Credit Card Thread
 

This first post will be updated every two weeks with popular balance transfer/ low purchase apr/ high reward cards.


BALANCE TRANSFER CARDS

Card Name	Duration of 0%	Fee	Cap	Link
Virgin America Visa Signature Card	6 months	3%	$50	Link [virginamericavisa.com]
Escape by Discover Card	6 months	3%	Uncapped	Link [creditkarma.com]
Discover More Card	18 months	4%	Uncapped	Link [creditkarma.com]
Citi Forward Card	12 months	3%	Uncapped	Link [citicards.com]
HSBC GM Flexible Earnings Card	12 months	3%	Uncapped	Link [hsbcapply.com]
Barclays Coast to Coast	12 months	3%	$75	Link [coastresortscard.com]
Chase Freedom MC	12 months	5%	Uncapped	Link
Chase Freedom Visa	12 months	5%	Uncapped	Link
Slate from Chase Visa	15 months	3%	Uncapped	Link

LOW APR CARDS

Card Name	Duration of 0% APR	Regular APR	Link
Escape by Discover Card	6 months	10.99-15.99% variable**	Link [creditkarma.com]
Miles by Discover Card	6 months	10.99-15.99% variable**	Link [creditkarma.com]
Chase Freedom MC	6 months	12.99-22.99% variable**	Link
Chase Freedom Visa	6 months	12.99-22.99% variable**	Link
TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express	6 months	15.24% (prime rate + 11.99%)	Link [americanexpress.com]
Citi Forward Card	7 months	12.99-19.99% variable	Link [citiforward.com]
Discover Student Card	9 months	12.99-19.99% variable	Link [creditkarma.com]
Discover Open Road Card	12 months	11.99-19.99% variable**	Link [creditkarma.com]
Capital One Orbitz Visa Platinum	12 months (March 2012)	13.9-19.9% variable	Link [capitalone.com]
Citi Platinum Select MasterCard	12 months	11.99-19.99**	Link [citicards.com]
Slate from Chase	15 months	11.99-21.99% variable**	Link

** APR depends on credit score


HIGH REWARDS

Card Name	Rewards	Link
Discover Student Card	5% CB on certain categories (rotates monthly, must manually sign up online); .25% CB on everything else, 1% when you reach $3000	Link [creditkarma.com]
Citi Forward Card	Points redeemable for gift cards; 5 points/dollar for entertainment, 1 point/dollar for other purchases, 6000 points for spending $250 within first 3 months	Link [citiforward.com]
AmEx Plum Card	1.5% discount for prompt payment OR 2 months with no interest	Link
Discover More Card	5% CB on certain categories (rotates monthly, must manually sign up online); .25% CB on everything else, 1% when you reach $3000	Link [creditkarma.com]
AmEx Blue Card	3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% cash back at gas stations and department stores and 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases	Link
Penfed Visa Platinum Cashback Rewards	5% on gas, 1% on everything else; must be Penfed member; second card on list	Link [penfed.org]
Associated Bank Visa Signature Rewards Card	1% CB on everything, 1 point per dollar, 3 points per dollar on groceries, gas, drugstores	Link [associatedbank.com]

This post can and should be edited by users like you :)
 

We have created this wiki as a place for users to insert suggestions for new cards, or to request that cards linked in the original thread should be taken down. We will edit the first post AT LEAST every other week, probably much more frequently.

icardbonus.com has probably the most complete, although a bit outdated collection of credit card sign-up bonuses, grouped into personal, business, student and travel categories.

The credit card rewards calculator at creditcardtuneup.com will calculate expected annual rewards for your entered spending profile for many cards. It also calculates the best combinations of cards for your spending pattern.

Just a note, Discover 5% cash back is on rotating categories, might confuse some...

A fairly up-to-date list of 0% no-fee cards is available at zeropercentbalance.com [zeropercentbalance.com]

The Penfed Visa Platinum Cashback Rewards card is only .25% on everything else but still is 5% on gas.

Any one know if Schwab brokerage one account offers free transfer of funds to an external account like ING?

Citicard tried to change my intrest rate from 11.04 to 29.99 so balance transfer on them ain't gonna look good soon In the future.

Re: high cashback cards......

Perhaps you could add my Citi Driver's Edge card?

6% back at "grocery stores, gas stations, drug stores" (3% after the first year)
1% back on everything else
1 penny for every mile you drive

Cash back accumulates and can be used towards the maintenance, lease or purchase (PP or dealer) of a new or used car OR you can transfer the $$ to their ThankYou network where you can "purchase" gift cards and such.

So if you drive a lot, like me - you can save a lot.

Also note that you can take advantage of cards that give CB at certain types of stores. For instance with my card I get 3% back at grocery stores and drug stores. My local grocery/drug stores sell GC's for all sorts of places from HomeDepot to Amazon.com - just buy the GC's there, earning your 3% back (or whatever), then spend them. It may not be much but if you're, say, doing some major home remodeling, 3% back on many $k worth of purchases certainly does add up.

Also, what we did with this card this past year was to pay for our prescriptions OOP (my wife had a baby) then get reimbursed by our insurance later. Why pay a $10 copay at the POS when you can pay several hundred $$, get the 3% on that purchase price then get reimbursed later?

How about something for New Credit/Bad Credit?

Dr. J-

Thanks for the suggestion. I went to Citi's site to check the card out, but it said "system error" when I tried to get to apply (and see the most recent version of the terms). I'll try again later and possibly put it on the list.

Lovelyssm- That's a good idea, I'll put it on the "to do" list. If you have any suggestions or particular questions, feel free to start a thread and maybe a community member will have answers for you.

Which card should i get as a college student?
I also heard it's not good to close your first card so i don't want my first card to be a bad one. I want it with me for the rest of my life.

I have a Checking and Saving's acct with chase. never applied for a credit card.

http://creditcards.citicards.com/...D87E610724

I signed up for a few credit cards while I was in college (darn those free t-shirts and lunches), but the only one I really use is the Discover Student Card. I just happen to like cash back cards as opposed to ones with points.

I happened to get a Discover card too. The CS is pretty good and I've had that card for about 12 years now. It wasn't a student card though.

it still gives an error when you click on apply now.

First card should be one that has low rates and one you will keep for a long time. i suggest Farm Bureau Bank Platinum MasterCard www.farmbureaubank.com 800-307-0341
If you qualify, your interest rate can be as low as 5.24% for this no-fee card. Don't go for a teaser rate card but a bank that consistenly offers low rates.

also found Simmons First Natl Bank [simmonsfirst.com] with low rates and 0 annual fee. 7.25% is their rate.

Later you can sign up for others like rewards or cashback cards. i found my info from link below. Kiplinger always list 3 of the lowest rate banks in their magazine. It's usually a small bank in the south but they offer great rates that will last not 0% rates for 12 month then skyrocket.

http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine...cards.html

http://su.pr/2wlBZc

Can the Amex Plum be considered slick with a $185 annual fee?

Any card you get will build your credit which should be your top priority. Get a card without an annual fee and has a decent rewards program. APR shouldn't be a concern since you're ALWAYS going to pay off your balance in full. Remember, as a college student, you're not going to be spending enough to make rewards worthwhile (generally) and your primary goal is to establish a good credit history. That said, I recommend Discover Student More Card and Citi Forward (wait out to see if annual fees are tacked on).

