Latest Articles from Credit Card Posts

Does It Hurt My Credit if Several Reports Run While Car Shopping?

May 11, 2012 | No Comments »

Auto lenders will often view your credit report prior to offering you an auto loan. The information in your report determines your FICO credit score, which runs from 300 to 850. This information will impact the terms of your auto loan, including the...

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Is your car a filthy mess?

May 04, 2012 | No Comments »

How about your home? Your office? Your yard? Im a little embarrassed to say yes, yes, yes, and yes. Or, at least, that was the old me. Im a hyper, busy guy, so everything was a mess. When was I supposed to find time to organize my stuff when I was...

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Is Unemployment Credible Income?

April 07, 2012 | No Comments »

Unemployment income is temporary income you receive when you lose your job. This money is considered income, though you do lose it when you return to work. When you apply for a bank loan, the bank looks for credible income from sources that...

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21 Days Does A Financial Habit Make: It’s Break Time

Posted by Anthony Jackson at Jan 25, 2011 | No Comments »

We tend to be really hard on ourselves, especially around the new year: We yell at ourselves to stop spending, stop cursing, stop eating junk food. And, you know, these things are hard…to a point. Nearly all resolutions work the same way, if we manage to keep them. At first, we struggle to wake ourselves up for a morning run and count each mile as we huff and puff past it. Then, over time, we adjust to waking up an hour earlier as that run becomes part of our daily routine. The key isn’t just about physical endurance—it’s the fact that, once we turn a resolution into a habit, we no longer have to think so hard in order to get it done.

What Crossing Our Arms Tells Us About Getting Things Done.

Studies have shown that it takes people 21 days to form a habit. To see what we mean, fold your arms normally. Now, un

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Best Credit Card Practices Under the New Laws

Posted by Andrea Lewis at Jan 20, 2011 | No Comments »

In the past, the best credit card practices have mostly revolved around cautious spending. The recipe seems simple enough: use your credit card carefully, make your monthly payments, and keep your balance relatively low. That way you have your card if you need it and you don’t have to worry about going into debt.

In this day and age, though, credit card companies are — like everyone else — increasingly worried about the economy, and the new CARD Act doesn’t help matters. By limiting the cards’ abilities to make random rate increases, the Act has a number of creditors worried about their profit margins.

That could mean big problems for you — unless you know the best credit card practices.

1. Don’t use your card in unusual places.

It seems strange, but using your credit card somewhere you’ve never used it before can lead to its cancelation.

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Tags: Card Practices Credit Card Credit Card Practices Practices

American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card Review

Posted by Anthony Jackson at Jan 20, 2011 | No Comments »

Verdict: The American Express Premier Gold Card doesn’t come cheap; it comes with a high $175 annual fee. But this card also comes with a host of perks. You’ll earn rewards that you can spend on travel, hotel stays, car rentals and merchandise. And you’ll earn these reward points quickly depending upon what type of charges you make.

Overview: If you plan on charging a significant amount of purchases, the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card can pay off fairly quickly. The good news is that the rewards points you do earn never expire. You’ll also earn bonus rewards points if you make a certain number of charges in a calendar year.

How This Card Works: This Gold card allows you to earn triple, double and single reward points with every dollar that you charge. If you spend wisely, you’ll be able to earn a significant number of points each year. You’ll te Read more…

Tags: American Express Premier Card Express Premier Gold Card

30,000 Bonus Points with Marriott Rewards Premier Card From Chase

Posted by Anthony Jackson at Jan 18, 2011 | No Comments »

It isn’t easy for rewards credit cards to stand out in today’s crowded field. The Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card from Chase, though, is doing what it can. Here’s an example: Consumers will earn 30,000 bonus rewards points when they make their first purchases with this card.

Cardholders can redeem the points they earn with this card toward stays at Marriott hotels across the country, airline miles and other goods and services. And the 30,000 bonus points is just one way to earn points with this card. Consumers will also earn five rewards points for every dollar that they charge at Marriott locations and two points for every dollar that they charge for airfare, dining and rental cars. Finally, cardholders earn one point for every dollar that they charge for all other purchases.

The 30,000 bonus points are certainly an attractive offer. But t

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Tags: Chase Marriott Rewards Marriott Rewards Premier Rewards Premier

Get the Most Out of Capital One’s No Hassle Points Program

Posted by Anthony Jackson at Jan 02, 2011 | No Comments »

The “No Hassle Points” program is one of three of Capital One’s credit card rewards program. It really is true to its name, in that it is one of the most simple rewards cards programs out there. It may not be the most profitable; every $1 you spend on your Capital One card is worth one point. There are some opportunities to earn bonus points (up to 10X for every dollar you spend with your Capital One card), by shopping through the Capital One store or by shopping at select retailers who offer bonus rewards. In some cases, you must activate the offer through the Rewards portal before you can earn in-store bonus points.

On the plus side, you don’t have to keep track of spending categories or spend a certain amount of money each month before you start earning bonus points. It real

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Tags: Hassle Points No Hassle No Hassle Points Program

How to Redeem American Express Rewards

Posted by Anthony Jackson at Dec 21, 2010 | No Comments »

Q: I want to redeem my American Express rewards, but I don’t know how to do this. Help!

A: If you have an American Express card that has a rewards program, once you have accrued enough points, you can redeem them. This is as easy as going to this website.

Once you have logged on to your account, you simply follow the steps to redeem your points. These steps include selecting the membership reward you wish to redeem points for. If you are not already registered, you can access the website and it will help you take care of this process.

The number for local redemption only is 1-800-299-1977.

If you are overseas and need to redeem points, you will need to call +65, then follow that by a “6.” Dial the “6” before you dial the rest of the phone number. Local callers need only to dial 1-800-299-1977.

Remember that American Express has several different cards. You will Read more…

Tags: American Express American Express Rewards Express Rewards Rewards

Finding the Best in Business Credit Card Online Application

Posted by Andrea Lewis at Dec 16, 2010 | No Comments »

There are a number of instances when you might want a business credit card online application and, depending on what you’re applying for, there are times when that’s just the ticket. There are other times, though, when it’s best to go through your bank personally. Here are the details on getting the most from your credit application!

Types of Business credit card applciations

There are two main reasons you might be doing a business credit card application: to get a business credit card (logically enough) or to get a merchant account. A business credit card is pretty self-explanatory, so what exactly is a merchant account?

Simply put, it’s an account that allows you to directly accept credit card payments from consumers without using an intermediary like PayPal or its ilk.

When doing a business credit card online application for a merchant account, though, make sure you really need it.

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Tags: Card Online Card Online Application Online Online Application

Spend $1000 A Month – Discover More or Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards Card?

Posted by Anthony Jackson at Dec 14, 2010 | No Comments »

I got this email recently from Dora:

Hi. i am new to credit cards, i don’t use them much; only to pay for my daughter’s education, however, due tot he many rewards i applied to two credit cards, discover cashback bonuts and the city diamond preferred? which credit card is best? i was dissapointed with discover. i’ve spend over $1,000 for the holidays but only getting $16 as cash back. thank you,

I probed further:

firstly, how much do you intend to spend on the card a month?
what sort of rewards are you interested in? cash, air miles, merchandize etc?
do you shop online?

Here was her reply:

i am planning on charging no more than $1,000 a month and I’m pretty good in not charging what i can’t afford. this month however, i will be added about $500 for xmas shopping. thank you

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