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Hot: Amex Personal Platinum Card 100k Bonus
UPDATE: This offer is no longer available. Thanks to ChetHazelEyes over at Reddit Churning for the alert about this fantastic offer. Apply now for the Personal Platinum Card from American Express and get 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3000 with the card in the first 3 months. This offer is not available to applicants who have or have had this product in the past. The link to this offer can be found here. It takes you to the landing page with all the offer terms spelled out. Note that, as usual, the $450 annual fee is not waived the first year. Main Platinum Card Benefits I consider the Platinum Card to be…
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Review: Capital One Venture Credit Card
Last week, I wrote a review of the BarclayCard Arrival Plus Credit Card. The Arrival Plus card and Capital One’s Venture share many similarities and lead me to the same conclusion. Capital One Venture’s signup bonus is worth $400 towards travel expenses and that is certainly worth the effort, but like Arrival Plus, the value ends there. Card Details Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months Earn unlimited 2X miles on all purchases Visa Signature Benefits No foreign transaction fees $59 annual fee (waived the first year) Analysis Capital One Venture uses the word “miles” to describe the rewards that you earn when you…
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Review: BarclayCard Arrival Plus Credit Card
The BarclayCard Arrival Plus Credit Card comes with a generous signup bonus worth $400 when redeemed towards travel costs. The bonus alone is reason enough to apply for this card. Unfortunately, it may be the only reason. Don’t get me wrong, the Arrival Plus has some great benefits. But once you factor in the annual fee which kicks in after the first year, there are better credit card options. Let’s start with the basics. Card Details Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days Earn 2X miles on all purchases Get 5% miles back after each redemption 0% intro APR for 12 months on balance transfers…
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Amex Blue Cash Everyday or Preferred. Which is Right For You?
UPDATE: The Annual Fee for the Blue Cash Preferred Card is increasing to $95 on 8/3/16. See my updated post here. There are those who would never apply for a cash back credit card that charges an annual fee. Does it make sense to pay a fee to get your own cash back? The answer lies in your own spending habits and as you’ll see, those fees could be well worth paying. Lets compare the two popular cash back credit cards offered by American Express–one that charges an annual fee and one that doesn’t–Blue Cash Everyday and Blue Cash Preferred. I’ll walk you through the extra benefits and do all the necessary math…
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My Latest Credit Card Retention Call
It’s been a year since I was approved for my Chase United MileagePlus Explorer credit card. At the time, my account was targeted for 50,000 MileagePlus Miles after spending $3,000 in addition to the usual no annual fee for the first year. I was able to take advantage of that offer AND get a $50 statement credit for applying while booking a flight on United’s website. I never did complete the flight booking, I just wanted the $50 credit! This morning, I noticed that the $95 annual fee charge for the card appeared in my account, so it may be time to cancel. It’s not uncommon for credit card issuers…
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Before You Cancel That Credit Card, Read This!
One question that I am asked frequently is: “Will it help or hurt my credit score if I cancel a credit card?” I can say with certainty that the singular act of cancelling a card will never help your score. And, depending on your credit profile, the negative impact could range from negligible to significant. In my article “Decoding Credit Score Mystery Math“, I explained the factors that make up your score. The three largest factors are: Payment History (35%), Credit Utilization (30%), and Average Age of Accounts (15%). Let’s have a look at how canceling a credit card impacts these factors. Payment History Some readers may feel that closing a credit card where they have…
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