That was just FYI.

How's the Chase student credit card with karma points? I rather have all my banking with one bank ><

I agree with most of what you say, but I don't agree with the APR part. Stuff happens (most of the time, it's due to bad decisions), but putting yourself in a situation where carrying a balance is 2x as expensive as it could have been is a bad idea. Maybe purchase APR shouldn't be a primary concern, but it's definitely something that should be considered.

If I were looking for a first card, my priorities would be:
No annual fee
Low purchase APR
Ease of use (I know that AMEX isn't usually a first card, but it's not uncommon to find a business that simply doesn't pay it)
Rewards

TBH, pretty crappy. If you want a Chase CC, look into their freedom card. Do you have any prior credit history (i..e being an AU on a parent's account?). If not, you're probably limited to cards aimed towards students or people with poor/no credit.

Depends on rewards......

Im going to give everybody a little bit of advice if you have a hardship and you call your cc company. Make sure you ask for a lower payment first. I deal with people with hardships all day and from what I have heard internal hardships work like this. Usually it is a 6 month to 5 year program and when they lower your payment they will tell you a new rate.

Also when you call lender/credit card company cut out all non-essential living expenses when you talk to them or you will not get any help. Common sense stuff (gifts, eating out).

And stay far away from settlement companies. You dont need a third party to work out a settlement you could hold on to your own money and work out a settlement on your own.

It gives 1.5% back. (it also happens to be the card Mr. Slickdeals uses for office purchases)

Eh. If you really think about it, if that's ALL that it gives (e.g. 1.5% on everything, no larger %'s for certain types of purchases), then you're only gaining 0.5% over other cards that do not have the annual fee.

So you're paying $185 for 0.5% more back. In order to break even you'd need to spend $37,000 on the card per year.

Sometimes you can get the fee waived or reduced if you threaten to close the card....credit card companies need us more than we need them remember that.

The rewards for new Plum signups must have changed. I signed up back when Plum came out and I'm still getting 2% back on everything. Must be a charter member thing. Bandwidth & servers for SD isn't cheap. :)

Even at 1.5%, it might be worth it depending on your business expenditures.

Already have one to build a credit history. But from what I've heard, I will eventually have to get a regular card (not student) credit card in order to maintain the history after graduating, correct?

Edit: what about chase sapphire, got some of those spam applications saying an variable APR of 15.24%...?

No. No differentiation is made as to whether your card is a student or non-student. Just maintain some activity to prevent your account from being closed and you're set.

I don't know about Chase CC's, but they often have promotions running (i.e. $50 cashback for Chase Freedom) if that's any consolation. Since you've already established credit and are in good standing (hopefully), the choice is yours to make. Decide which factors are a priority (Chase branded, low apr, decent rewards program, etc...) and then pick a card you see fit.

The Amex Blue Cash card (which Im surprised is missing from this thread) gives a tiered reward structure (up to 5% back on gas/grocery/drugstore purchases and 1.25% on everything else once you've spent $6500 on the card). Overall, based on the cash rewards I've received so far, it ends up being ~1.5-1.7% cashback annually, and there is no fee for the card.

At last check, my credit score via credit karma (only one of the scoring companies) was in the low to mid 700's.

PLum was also designed with small businesses in mind. I believe the grace period of purchases is double of what normal cards are...at least that is how I originally remember it being marketed.

This thread's missing the best high-rewards college student card. Citi MTVu [citicards.com]. No annual fee, thank you points rewards, 5 points/$ for restaurants, bookstores, music stores, anything MTV related, movies, and video rentals. Plus, extra points for paying on time and getting good grades. 2000 points for straight As each semester!

My fiancee's had this card since college. It's amazing if you eat out once or twice a week. Pay off your credit card in full on time, and it's like having a 5% coupon every time you eat. Ridiculous.

Yes they do. It's called Moneylink. Works well, I am very, very satisfied with my SchwabOne/HY Investor Checking/2% Investfirst.

thanks, repped.
Just got approved for their credit card and now gotta open a bank account.

that's almost similar to Citi forward. And citi forward is much better card because it gives you 11000 points as opening bonus + signing up for ebill.

that sucks -- you have to be college student to get the card :(

thanks for the info.... but can you make a page like the 2009 Black friday product page? Looking at a long list of things where you can't order it based on whatever you are interested in is a real pain these days.

I wouldn't mind if slickdeals got money for people who signup from them either. As long as the info stays unbiased.

sdslick- I'll work on putting everything into a (unfortunately) non-sortable table... It's not perfect, but hopefully it will be easier for you guys to read.

Mint.com is one of the greatest sites I have come across in a long time; there should be a separate vault thread on it. But for the issue at hand, mint.com has a "ways to save" section, where it will find the best credit card for you, based on your spending (that it extracts automatically), whether or not you pay off your cards every month, and your credit score. Also gives you filters on the side for reward type, APR, etc...

The ones that have been turning up on top for me are:
Blue Cash® from American Express
Escape by Discover® Card
Chase Freedom℠
Discover® More Card with $50 Cash Back Bonus

Hope this helps someone!

Citi Platinum Select MasterCard

Got 7 (months) 0% On Purchase wanted 12month.
$4000 (limit)

Blah!

Dang, that's the one I was hoping to apply for and transfer $7000 to for 12 months... Did they tell you the amount you were approved for before you enter your transfer account info?

On Friday my Marriott credit card (visa I think) showed a $30 annual fee. I very nicely asked them to remove it. They told me they could not. So I closed it...

And today I applied for a Hilton Visa.

http://hhonorscard.com/us/cards/c...n/home.jsp

15,000 Hilton HHonors® bonus points after making $150 in purchases within 2 months of account opening.

3 Hilton HHonors bonus points for each $1 spent at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations.

No annual fee

Don't apply. I have no clue about balance transfer account info. I didn't know. I was just looking for doing purchases no balance transfers. I don't think they are will give you 12k limit. My credit score is around 750 range (just that you have an idea).

I applied today for the Citi Platinum Select MasterCard. After filling out info, it took about 1 min. and then said I was approved. $6300 limit and 0% balance transfer for 12 months. 3 % transfer fee will save me a lot to pay it off interest free this year and then I will be debt free!! Last time I saw my credit score was just over 700. Hope this helps.

I currently have a BofA Visa Financial Rewards Platinum Plus card, was wondering if there are any other Visa cards I can "upgrade" to that has a better cash back policy or perks. I don't want to open a new card for 2 reasons, this is the oldest CC and I already have too many CCs and don't want to add more to keep track of. Thanks

I'm confused on what you are saying. You are looking for a new card and dont want to open a new card.

He just wants to convert his old card to a better one. This will not count as a new card and won't affect the credit score.

Yes it is free

Bingo.

Nice, new tables look much better.

Still don't know which card to get... Which of the cards listed give the most cashback without a yearly fee?

I currently have a BoA world points mastercard. Which gives 1% cashback if you spend enough, otherwise it is under 1%.

anyone have the Chase Sapphire card [chasesapphire.com]
It's a miles and cashback card without an annual fee. It has a lot of other stuff like rental car coverage.

