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Plan Your Credit Card Travel Reimbursements for 2017
Premium travel credit cards with annual fees of over $450 or more may seem incredibly expensive at first glance, but when you factor in the annual travel credits they offer, the final cost is much easier to swallow. Each card’s travel credit benefit has its own nuances. It’s important to know the up-to-date rules, so there’s no surprises when it comes time to cash in on your reimbursement. There are two frequent questions I am asked about each card’s credits: What does it cover and When exactly does it reset? This post will cover each benefit’s individual rules. Since all of these travel credit benefits reset annually each calendar year (not on the…
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Coming Soon: Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
According to an article on Bloomberg, Chase is continuing its recent push to woo credit card users away from its competition–this time focusing on lucrative business owners. The new Ink Business Preferred‘s bonus structure appears to be targeted at a different type of user than Chase’s current line of Ink Business cards. Due to be launched in the 4th quarter, the Chase Ink Business Preferred will offer new applicants an 80,000-point signup bonus after spending $5,000 within the first three months. Card holders will also earn 3 points per $1 for the first $150,000 spent on travel, telecommunications, shipping and advertising on social-media and search engines. The card will carry a $95 annual fee,…
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A Primer on Priority Pass Select Airport Lounge Membership
Since the announcement of the immensely popular Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, many questions have arisen about one of its benefits–Priority Pass Select membership. The confusion stems from the number of different Priority Pass membership levels and the fees associated with each. Here are answers to some of the more common questions I’ve seen asked lately. What is Priority Pass? Priority Pass is a club that provides frequent travelers with independent airport lounge access worldwide. There are currently over 1000 lounges in 400 cities across 120 countries in the the network. Priority Pass does not own or operate any lounges, instead they contract with independent lounge operators to allow members access during certain hours.…
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The Chase 5/24 Rule: When a Great Credit Score Isn’t Enough
You earn a good salary and your credit score is over 750, but Chase just denied your credit card application. How can this be? If you’ve opened 5 or more credit cards from any bank in the last 2 years, you just became the latest victim of the Chase 5/24 rule. Your good credit history is usually the most important prerequisite banks look for in order to approve you for a credit card. But with Chase’s unique credit card approval rule, your stellar credit takes a back seat to your potential profitability. Before applying for any Chase credit card, you’ll need to know what the Chase 5/24 rule is and if it applies to you. Here…
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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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Should You Pay the Annual Fee for the Chase Sapphire Preferred?
Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) provides a number of additional benefits that the Chase Freedom card doesn’t offer. However, those extras come at a cost. After being waived the first year, the annual fee of $95 will kick in. Is it worth paying? I’ll walk you through the extra benefits and do the math for you with a calculator at the end of this article. The premise behind this exercise is that you are deciding whether to keep your CSP and pay the annual fee or downgrade it to a Freedom card to save the $95 (or simply cancel if you already have a Freedom). To make this determination, my calculator requires only 4 variables:…
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Get a Credit Card Signup Bonus with your Next Big Purchase
Do you have a fairly large purchase requirement on the horizon? Consider applying for a new credit card that offers a generous signup bonus on which you can charge the purchase to soften the blow. If you have excellent credit and don’t plan on shopping for any loans in the next few months, then this might be exactly the right time! The most lucrative benefit a credit card typically offers is its signup bonus. For many consumers, however, the biggest hurdle to earning the bonus is meeting the minimum spend requirement. But if you’re about to buy some new furniture, jewelry or appliance, or you just NEED to have that 70″ flat screen 4k Ultra HD…
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