Credit Card ’s Talk

Whatever type of credit card you’re shopping for, student credit card, business card, airline card, most all have a credit card reward program. To attract your credit card dollar the financial institutions spend millions of dollars advertising these incentives with direct mailings and media advertising. It doesn’t matter what your lifestyle, there’s a credit card that has a reward program that fits your needs.

One thing that lures many people into applying for a card are the bonus points offered that are activated when you use the card the first time. They then put the card away and never use it again. This can be a good strategy if you have a high credit score. Please be aware, that if you follow this type of plan, applying for a number of credit cards at once, can have an adverse effect on your credit history. The credit limits allowed by each credit card account you have open also effects your credit score.

So if you’re in the market for a new credit card, it’s best that you pick one card that would be the most benefit to your needs. Don’t fall into the trap of having five to eight credit card accounts opened all at once. Besides having these inquiries effect your credit score, you just may be tempted to use each or all of these cards at the same time, which can lead to financial disaster.

Not all credit card reward programs that suit your needs would be found under the credit card category of rewards. It depends on the type of benefit you want from your card. Look into the category of card you’re looking for, then review and compare the rewards offered by each issue.

Airline cards offer an accumulation of frequent flyer miles, car rental discounts, hotel discounts, and rewards points for using your card at specific restaurants. Business cards offer a variety of incentives from cash back, gift cards, savings on certain phone carriers, discounts on business purchases at partner retail outlets, airline miles and car rentals.

The cash rebate card offers cash back when your card is used at specific retail outlets and a lessor cash accumulation for purchases made at other retailers. Even the category of Low Interest credit cards offer a number of rewards from 1% for regular purchases to 5% at specific partner outlets. They even offer a way to double your redemption points when used as gift cards at specific retailers.

If it’s savings on gasoline you’re looking for, there are a number of gas cards that offer discounts at the pump for using their card. These offers are for specific brands of gas. But if these brands are not offered or convenient in your area, there are additional credit card reward programs that offer gasoline purchases in their eligible cash back program.

What it comes down to is, pick the category of card you’re looking for, then take into consideration the credit card reward program offered. Only apply for one card at a time. But be forewarned, that should you not meet the terms and conditions of the credit card offer (also known as the fine print) and fall behind in your payment, your reward points will be withdrawn.

About the Author: Bradley Carson is the webmaster and editor of Apply Online For A Credit Card at http://www.cards-king.com, a website created to bring you concise credit card information and current credit card offers from premier financial institutions. See Brad’s current list of recommended Reward Credit Card offers.

The Discover Student Card is the perfect credit card for any student! This credit card allows you to spend money and earn money back at the same time. As a cardholder with the Discover Student card you are able to earn a full 5% in cash rebates for general purchases that you make at the participating merchants and up to a full 1% for any other purchase!

Depending on how much you spend and use your Discover Student card determines how much you can earn back. Meaning anyone who spends $1,500 on general purchases will earn a .25% rebate, spending between $1,500 and $3,000 will earn you a .5% rebate and anything over $3,000 will earn you a full 1% rebate. Another card holder benefit is that you can earn double cash back if you spend your rebate gift certificate at any of the Discover card partners. Remember that there is no yearly limited on the amount of rebates that can be earned and these rebates never expire as long as your account is active.

The Discover Student card also allows you to manage your account online. This is a convenience that not many other credit cards offer their cardholders, as a student this convenience is very much appreciated. When you apply for your Discover Student card you will find that there is No annual fee and a 0% introductory APR for the first six months of your approval. This is a great deal for any student, possibly the most affordable credit card for any student to own.

Unlike some of the more popular credit cards, the Discover Student card uses the two cycle average daily balance to determine the finances that need to be charged. This is much different from the more preferred method of the Daily average cycle, meaning you may find your finance charges a bit higher, but remember that you are not paying an annual fee for this card either. The Discover Student card is ideal for any student to spend and earn at the same time!

For more information or to obtain the Discover Student Card application, Joshua Shapiro recommends Find Credit Cards.