You get 10,000 points for signing up so that is a free $100.

Then again, I already get 1% cash back. Need a card with over 1% cashback :/

I would assume that in the fairly near future, all the credit cards will begin charging an annual fee. Since they have the right (they think God-given, no doubt) to change any and all terms as long as they tell you in advance under the new rules, they will suck you in with "no annual fee" and in a few months you get your fee notice. When I see a credit card offer with "no annual fee ever" advertised, I'll go for it.

If you are a big spender, look at the Amex Blue Cash card. Once you spend $6500 on it, you get unlimited 5% CB on gas/grocery/drugstore purchases and 1.25% CB on everything else. Before that it's 1%/0.5%, respectively.

I know that the consensus in the office right now is Schwab for most things, Penfed for gas. (and then a business card for business things) You could probably do a little better with some more focused cards, but in terms of effort and ease of management, that's a pretty good start.

Looking for a card with 0% on transfers.

Right off the bat, Citi Platinum Select MasterCard looks like the one for me. (maybe Discover)

Two quick questions:

Any chances in getting the transfer fee waived? Is it worth the effort? Any cards with no fee?

What are the 'caps'? Is this a 'cap' on how much you can pay down on your transfer?

Chase slate I saw has a pre-approval for 0%.....U.S. bank has some good products.

Depends where you live, but Associated Bank has a Cash Rebate card for 5% on groceries, gas, and pharmacies, and 1% on everything else. I think there's limits to how much you can get per year, but no requirements or spending floors to get the bonuses. And no entry bonus first year shenanigans. It's also just straight cash. As soon as you get to at least $50, you just call them up and they send you a check.

i don't care much about rewards programs; not the most important thing to me.. just need a card with a fair rate, no annual fee, and easy web-based management of virtual/one-time-use card numbers for use when shopping online.

could be a personal card or a small business one.. doesn't matter.

any suggestions?

One of the few good things to come out of the new credit card laws:
Highest interest balances paid first: When consumers have accounts that carry different interest rates for different types of purchases (i.e., cash advances, regular purchases, balance transfers or ATM withdrawals), payments in excess of the minimum amount due must go to balances with higher interest rates first. Current industry practice is to apply all amounts over the minimum monthly payments to the lowest-interest balances first -- thus extending the time it takes to pay off higher-interest rate balances.

I have some money I need to transfer next month and am looking for 0% offers. I have been holding a sum of $10-20K(car loans etc) at 0% for about 5+ years always paying the minimum in absolutely no rush to pay it off since it is at 0% and I have other things to pay down like a 6% mortgage. Well I have 0-1% offers from a few different cards that I typically make monthly purchases on but never carry a balance. Well if I transfer some of my debt to these cards then I dont have to worry about paying off the 0% balance and leaving the balance of the purchases on there at 10-20% under the new laws.

I may be wrong, but I don't think they're allowed to change promotional rates with previously stated terms, and even if they do, you can always opt out of changes which just means they close your account and you pay it off like you would have anyway. This is assuming you're just signing up for a new card for the balance transfer offer.

Any thoughts on the Amazon Rewards Visa from Chase? I'm a college student with just one CapitalOne Mastercard that does nothing for me... looking for a nice rewards card

And if I get the Citi MtvU card, what happens to it once I graduate? Do I keep all the same benefits?

I've actually been wondering about this too... I have a student Discover, but I'm no longer a student. I haven't noticed any changes in anything, though. I know I can't sign up for a student card anymore, but past that...

Ideas anyone?

do you guys think the citifoward card would be affected?

I wouldn't expect any changes to the card. As someone pointed out, sometimes a student card just has a different APR.

Of my 3 cards, the only one that currently generates numbers for online shopping is my Discover Open Road, though I think all Disc cards do this.

a site that has been helpful to me in this search is nerdwallet.com (not to be confused with FW, trust me I wouldn't link to them). Good search with lots of reviews of cards, with user comments as well. Found out things that weren't obvious on other sites, like that the AmEx Blue Cash only pays out once a year ....

Corrections need to be made
 

the virgin card is a 6 month introductory rate not a 12 month introductory rate

see terms and conditions:
https://www.barclaycardus.com/app...CCVVS23184


The Barclays Coast to Coast has a 3% fee up to $75 for the first 12 months of balance transfers not 4%

https://www.barclaycardus.com/app...CCVVS24296

Fixed, thank you.

The citi MtvU or Discover Student card are probably your best options. You should be able to keep using either after you graduate, although you obviously can't get the good grades bonus through the MtvU card (since you will no longer have report cards/transcripts)

Thanks, I applied for the Barclays with a balance transfer of 4.5k. I'll see how it goes. I tried applying for the Chase OptionsXpress but the application has been down for the past 2 weeks. Not sure if it is dead or not.

Here's another card to consider, though it only really applies to those who own or are thinking of purchasing a Subaru. The Subaru Rewards Card from Chase. 3% back on all purchases up to a $500 annual cap. Can be used towards Subaru Parts & Services or the purchase of a new or certified pre-owned Subaru.

http://www.firstusa.com/cgi-bin/w...&mkid=6w55

QUESTION: Does anyone have the Chase Continental Airlines World MasterCard??

I have a question regarding the waiver of the 1st check-in baggage.

http://www.continental.com/web/en...sebag.aspx

Now this part is clear to me: However this part is interesting: Does that mean that if I am the primary cardmember and book a trip for my wife and I, then as long as she accompanies me at check-in time, her first check-in will be free as well?

Thanks in advance.






I used to have that... pretty good card. If all else fails, you can sell your Subaru Bucks on the subie forums like NASIOC.com for 75 cents on the dollar.

Thanks for the referral to nerdwallet. I took a look, and it seems to have lots of good info!

I think in the past people used to get away with that, but now, since they print your name and info on the reward certificate it'd be a lot harder to do, plus they say it's void if used by anyone besides the cardholder.

True... although there are several dealers that will accept the Bucks in someone else's name.

Just heard about this card....

May be good for those of you who travel internationally a lot

would be nice if you added a permanently-low-apr category (ones that don't jump after 6-12 months), unfortunately I don't know any cards to add to that

also the u-promise is a pretty good rewards card (student or not) and has 0% for 6 months (bankofamerica/mastercard)

I don't know if that's card dependent or credit card dependent. All but 1 of my cards have never jumped APR in 10 years; Chase was the only one who tried to pull some shadiness.

let me clarify: card's that have a low APR even after the promotional period

edit: the discover student card link(s) aren't working for me, everything else seems to be

Links should all be working now.

Chase is taking away my Freedom Visa and change it to Ultimate Rewards.

Beside Discover on ocassions, are there any good cash reward cards out there? I am looking at the Schwab Visa.

I'm a student in college, sophomore year going into junior next year... I want a card as soon as possible. I've been a sub on my brothers account for years and I've been good about paying bills on time and not over spending. I need my own card to build some credit up now though.

