart and Richard Vague, Juniper Bank has grown to become one of the largest issuers of credit cards. Though it is officially called a bank, they do not provide the typical services that most associate with banks. Their only product line consists of array of Visa and MasterCard cards.

In 2004 the bank was acquired by the London based, Barclays, one of the largest bank institutions in the world. Barclays has a customer base of over 20 million spread throughout more than 60 countries. After the acquisition, the banks name was officially change to Barclays Bank Delaware. However, it still uses its signature brand, Juniper Bank, on most of its products.

Under the direction of CEO, Lloyd Wirshba, Barclays Bank Delaware continues to grow. Its major competitors are strongholds such as Bank of America and Capital One.

In the news

Not much news going on in the life of Barclays Bank Delaware. However it was recently announced that the bank would be adding another credit card to its line. L.L. Bean, a well known clothier, recently partnered with Juniper to issue its new Visa card.

The card

Barclays Bank Delaware issues millions of credit cards under many different affiliations all with different good and bad points. So for this take, I’ll do something a little different. I’ll tell you where you can find Juniper cards that are parading around under the names of companies we know and love and some companies we’ve never knew existed.

Southern Home Living Frontier Airlines DirecTV I Fly America Air Jamaica Bank Atlantic Best Western Emigrant Direct Midwest Airlines Miles and More Lufthansa LL Bean BJ’s Icelandair Free Spirit Airlines Century 21 AirTran Airways Buckmasters US Airways Princess Cruise Lines Harvard Alumni Association Carnival Cruise Lines National Park Foundation Vegas.com Shopko Casey’s General Store IBC Clark LukOil and Getty China Airlines Future Trust Gulf Gas Station The Mailbox Mall Raceway Gas Station RaceTrac Gas Station Travelocity JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores OshKosh Barnes and Nobles Ameriprise Financial

Ok I guess that’s enough. As you can see, Barclays offers many, many credit cards. So many in fact, that it is very possible that you have one or two in your wallet.

The basics:

Most of the APRs on these cards range from 10 to 20% and just about all have a 0% introductory period

The extras:

Most of these cards offer cash rebates or reward points

My take

Juniper has a lot of associations with many reputable companies. So one would imagine that they had a good reputation among consumers, but that’s not the case. Most people who have a Juniper Bank issued card complain about the deceitful terms, questionable fee assessment, holding payments, poor customer service and unapplied rewards.

My take: I am not sure what to think about Juniper cards. On one hand, they must have a positive relationship with the businesses that they partner with. If they didn’t, they would not be the 13^th largest issuer of credit cards. But on the other hand, there are many card holders that condemn their Juniper cards. I’d just be very cautious with this one. I would go over the terms and conditions of the card with a fine tooth comb. Make sure I understand and am willing to accept the terms.

Most of the offers and rewards look pretty decent on the surface, but there are too many dissatisfied customers. I’d be wary of Juniper.