Arro Credit Card Reviews and Complaints

Recent Arro Credit Card reviews and complaints include reports of inaccurate credit-limit information being reported to the credit bureaus, delayed payments, stalled credit-limit increases, customer service problems, card-delivery issues, and difficulties with the app and account. Arro is also a different type of credit-building product because so much of the experience is built around its mobile app, financial education, questions, goals, and other activities that customers may be expected to complete. From my own 25 years of experience in the credit-card business, I have also seen very few completed sales from the Arro offer despite receiving clicks from people interested in the card. I do not have access to Arro's approval data, so I cannot say exactly why so few of those clicks result in sales, but the combination of the product's requirements and the complaints from cardholders raises questions worth considering before applying.

Affiliate Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review and recommend. If you click on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened, we may earn a commission. We are independently owned, and the opinions expressed here are our own.

Arro Is Different From a Traditional Credit Card

One thing that stands out about Arro is how heavily the credit-building experience depends on its mobile app. You do not simply get the card, use it, make your payments, and wait for your credit limit to increase. Arro starts you with a relatively small credit limit, and the program is designed around completing lessons, answering questions, achieving goals, and completing other activities through the app as you work toward higher credit limits.

Arro's system is built around the idea that you can gradually increase your credit limit as you progress through these activities. That may appeal to someone who wants a structured credit-building program and is willing to spend time using the app. But if you are looking for a more traditional credit card that you can simply use and manage without having to complete lessons, goals, and other activities, the Arro Card is probably not the card you want.

My Experience Marketing the Arro Card

I have been involved in credit-card marketing for 25 years, and I have access to a large number of credit-card offers that I promote to consumers.

With Arro, I have seen people click on the offer, but I have seen very few completed sales. Over roughly a year's time, I have seen only a handful of sales from the Arro offer despite getting clicks from people who were interested enough to check it out.

I do not have access to what happens after someone clicks the offer, so I cannot tell you whether those people were denied, decided not to finish the application, or encountered some other issue. I can only tell you what I see from the affiliate side of the business: there is a significant difference between the number of people clicking on the Arro offer and the number who actually become customers.

That is my personal experience marketing the card, not a claim about Arro's approval rate. But combined with the complaints from existing cardholders, it is one reason I think consumers should understand how the Arro program works before applying.

Customers Report Problems With Credit Reporting

One of the more serious complaints involves the way some customers say Arro reported their credit limits to the credit bureaus.

Several recent customers have reported that Arro allegedly reported credit limits that were dramatically higher than the actual limits they had on their accounts. Some complaints describe relatively small actual credit limits being reported as credit limits in the thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.

For a credit-building card, this is particularly concerning because the purpose of using the card is to establish or improve your credit history. If information about your account is reported incorrectly, the consumer may have to spend time trying to get the information corrected.

Some customers have also claimed that incorrect credit reporting affected their credit scores. These are customer reports, and I am not saying that every account has experienced this problem, but the number of similar complaints makes it something I would want to know about before applying.

Customers Complain About Delayed Payments

Another recurring complaint involves payments taking longer than customers expected to post to their accounts.

Some cardholders report that they made payments but continued to see the payments pending for days. At least one recent complaint alleges that a delayed payment resulted in additional interest even though the customer believed the balance had already been paid.

Payment processing is obviously important with any credit card, but it can be especially important when someone is using a card specifically to build credit. A consumer should be able to understand when a payment has been received, when it has posted, and how much available credit is actually available.

Credit-Limit Increases Have Also Become a Complaint

Arro's credit-building program has promoted the possibility of increasing the customer's credit limit as the customer progresses through the program. However, recent customer reviews indicate that some people have been frustrated because credit-limit increases were reportedly put on hold.

Several customers have described completing the activities or requirements associated with the program and then being told that credit-limit increases were temporarily suspended or being changed.

If increasing the credit limit is one of the reasons you choose a credit-building card, that is something you should understand before signing up.

Customer Service Complaints

Customer service is another recurring issue in the complaints I found.

Some customers say they had difficulty reaching a person to resolve problems with their accounts. Other complaints describe having to communicate through automated systems or email rather than being able to speak directly with a representative.

This becomes especially frustrating when the problem involves something as important as a payment, credit reporting, account balance, or credit limit. If you have to correct an error involving your credit account, being able to communicate with someone who can actually resolve the problem is important.

Some Customers Have Reported Problems With the Card and App

There are also complaints involving the physical card and the mobile application.

One customer reported being approved but having difficulty receiving the physical card despite requesting it multiple times. Other customers have complained about problems accessing their accounts or using the app.

Because the Arro experience depends heavily on the mobile app, problems with the app can be more significant than they would be with a traditional credit card where the app is simply one optional way to manage the account.

Why I Think the Arro Card May Not Be for Everyone

The Arro Card may make sense for someone who specifically wants a structured credit-building program and is willing to use a mobile app, complete activities, answer questions, and follow the program's requirements.

But if you are simply looking for a credit card that you can use, make payments on, and manage without a lot of additional requirements, Arro may not be the type of card you are looking for.

My own experience marketing the offer also makes me question how well the product is converting interested consumers into actual customers. Again, I cannot see what happens inside Arro's application system, so I cannot tell you why those applications do not result in more completed sales. I can only report what I see from my side of the business.

Looking for an Alternative to Arro?

If you are researching Arro because you are trying to find a credit-building card, but you do not like the idea of having to rely so heavily on an app and complete various activities, you may want to consider another option.

The Ollo Everyday Rewards Mastercard^® is an alternative worth looking at. You can click the link below to check for a pre-approved offer, and checking your offer will not affect your credit score.

➤ Check for Ollo Everyday Rewards Mastercard pre-approval.