I got turned down by Discover student last month when they were running the $599 $100 back promo. I'm thinking of going Citi FOWARD or Citi MTUV. What are the grade requirements for MTUV like? I generally get around a 3.3 GPA I don't know how much that will help me. And in the long run, wouldn't it be better to get Citi Forward since I will only get the benefits of college for 2 years? Forward has a ton of bonuses for spending and going paperless, as well as paying on time..

Any help on the best options?

Need some help choosing a card. Currently I have around $7,000 (3 cards) that I'm carrying on my cards. I could use some advice on the best cards I should be looking at right now for my situation. This balance is a combination of previous school expenses etc. that I really need to get rid of. My credit score is good (719 when I checked a few weeks ago but I just purchased a car so that should have been dinged a little bit). I'd love to transfer this amount somewhere else so that it's easier to maintain.

Right now my #1 goal is to get rid of this debt and I don't want to be losing any ground by getting hit with additional Finance Fee's every month. I'd say I want this paid off within 2-3 years.

How much are you devoting to the balance per month?
Or maybe, how much is your monthly income and your monthly expenses?
Break down each balance WITH itnterest rates.

Personally I don't think you always need to search for a 0% or low APR card to pay these off. Budget and pay them off. Why get a fourth card?

Well I was comfortable a bit back (Nov) but some scheduling issues occured with my auto bill pay with my largest balanced card ($6,000 at the time) which led to BoA hiking up my interest on that card to 27% from 12%. This was my Upromise card. Now I'm seeing at least $125ish in finance charges each month. That's money I'd rather not be losing from a silly mistake that was partly my fault and also their's (they agreed to give me back the fee's they put on me but said they'd leave the % that high for at least 6 months - 6 month mark just passed and they lowered it to 25%).

I make around $2,300 per month after taxes. I have $880 in mandatory payments (car loan, insurance, student loans, etc.) right now and I've been giving around $800 in credit card payments. All other spending has been done on debit/cash.

At the current rate I've been doing this, I haven't seen my debt going down quick enough and I'd like to minimize loss of income as much as possible which is why I'm looking for something to move this balance to temporarily to make paying off a bit easier.

I tried Nerd Wallet and I got Harvard Alumni and Iberia Bank as some of the lowest. The problem with their APR search is that they average the APR over X years you select, however, in the real world, if you make monthly payments, your balance would be going down over time, therefore, the APR at the beginning should carry more weight than the APR later on, based on your original balance.

I applied for Harvard Alum and Iberia and I got both cards! Even though I'm not a Harvard Alumni. Well, now I can trick folks in to thinking I'm from Harvard with the card :)

FYI, I applied for barclays coast to coast and besides the initial email stating they recieved my app, I have yet to receive the card.

I'd like some help and recommendations for finding a good card =). I am a college student and I'm 21. At 17 I got a job and opened a checking/savings account with Bank Of America. I skipped senior year and did dual enrollment in college so by the time I turned 18 I had a ton of people offering me college-type credit cards. I got a Bank of America Visa, a Capital One Mastercard for myself, a Capital One Visa for my husband and we have a Wal-Mart credit card. I took out subsidized stafford federal loans specifically to build my credit and just stuck the money in the bank (it came in handy when my husband lost his job and we lived off those loans for a year or so >_<). The results of this aggressiveness is a credit score of 750, and now I want to start making credit work for me instead of me having to work so hard for credit!

I want to know, based on the fact that I have the aforementioned 750 credit score but also a shorter credit history, what you guys would recommend for a card. I don't fly, so I value airline miles not at all. I generally pay down the balance on all of my cards within the interest-free grace period so the APR really doesn't matter though I agree it's good to have a lower one in the event of an emergency. My husband only brings home about $1k a month and of that, $200 goes to gas, $400 goes to groceries, $150 for cell phones, $75 for car insurance, and usually about $75-100 for eating out. Reflecting this, I'd like a card that has no annual fees and gives me higher rewards for my spendings on groceries & gas. The best I've found so far is the Citi Dividend Platinum Select Visa for College Students (URL: https://www.citicards.com/cards/w...ncy_detail). Is there a better card out there anywhere?

TLDR VERSION: 3 year credit history, 750 credit score, 3 credit cards currently that do not give rewards, college student; Is the Citi Dividend Platinum Select Visa for College Students my best option for getting rewards for the money I spend on gas and groceries (from Wal-mart)?

EDIT: I looked through the frontpage once more and decided to see if I was eligible via Penfed because of my parents both being military veterans. I indeed am! Now I'm wondering if I should get their card instead, since I think it translates into overall more cash back. My only concern is that they won't give me a very high limit (I'd like it to be high enough to pay tuition with) because of my low income and short credit history. Thoughts?

I guess you won't know the limit until you apply. You can always call and ask to raise it but they may require proof of income, etc but worth asking.

You mentioned you have a student loan, would cards that have rewards in which they pay down the student loan but worthwhile? I'm not sure who offers them but in general, the reward is more than any cashback type of cards.

Thanks for the tip! However, I'm less interested in this type of rewards card as I think it'd be harder to find, harder to attain, and what I'm looking for is a card that I can use for the rest of my adult life. This type of card would only be good for the next five years until I've managed to pay off my student loans. I've only got one semester of college left, which was why I was doing this card search now xD. If student cards give the best rewards I have to be sure I get them before I don't qualify any longer, and they came close, but from what I've read, Penfed will usually accept Wal-Mart as a supermarket though it's very YMMV. Citi doesn't. If anybody can tell me differently I'll bite on either one of the cards but my husband works at wal-mart in a small town, and it is the only place (I think we have One grocery store left.. maybe...) to buy food really. If neither one counts Wal-Mart as a supermarket then the better choice is clearcut Penfed, as they give 5% for gas all the time and Citi only does it for the first five months. Both should give me Wal-Mart purchases as "everyday items" right?

I'd just be careful about these % back because they usually don't last a "lifetime". Always think for a about a 2 year time frame. My Citi Diamond was suppose to be 5% lifetime for everyday purchases, then it became 2% then they started charging annual fee if you didn't spend at least $2400. Penfed might be different, but at the end, it's always about increasing profit. penfed might be more consumer friendly but certainly Citi would do it if they could.

After careful deliberation and research... just got approved for the Continental Airlines World MasterCard. $85 annual fee but my fiance and I travel at least once on Continental a year so the waived baggage fees will put us ahead on that one flight. What's nice is I can get my friends who we travel with in our reservation and get their baggage fees waived; for my troubles I'm sure they wouldn't mind paying me $10 instead of paying Conti $25.

A bit off topic but does anyone know which credit card companies offer frequently updated account activity online?

I use Citicards and the account activity usually takes several days to update. I'm aware I could just track my purchases myself but it's more handy when your entire purchases for the month are laid out for you on the computer. Thanks in advance!

I know what you mean. Both of my Capital One cards take forever to update. My Wal-Mart takes forever and a week to update x_x. The only one that's really quick for me is the Bank of America Visa that's tied to my checking account (yes it's a real credit card, not just a debit with the credit function). My husband can use his CC at Taco Bell for lunch and that night when I log in to check our activity and spending I tag him for it xD. Everybody else is slooooow.

