Archive for the ‘Credit Cards’ Category:
Continental Airlines OnePass Plus Card Review (Chase Bank)
Chase Bank has just issued a new frequent flier credit card called the Continental Airlines OnePass® Plus Card. It comes with some pretty sweet airline perks if you happen to have excellent credit…
Continental Airlines OnePass Plus Card Features:
- Pay No Annual Fee the first year. That’s a savings of $85.
- Earn 25,000 bonus miles after your first purchase. That’s enough for a round-trip reward within the United States (excluding Hawaii)
- Earn an additional 5,000 bonus miles after your first purchase and when you add an authorized user within 2 months of your account opening
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles annually when you spend $25,000 on your Card
- First Checked Bag Free – With the OnePass® Plus Card, you and your companions on the same reservation don’t pay for your first checked bag when flying on Continental-operated flights. That can save a family of four up to $200 per round trip.
- Earn two miles for every $1 spent when you purchase tickets from Continental Airlines on your Card
- Earn one mile for every $1 in purchases charged on your Card
- Redeem Miles for Car and Hotel Rewards exclusively as a Cardmember.
CitiBusiness AAdvantage Visa Credit Card Review
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Visa® is a credit card essentially designed for businesses that have employees who need to travel regularly. The card is loaded with perks (esp for a business credit card) but almost all of them revolve around travel rewards.
With this card you’ll have the option to choose a MasterCard or Visa. The business expenses paid for with this card convert into AAdvantage bonus air miles and for every dollar you spend, an American Airlines mile is earned. If a ticket is purchased using the card, this reward is doubled. Also, if the first purchase is at least $250, the cardholder can earn an extra 20,000 points and purchases totaling at least $750 in the first four months translate to 25,000 bones miles.
CitiBusiness AAdvantage Credit Card Features:
- Earn 30,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after you make $750 in purchases within the first 4 months of becoming a cardmember*
- $75 annual fee waived for the first 12 months of cardmembership*
- Earn 1 American Airlines AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on purchases, and AAdvantage® miles may never expire*
- Earn American Airlines AAdvantage® miles faster from purchases made on your employee accounts*
- No blackout dates on AAdvantage® award travel on American Airlines, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® carrier*
- Get a response to your online application in as little as 60 seconds
This card ranks within BankVibe.com’s top 5 credit cards for business.
Rebuilding Credit History with Orchard Bank Visa Cards
Looking to reestablish your credit history? Orchard Bank Visa Cards can help you get your credit back on track! Unlike most credit cards, these cards’ primary function is to help rebuild one’s shaky credit history. They do this by reporting MONTHLY to all three major credit bureaus and by taking the initiative to keep you informed of payment due dates with reminder text messages and online payment options.
The Orchard Bank Visa cards currently hold the top 2 spots in our database of credit cards for those with bad credit.
Applying for an Orchard Bank Visa Card…
They have a unique application process. They will match your credit score with one of the four cards they offer. Out of the four there are three unsecured cards and one secured card. You are guaranteed to be approved for one of these cards.
Keep in mind, if you have many negative items on your credit report you will likely be issued the secured card. With this card you must make a deposit and then your card will have a credit limit equal to the amount of your deposit. This card will still report to the three major credit bureaus and help reestablish your credit history.
List of Features worth mentioning:
- Reports to 3 major credit bureaus monthly providing you the opportunity to rebuild your credit score!
- Acceptance at millions of locations worldwide, including website purchases and reservations
- Your account information is updated and at your fingertips 24/7 so you can manage it your way
- Email and text messages to remind you of your upcoming payment due date with online enrollment
- On-call customer service representatives to assist you with questions or concerns
Chase Freedom Credit Card: $50 sign up bonus with 0% intro APR!
There are currently two Chase Freedom® Visa credit cards on the market right now with pretty sweet sign-up bonuses, APRs, AND cash rewards available to those with decent credit. The one we are highlighting today is the Chase Freedom® Visa – $50 Bonus Cash Back credit card. This card comes with a $50 sign up bonus after you make your first purchase as well as a 0% intro APR. Plus, you’ll earn 5% cash back on select purchases like gas, home improvement and department store purchases as well as 1% cash back on ALL other purchases. This card is currently one of the best cash back credit cards on the market.
