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Citi Prestige Card to Discontinue AA Lounge Benefit
The Citi Prestige Card, one of Citi’s most expensive credit cards, is dropping a major benefit–complimentary access to American Airlines Admirals Club airport lounges. According to their website, Admiral’s Club access is due to expire on July 23, 2017. Citi Prestige has a $450 annual fee which is not waived the first year, so losing a benefit like this is certainly a blow. There’s no doubt that this is still a valuable card for travelers–particularly those that didn’t frequently use the lounge benefit. It remains to be seen how Citi will adjust other benefits or the annual fee to compensate cardmembers for the change. Card Benefits $250 Annual Air Travel Credit Each calendar year,…
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Should I Cancel a Credit Card I No Longer Use?
There are times when it makes sense to cancel a credit card, but it’s oftentimes better not to. In “Before You Cancel That Credit Card, Read This!“, I wrote about the effects that canceling a card have on your credit score–it can never help, only hurt your score. In this article, I’ll go through some of the more common reasons I see given for wanting to cancel a card and discuss the validity of each reason. I have too much available credit This is a common misconception in consumer finance. Banks actually prefer if you have a large and varied amount of available credit. Risk is reduced by spreading it out…
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Which Credit Cards Pay For Global Entry or TSA PreCheck?
Long security lines at U.S. airports is commonplace during the summer travel season and this year should be no different. TSA Pre✓ gives trusted travelers the benefit of shorter lines and expedited screening. There is an application fee, but I’ll show you how to sign up for free. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is encouraging travelers to sign up for TSA Pre✓ to help alleviate the delays: This is predicted to be one of the busiest air travel summers the airline industry has seen in a very long time and with more people flying, lines are expected to grow at TSA checkpoints. Travelers who are enrolled in TSA Pre✓or one…
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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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Citi Offer: 5000 AAdvantage Miles for Adding an Authorized User
I just received an email from Citi with a nice offer on one of my AAdvantage Platinum cards. Now, for a limited time, add an authorized user and spend $1,000 in purchases to receive 5,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles by 06/30/2016. You’ll earn miles for their purchases, so your rewards add up even faster. I currently have 2 Citi AAdvantage Platinum cards after taking advantage of multiple 50k mile signup offers. My wife is already an authorized user on one. I received the offer on my most recent card, where I’m the only cardholder. According to the email, here’s all I need to do: Add an authorized user to your…
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What’s the Best Cash Back Credit Card if You Only Want One Card?
If you like cash back credit cards and prefer simplicity, consider the Double Cash card offered by Citi. There are no category bonuses or quarterly activations to keep track of, just 2% back on all your spending. I generally don’t advocate having only one credit card as I feel that multiple cards are the best way to maximize bonuses. That being said, there are those prefer a single go-to card for all purchases. For them, I always recommend Citi Double Cash. This card has merit even if you have multiple cash back credit cards (one for groceries, one for gas, etc.), there is always that “everything else” category that no…
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Increased Signup Bonuses for Hilton Credit Cards
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the merits of the various Hilton branded credit cards. That article also describes the Hilton HHonors points program and its benefits, as well as links to each hotel broken down by reward level. Since then, limited time increased signup bonuses are now available for three of the four cards. Here are the new offers and links to get the better bonuses. These are not referral links–I am not compensated in any way when you click through. Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card Regular Bonus: 40,000 HHonors Points after spending $1,000 in the first 4 months. New Bonus: 75,000 HHonors Points after spending $2,000 in the first…
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Which Credit Card Should You Get if you Stay at Hilton Hotels
There are well over 4000 Hilton hotels and resorts worldwide, across brands ranging from luxurious (Waldorf Astoria) to moderately priced (Hampton Hotels). With such a large global footprint, travelers will often find a Hilton property to be a convenient and comfortable choice for their lodging. The Hilton HHonors program rewards loyal guests with benefits and the ability to earn points that can be redeemed for free nights and, like most loyalty programs, there’s no cost to sign up. You can also earn HHonors points and elite status from certain affiliated credit cards. We’ll go through the benefits of each one, so you can find the card (or combination of cards) that best…
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Do Credit Card Points Expire? Not if You’re Careful
You’ve earned all those credit card rewards points from spending and sign up bonuses, it would be a shame to lose them. The good news is that these points typically don’t expire, but if you’re not careful, you can accidentally forfeit them. Read on to make sure that doesn’t happen. Cash back credit cards are consistent and fairly straightforward: your cash-back credits won’t expire as long as your account is open. If your card has no annual fee, there’s no reason to cancel it… Ever! There is no downside to keeping a free credit card account active–even if you rarely use it–and it will help your credit score at the same…
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Best Credit Cards for Balance Transfers
Did you run up large credit card balances during the holidays this year? If you won’t have enough cash to pay them off in full, those interest charges are going to start adding up quickly. One way to save money is by transferring your balances to a credit card that has a lower interest rate (APR). Chase Freedom, Citi Double Cash, and American Express Blue Cash Everyday are popular credit cards that offer an introductory 0% APR for 15 months on balance transfers. Unfortunately, they all charge a 3% transfer fee. If you’re looking to consolidate $2,500 to one of these cards, the fee will cost you $75. Chase Slate is a…
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