Haha, nice :lol:

Yeah, I'm always seeing people in topics posting their CC was charged for an item they just placed an order for not even an hour ago. How the hell are they finding out so fast? And what credit cards are they using? Unless they're calling and accessing an automated menu...too much trouble for me...

Can I use the rewards to purchase new tires for my car?

Were you ever able to sign up for this card? It is saying system error for me too :(

The only way possible online is to notice your available credit limit drop by the amount you made your purchase. Other than that, I doubt they actually see the exact charge on the CC account activity. Based on how financialy networks work, it takes at least a full work day to fully account for a transaction at it's fastest (approval, credit/debit funds, fraud analysis, latency of various systems, etc.).

I do notice that my bank of america visa is the same or quicker than other cards I have.

The Charles Schwab Invest First card (owned by FIA/BofA) posts your transaction usually within an instant, just like a debit card.

So it's not a credit card thing or a problem with "financial networks". Some credit cards are just slow.

Is Chase OptionsXpress still good ? (I get a temp error when i try) Should i try later or is it gone ?

I stand corrected. Thanks.

I've tried a couple times in the past month and it hasn't worked. I think it's dead.

Perhaps it can be so much quicker because it is tied to my checking account? Bank of America actually advertised that though. They did that whole commercial with the two guys buying coffee in a Starbucks or somesuch and then they sat down and one of them whipped out a laptop and saw the coffee charge on his credit card that he had just put there. Mine show up with the name of what it was but not the transaction number that you would need to reverse it or dispute it, because it's still pending, not posted.


And I only tag the hubby for Taco Bell because I don't like the results of beans beans the magical fruit ;]. He's never really in trouble!!

I'm going to have to disagree on this part. In order to make rewards work for you and establish and build credit history is two fold:

1. If you have the income (either personal or parental) use the card for practically everything [tuition, books, food, entertainment ...if that exists and payoff within the grace period not the statement period as it may not be one and the same. Results = [NO APR cost + reward points increase + credit worthiness (expeditures = payments) go up].
2. If you are going to risk a Balance, make sure you pay frequently within a grace period or month (if you have a balance). Results = [APR cost will be less + Build credit worthiness (due to number of payments you are making)]

This is correct. They typically round to the next dollar but depending on the vendor the pre - authorization may be the same amount of the charge so in effect the available credit drops my 2X the purchase amount until the pre authorization falls off.

I followed the statement with the disclosure "in general." If you can pay your tuition with a CC that's great, but schools are starting to do away with this option (don't blame them). Other than that, I don't see college students spending exorbitant amounts of money on everyday expenses. More emphasis should be placed on saving and establishing credit in college rather than spending and earning rewards.

Agree, however if you go to school far from home, there might be some money and miles in the travel.

Can you suggest a decent AMEX CC with no Annual fee and has some benefits.

I am looking at

Blue Cash(R) Card from American Express

http://www201.americanexpress.com...t/BlueCash

and

Bank of America® Accelerated Cash Rewards™ American Express® Card .

https://www.bankofamerica.com/cre...2030324|V9

Any opinion on these or any other Amex card.


Oh. And the BOA card has $75 credit for qualifying purchases for new accounts.

I'm looking for a card to balance transfer my citibank card onto. It has a fairly large balance and they just raised my interest rate for no reason. My idea is to balance transfer ping-pong between two-three cards until I've paid them down.

I'm thinking the 0% for a year with a $75 cap on balance xfer fees would be good but I've never heard of that bank. Thoughts?

I would just go with one of the below. I can't find a better 0% Bal Transfer offer out there.

0% 12 month $75 max Barclays Coast to Coast Visa [coastresortscard.com]
0% 12 month $75 max Barclays Rec Reward [juniper.com]
0% 12 month $75 max Barclays Good Sam [juniper.com]

great

nevermind

I love this thread and yeah I am pretty much in the same boat as everyone in regards to Citi... I ran up a little bit of debt on my citi card (5000) between my car theft (liability only it was a piece of crap) and buying my used car etc.. and then at the same time i had to get some dental work done. Long story short, I have about 1400 extra a month I can pay down (love having a roommate) but citi decided to make me go from my 5 years long (I had this CC since I was 17 1/2 (yes in my name) from 8.9 APR to 29.99 for no reason at all, other than the crappy economy. I just want a fair rate. A 0% for 12 months would be awesome. I could pay about a 1000 a month give or take and put the 400 in savings. Thanks for the links, hopefully I am approved

PenFed called tonite and offered me a Platinum Visa at 7.49% with a balance transfer rate of 4.99% for two years. The bonus, no balance transfer fee. Bye, bye Shiti card.

They also offered to refi my auto loan with them down from 5.29% to 3.99% with a five year term at no cost. The catch is I have to borrow at least $5,000 more than I currently owe on my vehicle. The PenFed rep said they do this to stop serial refiers who want a new no cost car loan every time the rate drops half a point. She said that I could just pay the $5000 back into the loan to reduce the term. Then I thought, "Hey $5000 at 3.99% for 4-5 years is a better deal than 4.99% for two years." Other than slightly higher auto insurance is there any down side to doing this?

Harvard Alumni Association Card (and you don't need to be an alum)

0% for 6 months, 7.24% afterwards. no fee transfer. Plus you can trick people in to thinking you went to Harvard

An extra category (or maybe in addition to the "normal" existing ones) that would be nice is if/how the CC company will extend the MFR's warranty or provide their own warranty to cover you for X days/etc.

you wouldn't be paying any less on insurance unless you changed your coverage, if you own your vehicle in outright then you would be able to change your coverage such that if you are in an accident that you are the cause of, then they don't pay anything and your left without a car, which you might or might not want depending on the value of the vehicle (and your own driving of course)

I was just wondering if the info in the first post was a little dated? Any new cards out there?

Also, does the schwab bank invest first card no longer exist? The link is dead and I can't find it on their site. Thanks guys.

Yeah, the Schwab Invest First card is no longer accepting new applicants.

So I know just posted yesterday but I figured i'd just tell you guys a little big more about situation. Hopefully you can give me a few suggestions, thanks.


I currently use e-trade for everything (checking, savings, brokerage, & IRA) mainly because I need to (I work in finance and for compliance purposes I can only trade with a select group of companies, E-Trade being the only discount online broker). So I just do all of my banking there to keep it simple and in one place. I have all of my bills setup to autopay from my debit/checking account and I figured why not just set them up to autopay on a CC with rewards and then set the cc to autopay from my checking account. I'd also use the rewards card for all of my usual day to day transactions.

Do you guys have any recommendations? I live in a city and don't have a car so I don't care abot CB on gas. I'm really just looking for the best deal. Any suggestions? It doesn't have to be strictly CB, it could be points or miles. Thanks.

I want to apply for the PenFed card but apparently its only for military people?

I dont care about APR, just want no annual fee and highest rewards possible. Citi or Discover looks like the way to go?

I haven't done it but I believe I read that you can pay an on-time "membership" fee of around 20 bucks to get the card. It should spell it out for you on their site. Or free if any family member is military!