Now lets take a look at the other Freedom credit card by Chase Bank…
Last week, you may recall we made note of this same card (Chase Freedom Visa – $100 Bonus Cash Back) which highlighted the phenomenal $100 cash back bonus, HOWEVER, you must keep in mind the $100 sign up bonus with that card only comes after you make $799 in purchases within the first 3 months whereas this card offers $50 cash after your first purchase. So if you think you’ll be spending at least $800 over the next three months with your new chase card then it would be wise to opt for the $100 bonus offer, however, if you’ll use your chase card as a secondary credit card, then you may just want to jump on this $50 sign up bonus offer.
Features of Chase Freedom ($50 bonus) Credit Card:
- Earn $50 Bonus Cash Back after first purchase
- 0% Intro APR and No Annual Fee
- 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories like gas, home improvement and department stores, subject to quarterly maximum. Signing up is free and easy!
- Unlimited 1% Cash Back on all other purchases with no spending tiers
- Up to an additional 20% cash back when you shop online at select merchants through Chase
If you are a current Chase credit card holder and have had experience with their rewards system, please share by leaving a comment!
Great Balance Transfer Credit Card from CitiBank
The Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard® is currently featured as the #1 option for balance transfer cards in our database. If you are looking to pay off some credit card debt and reduce your interest payments, then you may want to consider swapping the balance on your current credit card to one with a 0% APR intro period such as this offer from CitiBank.
Features of Citi’s Platinum Select MasterCard:
-0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months and 0% Intro APR on purchases for 12 months. After that, the APR will be 11.99%-19.99% based upon your creditworthiness. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate*
- Extra Cash from Citi: enjoy discounts on gift cards,travel, merchandise and more
- Citi® Identity Theft Solutions
- Secure, free online account management
Another noteworthy offer from CitiBank – If you are in the market for a 0% APR intro balance card AND one with some decent rewards, you may also want to check out the Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards Card. It comes with 6,000 bonus points after you sign up and spend at least $300 in the first 3 months.
Credit Card Review: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Here is a pretty slick credit card for any “high rollers” looking to cash in on some frequent flier perks. It’s the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and it was released by Chase Bank in the Fall of 2009. It’s a pretty exclusive card (available to the top earning 15% of American households) and requires a credit score in the 700′s (atleast) for approval. The sleek and slim feel and appearance of the card alone give off a high society aura and if approved get ready for some very nice incentives.
This card currently holds the number 1 spot in our frequent flier credit cards database by offering the following features:
1) Earn a FREE FLIGHT – that’s 25,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months!
2) 2X points earned on all airfare booked through Ultimate Rewards & 1 point for every dollar spent on all other purchases.
3) Fly on leading airlines anytime. There are no travel restrictions or blackout dates and points never expire.
4) Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Ultimate Rewards.
5) 7% annual points dividend – earn bonus points on your points.
6) 1:1 points transfer to leading airline and hotel programs.
7) 24/7 Dedicated expert service advisers (No voice recording).
8 ) No Annual Fee for your first year – An $85 value.
Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards Credit Card Review
If you’re in the market for a true rewards credit card, then you’ll want to check out Citi® Diamond Preferred® Rewards Card as it’s currently one of the best on the market. The perks you’ll receive with everyday use of this card are substantial. Perhaps the biggest advantage of having this card is the fact that you can earn an industry best 5 points for every dollar you spend at supermarkets, gas stations and drugstores (“everyday purchase items”) for the first 12 months upon receiving this card. You can also earn 1 point for every dollar you spend on other purchases and you’ll be able to earn up to 75,000 points in a year (points expire in 5 years).
Here are the noteworthy features of this card:
Sign Up Bonus! – For a limited time you’ll get 6,000 bonus points as an incentive to sign up. To receive these points you must spend $300 within the first three months.
APR – 0% APR for the first 12 months of opening this card! The APR after the 12 month promotional period will vary based on your credit. To calculate your APR this card uses the average daily balance method. Keep in mind this includes new purchases. There are also NO ANNUAL FEES with this card.
If you have decent credit and are looking for a balance transfer credit card, then this card may also be beneficial to your needs. You can use the 0% APR intro year to pay off transferred debt.