Credit cards are here to stay for the multiple benefits associated with them. We already know that credit cards act as a convenient payment mode for shopping, they are safer to carry as compared to cash, they help build a credit rating which can be used for getting fast approval on loans etc, and they are there to help when you need credit. However, there are other benefits too which one should be aware of as well. Let?s check what these other benefits are:

1. Travel Insurance

A lot of credit cards have travel insurance built into them as an inherent feature. So if you are one of those who travel frequently, this benefit could be a real boon. However, you should always check if this travel insurance is enough for you. Also check the terms and conditions associated with such insurance. Loss of baggage is something which is almost invariably covered with such insurance.

2. Discounts for travelers

A number of credit card companies have tie-ups or association with various hotel chains, car rental agencies and airlines etc. For frequent travelers, this is sometimes one of the main criterion or deciding factor in choosing a credit card. These discounts are sometimes pretty attractive and your credit card may become a cash saver for you. Sometimes an airline might offer a credit card too (a co-branded credit card for example) where-in the benefits would be more travel oriented than other cards. This could include things like earning additional miles for payments made using their credit card or some kind of preferential treatment etc.

3. Discount for shoppers

If you are one of those who likes to shop at some particular shops (retail chains) which are your favorites, then you might like to check if you have some additional benefits available on your credit card. These could be there as a result of partnership or affiliation links with the retail chain. Whenever you pay for your purchases using your credit card, you either get a discount or additional membership rewards points. Some of the retail chains float their own co-branded credit cards too and it could be good to consider them too.

4. Membership Rewards

Most of the credit card suppliers run membership rewards programs too. Some of these are free to join whereas others might have a small fee associated with them. The ones with fee obviously offer more attractive rewards as compared to the free ones. So once you subscribe to a membership program (either explicitly or implicitly) you start earning reward points on whatever payments you make using your credit card. As you accumulate points, you become eligible for rewards which are based on the number of membership reward points you hold on your credit card. You can barter these points for attractive gifts. If you are a heavy user of your credit card, you will accumulate the points faster. Watches, bags, wine and a whole lot of good stuff can be bought using these reward points. So keep track of your reward points.

5. Cash back

Some credit card companies provide you with cash back option too where-in you might get a certain percentage of money back, if you spend more than a certain amount on your credit card. These are really good offers. Nothing can match a thing like cash back.

So, read all the benefits being offered on your credit card. You never know when one could become handy.

Rudy Hadisentosa: CCN.com is a free online credit cards review and application website. We offer credit cards selection from visa,master cards, discover, american express and many others. We have quite some categories and hundreds of credit cards selection to fit your need. Apply for a credit card at CCN.com.

The Credit History report is like the Hall Monitor in the world of credit cards. The credit history report will serve as a security for credit card companies to screen out the bad weeds and the good weeds.

However, it might be hard for some of us to maintain that perfect credit history. This is because life is not perfect; some of us will encounter problems in our cash flow to pay off certain bills. When that happens, it damages your credit score more.

The lower credit score you have the harder time it is for you getting a credit card or even loans. Lower credit scores may even give you problems finding a job or an apartment.

To be on the fair side, credit card companies do look at other matters when you apply for a credit card. It will only serve as a consideration. The other thing they look at is your credit history. On your credit history, they will base how many times you?ve paid late, how much debt you owe and how much is the credit still available. They will also look at the time you have spent with your job and if you have been earning a steady income with that job.

The lender will usually give consideration to person who has made late payments but has seen that the debt to income ratio is manageable. This means that you are able to make enough money that can pay off the debts you currently owe.

When also applying for a credit card. Limit your application to a few number of credit card companies. The more number of pending applications you have, the more damaging it could be to your credit score. Try to research before applying for a credit card. Check out the cards that are catered for people with low credit scores.

If you are afraid of all of the bad things and risk involved when getting a card also consider the benefits the credit card is able to provide. If you are a person who is repairing or improving your credit rating. You are most likely using all the cash you have to pay out those bills. Therefore making you have less money available for emergency purposes.

Having a card will give you the money you need. However do be responsible with the card and don?t overcharge it. Also learn to pay the bill of card on time.

It is suggestible for people with bad credit rating to get secured credit cards. This cards work by making the user deposit certain amount of money to the card company. The limit you have is the amount you have deposited. When you use the card, the amount will be deducted to your deposit.

The good thing about this is, when you are not using the deposited money, the money will be earning form the interest. It also helps improve your credit rating.