I think you are right. Discover More (5% in predetermined categories, buy gift cards there for elsewhere!) was something I was leaning towards for a while. However, look into some of the small annual fee ones. Depending on your spending, it might be a better deal and you could cash out more than the other no fee cards, plus the fee. Check sites like nerdwallet.com or mint.com if you already use them. My mint showed me that if I spent over $600 a month, Escape by Discover was going to net me more.
It also depends on how you will use your rewards (cash, miles, hotels, etc).
However, if you don't want any annual fees check American Express Blue Cash.
If you want Visa/MC, try capital one (venture), or citi (forward).

HTH! :)

Does anyone know if you can transfer one Barclays balance to a different Barclay's acct and get the intro -0% balance transfer offer?

Has anyone had any experience with transferring your account with Capital One (lets say an account that gives you no rewards like mine) to one that does?

Back when I tried getting my first credit card, I had some social security problem (it's been fixed since then) and I had to apply about 4 times before anyone decided to give me a student credit card. I ended up getting a Capital One. The only thing that sucks is that there are no rewards at all and there's a $35 yearly fee on it. I haven't called up Capital One yet to see what they can do about this, but would like to know if anyone has any experience with this.

My credit is pretty damn good for a 20 year old, so I'm not particularly worried about that. I already have credit cards for pretty much everything I ever buy. Amazon CC for Amazon. Discover card for my every day purchases. And my Capital One is my backup card just in case I ever need to use it. Needless to say, I don't want to pay that $35 yearly fee, but I also don't want to cancel this card just because it'll damage my credit a bit and it'll leave me with less credit available if I ever need it. I'm looking to get a loan for a car in 2 years, so I'm doing everything I can to keep my credit in good standing.

Suggestions? Cancel the card and get a different one? Keep this one?

I'd call up to see if they convert to a no-fee card, specifically the student rewards card. If not, I'd just cancel it. You're young so you'll have lots of time to build up your credit history. Having 2 established tradelines is good enough for the time being anyways.

I'm looking for a new card, leaning towards the american express blue cash. I spend about 1k/month on my credit card, pay it off every month. Assuming that 50% is everyday expenses, that gives me a cashback of just over 2%. I just did an average to get an idea. It doesn't look too bad. Does anyone have experience with this card?

The average CB works out to 1.6.-1.7% for me over a 12 month period, since you only are getting 5% back for gas,drug stores and groceries.

College student looking for his first credit card:

Just signed up for Citi Forward. Looks like there is a $200 Restaurant.com bonus right now.
link [citicards.com]

considering that you can buy $25 restaurant.com GC's on sale for $2, that doesn't sound like much of a bonus to me.

It looks to me like it's a $200 GC to restaurant.com, which means that you could buy something like 5 million dollars worth of restuarant.com gift certificates.

Do you have a job?

If you are under 21 with no job then no credit card for you.

http://www.mint.com/blog/trends/s...-08022010/

It's not worth IMO unless you know of specific restaurant where those coupons are good for you. they have a lot of restrictions and stipulations and i'd rather take $100 cash than $200 worth of those GCs personally.

Does anyone know if you already have an Amex Blue with only points reward if you can simply "switch" to the Amex Blue Cashback rewards instead of applying for a new card? I have 2 Amex Blue's actually. One for work purchases and one personal. They are both linked points wise. I spend about $2000/month and have accumulated almost 70000 points over time. However just checking on what my points are worth, it's pretty depressing. That many points only buys $330 for a plane ticket! Just TERRIBLE!! So I'd like to switch to the cash where their online estimate is nearly $400/year in cash back. MUCH better. However I'm also applying for a mortgage or several mortgages and don't want another credit hit. My credit is excellent, however I just don't need another application at this time. Thanks for any info on changing over to cash back card instead of getting a brand new one! Can't believe I haven't had the cash back Amex Blue!!! Ugh!!
Iwheela

have you tried calling amex yourself? They are still within the same "blue" family. Just explain that you'd rather have CB at this point rather miles.

I know that Chase Freedom lets you switch between points and CB without a problem on the same card.

No, haven't called yet. Will do tomorrow. I was just wondering if anyone had switched from Amex points to Cash Back before I called. My biggest problem is I have 2 Amex Blue cards, one personal and one business. Keeping them separate is so much easier. Yet both are combined points wise, so I they merge no matter which one I use. IF I could, I'd like the same two card to be cash back Blue, but don't want a double hit on my credit if I have to apply for two new credit cards. The reward points with Amex Blue really does suck though and I'm very let down as to how much I've lost out over the years by not using cash back. Disgusting for sure. But no doubt my fault for not researching. Live and learn.
Iwheela

OK, called Amex. It's a no go transferring programs from points to cash back. I would have to apply all over again. AND if I want the same situation as I have now, 1 business and 1 personal, I would have to apply for 2 new and separate cards. SO if I did that, at the current pace, I'd have 4 cards with Amex!! They downright suck!! Obviously if I apply for 2 new cash back cards (which I'm sure I'd qualify for) and then close out my 2 current rewards cards, my credit would be dinged big time!! I even had their supervisor on the phone and she couldn't swap the rewards to cash back. Totally different programs. This sucks!! Adios Amex!! I will pay off this month and then that's it. DONE!!
Iwheela

On a side note, I DO have a Discover Card cash back, which I never use. Their cash back changes though by quarter. How does it compare to the Amex cash back? I may just use the Discover from now on out instead of trying to get a new or two new Amex cash back. Thoughts on both?

I have a credit card question. I have a Citi Mastercard (maybe it has the word dividend in the title?) I've never cared too much about credit card rewards as I've never spent too much on my card. I just get cashback every now and then. Now they are switching me over to the no-limit Citi Dividend World Mastercard. From my research I am concluding that this is a bad thing. Having no pre-set limit seems to be bad for your credit. My spending is pretty consistent so it will say I'm using 100 percent of my credit every month.

I still use my regular card, but my online account is already charging it to the new card which I don't have. Does anyone have an idea what I should do to not take a hit on my credit? It might be too late to opt out since it is already charging to the new card (which I didn't know until I came across it online.) Also they say you can't opt out, but it seems some people have had some luck with keeping a limit.

I am 25, don't make much money but have a fantastic credit score. I've been on my moms Discover (not sure what kind as I don't have it anymore) since I was 12ish probably. This Citi card is the only one I use now, and it ranges from 400-800 a month. I've never paid it late so I don't care about interest.

The bigger thing with all of this is I want to refinance my condo I bought two years ago so I don't want to take a credit hit right before that. Any ideas on what I should do? Or perhaps directing me somewhere I should ask this question?

http://www.obliviousinvestor.com/...nvestor%29

http://personal.fidelity.com/misc...shtml.cvsr

I'm thinking about getting this card and putting money into a 529. I currently have a credit card with my local credit union, but the rewards aren't as good as this. Any alternatives? Any material I should read?

I am going to get that AMEX eventually to replace my AMEX blue cash. I needed a Visa, and Fidelity also has the Fidelity Visa Signature Investment Rewards card [fidelity.com] that pays 1.5% cashback on everything, which goes up to 2% once you've spent $15,000 on the card. It deposits $50 into any Fidelity account after every 5000 points you accrue on a monthly basis (1.5 points per $1 spent, 2 points per $1 spent once you've reached $15,000 in spending for the year).