ThankYou Redemptions Network Program by CitiBank – The reward program for this card falls under Citi’s ThankYou Network reward program. Keep in mind that to redeem any rewards for travel, you’ll have to book your travel through Citi’s travel website. This should be fairly simple though as their travel website is actually powered by Expedia.com. It uses their travel planning and booking format so you can still easily shop around for the best deals and get coupons and discounts. 100 points is worth $1 off any travel expenses.
Quick Facts:
- $50 gift card – Redeem 6,000 bonus points after $300 in purchases within 3 months of account opening
- 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months. After that, the APR will be 12.99%-20.99% based on creditworthiness*. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.
- 5 ThankYou® Points for every $1 spent on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations for 12 months, 1 ThankYou Point thereafter**
- Redeem ThankYou Points for merchandise, travel rewards, gift cards, cash and more
- No annual fee
Chase Freedom Credit Card Review: $100 cash back bonus!
Here is an outstanding credit card offer from Chase Bank. Currently with the Chase Freedom Credit Card you can earn a $100 cash back bonus after 3 months of use, plus a whopping 5% cash back (the details of this offer are below). To be approved for this card you will need to have a “good” credit standing.
* This credit card currently holds the number 1 spot in BankVibe.com’s database of cash back credit card offers.
Chase Freedom Credit Card Features, Rewards and Bonus:
- Earn $100 Bonus Cash Back after you make $799 in purchases in your first three months
- 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories like gas, home improvement and department stores, subject to quarterly maximum. Signing up is free and easy!
- Unlimited 1% Cash Back on all other purchases with no spending tiers
- Up to an additional 20% cash back when you shop online at select merchants through Chase
How to Negotiate Debt Settlement with Credit Card Companies
This is a guest post by Mirsad Hasic, an expert in credit card debt settlement at think credit cards.
The financial meltdown caused by the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007-2009 painted a vivid picture of the risks that can materialize when financial institutions advance credit for overpriced properties to unworthy applicants. The subprime mortgage crisis also brought to the fore decades’ long debt problems that have been simmering among many individuals and families in the US. The single largest source of personal and household debt has been the credit card. Credit card debt has not only been a source of stress and sleepless nights but has also been among the leading causes of bankruptcy in the US.
Needless to say, ending up in credit card debt is something that each person would rather not experience. However, if you do find yourself falling into credit card debt, negotiating a debt settlement is one of the first responses you should take. This isn’t to say debt settlement is easy (or even achievable). To be successful the negotiation process has to be a well thought out and systematic approach, preferably supplemented with any available leverage you possess. So how can you plan for the process of credit card debt settlement negotiation?
Know your debt balance
It is a somewhat shocking fact that many Americans in debt simply do not know the actual amount they owe to their credit card company(s) – and/or often unwittingly underestimate the amount. So the first thing you must do is obtain a current card statement. Wherever possible – get clarity or a breakdown of the outstanding amount from the credit card company. This will help you fully understand by how much you may have over shot your credit card limit. It will also provide you with an idea of what constitutes the over limit charges, late payment fees and interest. When you can clearly separate the different components of the outstanding balance, your in good place to begin negotiation. So to begin a negotiation you could, for instance, state your willingness to promptly pay the actual outstanding amount and then negotiate the reduction or elimination of the late payment fees and interest.
Inform your bank of financial difficulty
One of the biggest mistakes one can make once they fall into credit card debt is to evade credit card representatives by refusing to answer their calls. Getting in touch with the credit card companies representative must be one of the initial steps you take in jump starting the debt settlement negotiation. Take time to explain to them the financial changes that have taken place in your life that are preventing you from paying back the full debt and allow them to offer you solutions. Remember – the credit card company realizes that credit card debt is an unsecured loan and will usually have a set of potential solutions at hand for clients that run into personal financial difficulty.
Highlight the possibility of filing for bankruptcy
Simply put – credit card companies do not want their clients filing for bankruptcy because many forms of bankruptcy allow little opportunity for credit card companies to receive outstanding debt payments. The credit card company would rather have their client settle part of the debt than get nothing back at all. By mentioning your intention to file for bankruptcy, this puts you in a good position to negotiate a settlement and ushers in a bit of leverage. That said, make sure you communicate your intention in a way that does not come across as covert blackmail!