Michael Colucci is a technical writer for Low Interest Credit Cards and Credit Card Facts

No doubt, you’ve probably gotten literally hundreds of credit card applications in the mail and online, and each and every one of them has said that you’ve been Pre-Approved.

Of course it’s natural that this would lead us to believe that the application process is simply a formality. After all, you’ve been approved already so no worries, right? Wrong! Many of the offers that say you’re pre-approved don’t actually mean for the credit card. I know it’s misleading, but what they’re really saying is that you’ve been approved to apply for your card, not actually receive one. Your actual approval will depend on several different factors, any of which can keep you off the receiving end.

We’ll go over some of the reasons for rejection and what, if anything, can be done about them.

WHY YOUR WERE REJECTED….

The most probable answer is your credit score. Although several other things may have been taken into consideration, such as your salary or time on your job, your credit score is usually the biggie. The catch here is that your credit history doesn’t even have to be bad, it can be blank and that will work against you just as much as a bad score will. Having no credit is almost as bad as having bad credit since the credit card companies have no reference point to see just how you will handle your credit account.

If you have a history of making late payments on bills and other loans, that will work against you. The credit card company wants to know that you are a worthwhile risk before they issue you a card.

As I mentioned above, other issues also come into play. If you have just started a new job, a creditor may want to wait a while to make sure that you keep it. These are other factors that will be considered if your credit history is less than perfect but not a total loss.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT….

Clean up your credit history ASAP! This is the single best step you can take in improving your options when it comes to credit cards and other types of loans as well.

Most creditors are required to tell you why you were rejected and what credit bureau they used to access your report. You should be entitled to a free copy of your credit report if the data contained on it was used to deny your application. Check with the credit bureau to see.

If your credit rating is poor, take action immediately. Start paying your bills on time. Look into consolidating your bills so that you can afford to pay the monthly amount. Eliminate any extra spending that isn’t necessary and use that extra towards your outstanding debts. Yes, this could take some time, but in the long run it will be well worth it.

Once you have cleaned up your credit a bit or established some basic credit, let some time pass. Apply for the card (or a better one) again. Once the creditor sees how hard you’ve been working to get your credit report up to par, you may just be rewarded for your efforts. Be careful, though. The last thing you want to do is go overboard with your new credit card and dig yourself into another financial hell-hole! So be wary.

Alain Diza is an Ex-Enron survivor, turned Internet Marketer, Real Estate Investor, and published author who partnered with financial credit industry ‘guru’ Joe Lloyd, to negotiate the arguably largest & most competitive online selection of highly-targeted credit cards in the industry to date. Get your own free credit card designed specifically for you, at Alain’s insiders-only site: http://www.onlinecreditcardsdirectory.com

If you live in, or visit, Chicago often, then the American Express IN Chicago card may be just the AMEX card for you. This particular card is designed for those with good credit and who plan to take advantage of dining, entertainment and travel in and around the Chicago area.

When you use the American Express IN Chicago card, you earn an ?INSIDE? reward point for every dollar that you spend. You can earn double the ?INSIDE? reward points when you use the card for what are called ?City Essentials?: newspaper purchases, magazine subscriptions, dining tabs, movie tickets, cable or ISP subscriptions, and even the cost of gym memberships! The points you earn can be redeemed for services and experiences located in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. These include things like hotel accommodations and airline tickets.

The biggest perk of the American Express IN Chicago card is the Tuesdays IN Chicago feature. When you use this particular card at venues and merchants who participate in the program, you will get 10% off! These include various retailers, spas and health clubs. When you use the IN Chicago card, you will also get priority access to select clubs, concerts and other venues!

Currently, the variable APR for the American Express IN Chicago card is 11.99%, after the first 6 month of a 0% introductory rate. For cash advances, the variable APR goes up to 22.99%. There are, of course, finance charges for any purchases that are not paid for within the first 20 days, and there are charges for other services like cash advances and balance transfers. The minimum credit limit on this card is $1000, with the maximum limit offered being $100,000.

So, if you are looking for a reward card which has no annual fee and you live near or frequently visit Chicago, applying for the American Express IN Chicago card is the smart thing to do!

For more information or to apply for the American Express IN Chicago, Beth Derkowitz recommends Find Credit Cards.