What's nice is that it is a Visa rather than Amex so it's more widely accepted. The Amex does have 2% CB on everything though.

I need a pure gas card, which one do you guys recommend?

If you are a big enough spender, AMEX blue cash will give you 5% unlimited cashback on gas, groceries and drugstores. The problem is that it's only 1% cashback until you've spent $6500 on the card for the year. It resets every 12 billing cycles.

The problem with some of the other cards like Chase Freedom is that you don't always get 5% CB on gas --- it changes. Same thing with discover I think.

agree with above, but it matters how much you will spend on it, and how you want your rewards (points, miles, cash, etc). Go to http://www.nerdwallet.com/gas-credit-cards and put in your info and read up on them.

Do you buy one company's gas exclusively? For me, I work at Hess so I fill up at the stations close to our HQ so I have a card that's straight 3% cashback, deposited at $25 increments.

College student here. I applied for a credit card, I think chase or something, about 4 or 5 months back, and they denied me. I work as a pizza delivery driver. It's cash. I know it sucks, but it pays well. Is there any way for me to get my own card? No cosigners? I'm 19.

Citi mtvU or Forward. mtvU I know requires no cosigner.

What about the income issue?

My girlfriend is 20, with absoutely no credit history or income and just got approved for the Capital One Student Rewards card. Personally, when I was younger I've been declined for the Citi student cards, but approved for Capital One cards.

Hi Everyone,

I may be way off topic here or even posting in the wrong spot. I'm new to the forum so I apologize if I am , Ahead of time. I was curious if anyone in here uses their discover card at the grocery store as well as utilizes the cash over option. Recently like yesterday I could use my discover at my Vons grocery 3 times a day if I needed to and each time get up to 60.00 cash back. And I have actually done this probably 5 times since they started the cash over program. A couple times I did it 3 times back to back because of the cash back bonus. My aunt and my mother has as well. But all of the sudden yesterday I used it once for cash over. Then when I went to Wal Mart right next door. My card was declined when I tried to use it, I have spoke to Customer Service, hey tell me they do not know why, (Go Figure) . But yet again this morning I could not buy a cup of coffee from inside Vons , It declined. Has anyone here had any type of problem like this.? Its not my credit obviously because today they asked about responding to my approved credit line increase. So I am curious if anyone may know why this is happening.

Thanks In Advance

They ask for household income I believe, not individual. The problem with Cap1 is their toy limits, but if you're just in it to build some credit, they are a good option.

Hmm. I already got declined for the Citi card. What is the cap your girlfriend got for her card? I'd like to have at least $200.

She got a $500 credit limit, I think that's standard with Capital One because that's what I started with when I got my Platinum card through them.

I see a place where you report income, and then an employer. I technically don't have income. Any suggestions on what to do?

If I were you, I would put down the income and employer regardless of the fact that you don't pay taxes on it. It's worth a shot because I doubt you can submit the application without income listed.

That's only what I would do and not what I am necessarily suggesting that you do. I can't be held liable for your actions. :D

Hi guys, I have an Amex premier gold card and was wondering if anybody here switched to a lesser Amex card to avoid the $175 dollar annual fee. Is there a good deal for switching, and any tips or advice on how to switch the card so that I can keep my membership rewards points?

Thanks in advance!

The best information you can get is from the customer service reps that you talk to when you call. I called last week to ask about applying for an AMEX card and the rep was very nice and explained all of the cards to me and even suggested based on my situation what card to apply for.

I see that Amex Blue has cashback on 1%, then after $6500 it goes to 5%.

I have an Amex Blue, so how can I check my cashback status? Is there somewhere in the account settings? Or do I just get cashback in the form of reward points which I change to cash when I want?

Edit: Nevermind. The link is to a Blue "Cash" card, which is different than the regular Blue card. The name of the card should be updated in the OP's table.

Finally lost my original chase freedom benefits. 3% on top 5 categories and $200 for $250. The whole 5% on random categories makes me sad. Any suggestions for good bonus cards?

Hey guys, I'm 20 and I finally decided its time to get a credit card to raise my credit. My problem: I have not been approved by my bank for the Student CC, nor have I been approved by Macy's(Banker suggested). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. Thanks in advance. Is there a way I can find out the exact reason I'm being declined?

I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the Finance section as a new thread. I decided I would be less obtrusive and stick with a little post :).


Thanks thelnel52.

Start a new thread.

Why isn't the Fidelity Amex listed under the "High Rewards" category. It gives 2% cash back on everything with no caps.

http://personal.fidelity.com/prod...owcard=all

Need some help :)
I had a thankyou network account but it looks like htey are not going to be good for travel...my job is changing where i will be taking flights/using hotels more often... I am going to be trying to stick, with one airline and hotel chain to maximize rewards there but i am not sure which credit card is best for travel.... i have excellent credit , dont carry balances, and i dont want a yearly fee.... any good suggestions?

Hi guys! Would there be any credit cards that I could apply for at this time and get it sent to me in time before Thanksgiving?

I wouldn't be able to speak for other financial institutions, but I bet if you called the AMEX line for opening a new card and tell them that you would need them to ship it faster to you, I'm sure they would.

I know this because I had added my spouse as an additional cardholder and her card arrived bent in the envelope and when I called to tell them, they sent a replacement via Fedex 2-day.

Just call and tell them that you would want it very soon.

Thanks. I will try that! :)

Need a suggestion for a cashback card. this will be used for all my spending (will have automated pay setup from my bank account)
Mostly for online puchasing, paypal, gas, groceries, monthly rent/utilities, shopping, dining, work expenses.

I predict I will be charging about 20-30k on the card a year.
figured I should jump in on some kind of savings since I rely solely on my debit card and a visa that I'm not getting any rewards off of.

Preferably no annual fee.
I'm currently a graduate student until 2013 if that gets me any incentives.

Glad I found this thread.


I know the BT transfer fee card market is dried up.

I need to do a BT very soon and want to know what the best card currently available is. Its a high amount being transferred. Maybe 8K or 9K.

What is the best card to go with currently?

Deleted.

Hi everyone, I am just wondering where I could purchase a virtual credit card to purchase things online? I'm not too comfortable using my regular card if there is a safer option out there (such as a virtual/prepaid card)

I definitely want to purchase from a reputable place due to it being the holidays and scammers tend to target people at these times.


any help is greatly appreciated, Thanks in advance!

Happy Holidays!

So, you plan on only making purchases from reputable websites and are still uncomfortable with using your regular card? I hate to say it but you really need to step outside your bubble and embrace the internet.

But to answer your question:
1. Check to see if your credit card companies offer a "virtual credit card" number generator. I know some credit card companies have this feature on their website when you log in to access your account.
2. Go out and buy some Visa/MC/Amex gift cards, you can use them anywhere online that normally accepts those types of cards.
3. Or you could just review your credit card company's policy on unauthorized purchases and monitor your statements closely.

any good american express card sign up deals? looking to get an AMEX without an annual fee but definitely don't want miss out on free $$$..

The american express blue sky preferred has a sign up bonus of $100 after the first $500 in spend. There is a $75 annual fee, but it was waived for the first year when I applied. Also, they give you a $100 credit every year to spend on travel charges such as baggage fees and in flight meals.