Offer to pay a lump sum amount
You must show your commitment to settling part of the debt. By offering to pay a lump sum, you give the credit card company confidence that you have no intentions of defaulting on payments in the future. The card company will likely be more willing to give you a lot more leeway in how you can settle the debt.
Workout other arrangement(s) with your bank
Among the biggest drivers of burgeoning credit card debt are late payment fees and over limit charges from maxing out your credit card limit. The credit card company may agree to temporarily freeze these charges in order to give you time to recover from your current financial constraints. The agreement may also include lowering of the interest rate levied on the outstanding balance. You may also negotiate for forbearance which means you hold off making any payments on your credit card debt for a specific duration (usually a few months) until you are able to clear the debt. The flip side is that the arrangement will usually be on condition of prohibiting you from further using your credit card. There may also be an impact on your credit ratings but this will depend on the type of information the credit card company chooses to relay to the credit rating bureaus.
Negotiate for all of the components of your debt
During negotiations, you should not forget that you not only want to settle your debt but also keep your credit rating at a decent standing for the future. Therefore, do not be afraid to request that the card company not include or report your late payment records to the credit reference bureaus. The inclusion of such data can set your credit rating back substantially and may make it difficult to get any significant credit in the foreseeable future.
Discourage the incorporation of collection agencies in the process
Once you have ironed out a workable agreement on the modalities for settling the outstanding debt, you should request the credit card company not to sell the debt to a collection agency. Collection agencies will often increase the fees and charges. The involvement of a collection agency will almost certainly see a negative notation make its way to your credit data thus drastically affecting your credit score.
Additional Resources:
Credit cards for people with bad credit – Rebuild your credit rating with one of these cards and reduce the risk of falling into debt.
Balance transfer credit cards – Transfer an existing credit card balance to a card with a lower APR.
Discover Credit Card holders could win up to $1 million!
Attention Discover credit card holders: Discover Bank is now giving away $1 million in cash (grand prize) along with 75 daily prizes ranging from $25 to $500 gift cards. Every Discover credit card holder is eligible to win!
Discover Bank’s message to their card holders revealing this giveaway:
We’re giving away 75 prizes every day, all year long—plus a $1 Million Dollars Grand Prize at the end of 2010. It’s our way to thank you for making Discover your card of choice every day.
Each time you use your Discover card you’ll get a chance to win—on any purchase large or small. The more you use your card, the greater the chance you’ll be a winner. So pull out your Discover card and the next thing you buy could make you a millionaire.
Hundreds of daily winners have already been selected in the It Pays to Discover Everyday Giveaway, and are being notified by mail. Upon verification, winners will be posted on this site.
Compare their credit card offers here.
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HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
This Sweepstakes is sponsored by DFS Services LLC, 2500 Lake Cook Rd. Riverwoods, IL 60015 (the “Sponsor”). A total of 27,375 daily prizes will be awarded (75 per day for 365 days) plus a final Grand Prize of 1 Million Dollars.
Beginning 1/1/10 through 12/31/10 (“Sweepstakes Period”), you will automatically receive one entry into a sweepstakes daily random drawing and into the Grand Prize random drawing each time you use your Discover Card to make a purchase or take a cash advance, either by using a check, an ATM, or at a financial institution, a casino or online (“Transaction”). Transactions must post to your account during the Sweepstakes Period. Sponsor is not responsible for any merchant delays in processing Transactions which may cause a Transaction to post after the Sweepstakes Period. Balance transfers are excluded from automatic entry. Transactions made with lost or stolen cards or card numbers do not qualify for entry. As a new cardmember, it may take up to 40 days to receive a new Discover Card. There is no cost associated with applying for or receiving a Discover Card. As used in the Official rules, “Discover Card” means a credit card product issued by Discover Bank; it does not include credit card products issued by any other entities.
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BONUS ENTRIES:
During the Sweepstakes Period, there will be specific months that highlight a Featured Category. During those months, when you make a qualifying purchase/transaction in a Featured Category, you will receive an additional 4 Bonus Entries for each qualifying purchase/transaction. Visit Discover.com/giveaway during the month prior to each listed Mystery Category month to see what the Mystery Category is for that month. View additional details on their promo page.
Tags: Discover Bank
