Entries Tagged 'Credit Cards' ↓

15 cards. $1200. One of the most comprehensive lists of credit card offers available.

The vast majority of the cards on that list are Citi and American Express cards, but a lone wolf Chase card made the list as well. Every card gives at least a $50 bonus for signing up and making a purchase, usually in the form of points that can be converted into gas and gift cards.

Many of the cards also have reward points programs that probably rival whatever you’re using, so switching may be better for you in both the short and long run!

One of the techniques I use to boost my credit score is periodically request a credit line increase from my credit card companies. The idea behind the request is that it would increase my total credit limit, thus decreasing my total credit utilization, which are two important factors in determining your credit score.

The key to this trick is to make the request and only accept the offered increases. For example, if you go to Citi and request a credit line increase, there is a chance that they will offer one without a credit history request. Each credit history and score request will count against you when it comes to determining your credit score so you’ll want to avoid those. Also, the offered increases are immediate, whereas the applied increases (where they pull your credit) will take some time to process and be approved.

So, if you’ve got some free time on your hands, go through your accounts and give the old credit limit wheel a spin!

The Citi PremierPass Elite has an insane promotion in which they will give you 20,000 ThankYou Network points after you make $600 in purchases within the first three months. You can usually redeem the ThankYou points for a $200 gift card or, if you prefer, you can exchange it for a round trip ticket in the US. There are a bunch of other sick benefits such as free companion ticket with every coach class excursion-fare ticket of $299 or more, plus the following:

• Get a complimentary companion ticket when you buy a qualifying ticket.
• Earn 1 point for every mile you fly, on any airline.
• Earn 2 points for every dollar you spend at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, commuter transportation, and parking merchants plus earn 1 point for every other dollar you spend.
• Earn points for the tickets you buy for friends and family, plus the miles they fly.
• Redeem your points for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates, and for rewards-from merchandise to statement credits.
• Points never expire, as long as you make 1 purchase every 3 calendar years.
• Annual Fee of $75 applies

One big gotcha is the $75 annual fee but after the 20,000 ThankYou points, you still walk away with a net of $125 (or a round trip coach ticket for $75.

If you’ve ever applied for a credit card, you probably remember the box in which you entered in your annual income and whether you had a checking or savings account (or both). Well, did you know that the annual income box on most applications actually says annual household income and that you can include all the income that comes into your home? It’s legitimate as long as you start legitimate in the number you enter in.

For example, if you are married, you can include your spouse’s income in that household income box. If your kids earn money and are a dependent, then they can be included as well. By entering in the highest legitimate amount you can, you get the best credit card terms you could possibly get, including more favorable interest rates, higher balances, etc.

E-commerce these days is pretty secure but one can never be too careful when it comes to credit. Virtual credit card numbers was an idea that came into being many years ago when online e-commerce was less trusted and there were fewer security mechanisms in place to thwart fraudsters. Despite the increased security, you simply can’t go wrong with using a one-time credit card number.

How do you do this? Simply go to your online account with your credit card company and look for an application to download. This application will generate these one time numbers for you. Some applications are more feature rich than others, with value limits and expiration dates, but all of them will be good for one use and then be invalidated.

If you aren’t familiar with it, go check it out. It doesn’t hurt to generate one of those numbers.

The latest promotion from Discover Business Miles is that they will award you 12,000 miles after your first purchase, which is good for at least a $100 gift card. After that, you earn 2 miles per dollar on travel and gas purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. Another exceptional part about this card is that it’s a business card with no annual fee whatsoever, rare in a business card.

Finally, if you’re into the balance transfer arbitrage thing, this card offers a 0% Introductory APR on both purchases and balance transfers!

Here are the full specs on the card:

One of the best ways to reduce your interest rate is to simply ask your credit card. Don’t believe me? Yeah, I didn’t believe me either. However, you can get your interest rated reduced if you ask and have a good reason for them to do it - that’s where all those 0% balance transfer offers come into play. If you arm yourself with a couple card names, an idea of what they offer, then you might be able to get your credit card company to drop your interest rate.

A lot of folks scoff at 0% balance transfer offers because they feel that their credit history precludes them from considering the cards. While that may be true, it’s not something that your credit card company would necessarily know! Just by threatening to leave, they may drop the rate because they don’t want to risk losing you. You’re profitable! If you’re paying 19.99% APY on your debt, they’re more willing drop the interest rate if it means keeping you, than not dropping the rate and have you leave.

Also, those CSRs are good people, hardworking people, and they know that there are other hardworking people out there struggling to make ends meet. If you’re courteous, give them a good reason to help you, then they are more likely to give you a hand. Sometimes they just need to hear the magic words and they’ll do what they’ve been empowered to do - keep you as a customer. Give it a try!

I carry and use the Citi mtvU card because it gives me 5% cashback-equivalent in points (I convert it to a student loan check) at restaurants and bookstores, with Amazon.com counting as a bookstore. In addition to the great cash back percentage, Citi will also give you points for grades - a program I’ve written about in the past. Well, this week the deal just got a little sweeter as the points for grades at the lowest tier increased by 50 points.

There are other great features with the card, such as 25 points for on-time payment and a no fee 6 month 0% APY balance transfer.

The CitiBusiness with ThankYou Rewards has a promotion in which you can get 10,000 ThankYou points, worth $100 in gift cards, after your first purchase. What you can also get out of the deal is a 12 month 0% APY balance transfers, which you use for a balance transfer arbitrage play. (There is a 3% balance transfer fee but that is waived with this offer)

Here are some other features of the card:

• 3 ThankYou Points for each dollar spent on eligible business purchases.
• 1 ThankYou Point for every dollar you spend on other purchases.
• Additional cards for employees with credit limits you set.
• Prescription Discount Benefit Program for cardmembers and their dependents
• Manage your account online
• Manage payments, view statements, track activity, request a credit line increase and add employees.

Everyone can apply for a business card, just use your social security number as your EIN because you can own a sole proprietorship without any additional paperwork (or taxes).

If you’re getting close to a free ticket on Continental Airlines, then this particular deal involving 20,000 Continental OnePass might interest you. For a limited time, in celebration of 20 years of the OnePass program, you can get 20,000 OnePass miles after your first purchase with the Continental Airlines World MasterCard® from Chase.

It’s the 20th anniversary of OnePass® and we want to help you reach your travel goals faster! Apply now for the prestigious Continental Airlines World MasterCard.
Earn More Miles:

• 20,000 bonus miles after your first purchase
• DOUBLE miles at Continental Airlines and other popular merchants and 1 mile for every $1 you spend everywhere else
• Earn double miles at over 10,000 restaurants across the U.S. and Canada when you pay for your purchase with your Chase card. Want even more miles? Register online at onepass.rewardsnetwork.com to earn triple miles or more.
• No expiration of miles and no limit on how many miles you can earn

Exceptional Cardmember Benefits:

• 2 Presidents Club® passes every year after your cardmember anniversary
• 2 Travel Discount Certificates (up to $200 in savings) every year after your cardmember anniversary
• Earn and redeem on Continental and SkyTeam™ alliance partners
• 24-Hour Fraud Protection
• MasterRental collision damage waiver coverage
• Emergency Cash and Card Replacement