I see this in my BOA CC account (mastercard), it looks like its through BOA for me though

Hey thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.


I do purchase quite a bit on the internet, actually most shopping goes on here d/t the savings you can't really always find locally...I just always like having that extra bit of security if it is at all possible. I had an issue with ID fraud a few years back and I NEVER EVER want to go through that again, nor do I wish for anyone else to have to deal with that BS. Anyways, thank you for the suggestions I will definitely use them. :)

question about amex in general. does every amex card include perks such as extending the manufacturer warranty on certain purchases, things like that? Or is it only certain cards?

i think all of them. My basic Amex Blue Cash has it.

awesome thanks..

Agreed.. my black one got it too..

I have a medical expense of $5000 in the next 2 months. I am thinking about using Balance Transfer. I have never used it before. Few questions..Is balance transfer available only if it is a new card? Can i transfer from my citi card to my Amex card?
Is there any other card which can provide good reward for spending $5000 in the first 2 months?
Trying to compare the pros and cons of both approaches.

What about the Bank of America Cashback Signature Visa? 1% cashback on everything

I detest BOA in general, chase freedom has the same 1%, plus you get 5% back in rotating categories every 3 months (things like gas, groceries, movies, restaurants, department stores etc.).

I see. Just thought I would mention it because that is what I use and I like it so far. Also offers a program similar to Bing Cash Back for certain merchants. I was denied for the Chase Freedom so I went with this one.

I was looking into the 0% interest on balance transfers from the Barclays Rec rewards and the terms stated : •Balance Transfer Either $10 or 4% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. (During the first twelve billing cycles after account opening, either $10 or 3% of each transfer, whichever is greater).

It does not mention a cap, am I missing it?

According to

http://archive.slickdeals.net/sho...p?t=871390

virtual cards offer no protection.

If you cancel a regular credit card due to suspicious activity and the credit card company issues a new one, can the old number that is "out there" be used again by someone?

If not, why are old virtual card numbers treated differently?

Pen Fed rewards card is dropping 2% for groceries to 1% on March 1. It will still give 5% for gas

Any updated information on what rewards the different cards are offering? I am also wondering has anyone "upgraded" a card they currently have to a "rewards program" and how did it work out???

Have there been any thoughts to maybe adding a wiki or somebody else taking the reigns on editing the first post? It doesn't have to be every two weeks but once a month or even every couple of months would be awesome. Not trying to sound too needy...

I too see no mention of a cap as of 1/20/2011. :(

Hope this is the right thread....

I have a Chase Freedom card that gives me 10 bonus points per purchase plus points per dollar based on purchase price. For example, a $25 purchase nets me 35 points - 25 points for the $25 item + 10 bonus points. I believe the bonus points are given regardless of the cost of the item. This means you can actually make money on any purchase under ten cents since the value of 10 points is 10 cents. I understand this would be a giant pain in the rear to take advantage of but I am wondering if I am missing something.

Does Chase not give the 10 bonus points on .01 transactions? Do they limit the number of .01 transactions you are allowed? There was a H&R Block deal for .01 over the weekend. I bought it 20 times and got 20 confirmations however my Chase account is only showing 10 transactions. This all seems very odd to me and I'm wondering if someone can weigh in.

Please note I am not advocating the churning of .01 transactions. I am merely observing the rules of the card and wondering what what happens.

Quick Question on Discover Card Cashback Bonus fee: So I got my billing this month and there was a small fee that reduced this months cash back. The fee is called "ShopDiscover & Promotional". It wasn't that much money but it kind of reminded me of the TV commercial where the guy says this "This is Peggy". Anyone know what this fee is for? Couldn't find it after searching the www.

Which card do you have? I have a Discover More card but mine doesn't have any fees. ShopDiscover is their online click through for more CB shop, did you maybe return something you bought through there? Or maybe there was an issue with the CB with that vendor? I would definitely contact them about that.

For the Citi Platinum Select MasterCard, it says you get 10% back, is that right!? I know you can only spend it to reduce the cost of something (like a gift card or travel), but still, that seems insane.

Does anyone know if banks will "upgrade" a credit card?
My specific example: I have a chase freedom card and want a chase sapphire card. Is there a way to have chase convert the freedom into a sapphire? I know I can just apply for sapphire and cancel the freedom, but I'm not sure what kind of funny business that will cause on my credit report (specifically to the "length of credit" section).
I know I was able to "upgrade" my debit card from chase, to go to the cash rewards debit card. There was an option to do this online. Is something similar possible with the credit cards?

Anybody recently apply to penfed cc and got decline? Are they like super conservative or something because up to this point, I never have a cc application decline, mid to upper 700 credit score with no late payment history...yet still no dice. Only reason I applied was because they are one of the few or probably only cc left with 5% gas yearly (rotational doesn't count). I was checking up on credit karma and there was huge backlash with their cc....Was wondering if any SDers got hit with decline as well.

I am looking for a new CC and am open to any ideas at this point - my old card was a good fit (it deposited to a 529 for my kids at 2-3%) but now it is time to move along. I have excellent credit and pay it off each month - anyone see any slick deals out there right now?

If you are interested in travel then there's a couple of deals over Hot Deal section that have nice bonus miles offered. I think Chase is also doing a $150 bonus with one of their chase freedom card if you make a certain amount of purchase within 3 months or so.

we do not travel much - monthly purchase around $3k-$4k - I will keep looking but thanks for the thoughs...

From reading the your earlier post, I guess you must have the Fidelity Amex then. I am interested in applying for it...don't know how picky their criteria is though since I just recently got the Capital One Visa Signature Card.

Does anyone have hooters cc? I got one last yr. My only complaint from them is that the limit is really low. I called and asked if they could give me a higher limit and they said that they have to decide to do that on their own. I want to find a new card with no annual fee.

actually had the fidelity mastercard - I have a friend that had the amex version - 8 or 9 years ago it was easy to get in... I dont knwo now - I was pretty happy with it - just when it was not going into a 529 the whole thing does not make sense

No Fidelity MC that I know of. Just the Visa and Amex.

Applied for the Fidelty Visa several mos ago with a credit score of 750+, and had an approval instantly over the phone. It's a Visa Signature card (so it comes with a few perks, like the fandango B1G1 promos :bounce:), and it's more widely accepted than Amex. It's a nice 1.5% cashback into your brokerage account every month (when you reach at $50 in CB, otherwise it accumulates, and then deposits in to your account when you hit $50).

My husband was originally declined when he applied. I think they really look at income vs. expenses (I remember having to input our monthly rent expense).

He wrote them a letter requesting a second look, stating he was very upstanding, etc. and that he should have only put 1/2 of the rental amount in for rent expense because I pay the other half.

He eventually was accepted, but for a low amount. My limit isn't much higher than his. I could ask for a limit increase, but keep procrastinating.

So, you might try writing them a letter. Maybe they'll be receptive to it.

Thanks for the reply Jane0218. I probably wait 6 months and apply then since I am planning to jump on a couple of CC deals here from SD. I still think it's ridiculous of the requirements since you are pretty much blinded to whether or not you will get accepted when you join their union (donating 20-25 bux to join if you don't fit the requirment).