Most of you know that Capital One credit cards have no foreign transaction fees, but I haven’t seen Visa or Mastercard without one. Not until I saw the PenFed Promise Visa with no foreign transaction fees.  There is also no balance transfer(BT) fee and no cash advance fee, however it’s not 0% APR.

For those that are a little credit card savvy, you can use this no BT fee to your advantage.  Lets say you have a 0% 12 months Balance Transfer offer from another issuer. You can balance transfer to the PenFed Promise card, and your credit will be negative. You can do a Cash Advance or write a check from Penfed card and there will be no fees.

From the website:

PenFed upholds an unyielding commitment to bring you quality products with outstanding features. In this spirit, we created the new PenFed Promise Card that dares to combine the freedom of absolutely no fees with one of the lowest rates for purchases in the country!

A unique, smart, no-frills card that offers you exceptional value and PenFed’s proven service. That’s our Promise to you.

Our Promise Card features:

* Absolutely no fees!
* 7.49% APR introductory purchase APR for first 36 months ! After that, the APR will vary with the Prime Rate, and is currently 9.99% APR.
* No-fee cash advances carry a 17.99% APR

The last hurdle is joining PenFed in order to apply for this credit card. You can join PenFed via:

1. SAME – Free for high school or college students.
2. Complete list – member of military, family member, etc.
3. NMFA – one time $20 membership

Quick Free FICO Score and Report

MyFico is giving your credit Score Watch and report Free Trial for thirty days. They will remind you when your free trial is up. The best part is they are making the cancellation extremely easy. Simply visit this MyFico cancellation page so you won’t ever have to pay anything! Once you login, the cancellation is quick with an easy cancellation button. No need to call customer services or dealing with them selling other financial products.

Checking your credit score and report are vital to your financial health. Visit MyFico today to get your free credit score and report.

• 0 Comments

Most people have heard of the Citi Thank You rewards program, but the Citi Private Pass Rewards gets much less fanfare.  It’s a program all Citi debit and credit cardholders are entitled to and completely free to join. With the Citi Thank You rewards program, it’s usually involved gift cards. The Citi Private Pass provides deeply discounted tickets to concerts, dining, shopping, and sporting events. These tickets are cheap and sometimes free to members of the Citi Private Pass program.

My guess is that the Citi Private Pass caters to the young and hip crowd with its exclusive events and VIP access. They want to capture the demographic who are most likely to spend on entertainment venues at deep discounted prices. Members can also get access to pre-sale tickets with preferred seating reservations. There are also limited movie screening and dining events with many options to choose from. Some of the categories include restaurants, nightclubs, sporting events, shopping, and many more.

Some top events currently available from Citi Private Pass:

1. Music Concert Tickets: Working in conjunction with Live Nation, they are now providing tickets to Tom Petty, Brooks & Dunn, Nickelback, Alan Jackson, and many more. They are also running two for one special for many special music events.
2. Sporting Events Tickets: These include but limited to basketball academy, FIFA World Cup, Grand Prix NY, Ski and Snowboard.
3. Special Events: There is a whole list of VIP access to night life, culinary experiences, shopping, and dining access.

Again, membership is available to all Citi credit and debit cardholders.  If you are the type who enjoy the experiences rather than getting a gift card for your reward points, then call up Citi CSR to inquire them about the Citi Private Pass.  Once a member, go to Citi Private Pass website for all the free and discounted deals that are among the most popular you will find.

Everbank 2.25% APY Accounts

I personally have an EverBank Freenet Checking Account. You get 2.25% APY for the first 3 months and up to 1.46% APY afterward. They have excellent customer services and my account account is extremely easy to navigate.  Adding their Money Market Account and you will get the best combo of any internet banking experience. I highly recommend to bank with Everbank!

• 0 Comments

Sounds crazy right? This is Legit! Imagine buying anything, paying bills, etc and get 3.35% Cash Back. This does takes a little work since you need the Schwab Visa Card to maximize the cash back. You will get Big Crumbs 1.35% Bonus on top of your credit card. I’ll let you know if there is a higher rate.

First, I need you to join Big Crumbs as CrumbSaver in order to get it to work. Big Crumbs is another site that will give you cash back for buying things online. Currently, you can get 1.35% Cash Back buying American Express Gift Cards. I will pay it with my Schwab 2% Cash Back to get a total of 3.35 Cash Back.

Do the Hustle 1-2-3:

1. Join Big Crumbs
2. Enter info such as name, address, and paypal info for cash back to send to.
3. Search for American Express gift card.
4. Go through the link and pay it with your Schwab CC(for maximum Cash back) or another Credit Card.
5. Use promo code EMSVCA to take out all the fees.
6. Sign into AmEx account first if you want to sign up up for premium shipping free for 3 months.
7. Buy up to $5000 every 14 days.

There are no monthly fees and the gift cards do not expired. Few fallbacks include American Express is not accepted everywhere and you lose some warranty buying with a gift card. You could call in and register your card with your name to order online, but I wouldn’t use AmEx gift card for Ebay in order to protect yourself.

Lending Club $25 Bonus

Lending Club was kind enough to allow me to offer my readers a special promotion: Open a lending account and receive a $25 bonus. You can use this bonus to make your first loan. To take advantage of this promotion, please click on this specific promotional link. Many of my readers have gotten the bonus and have enjoy their experience.
Here’s what to do:

1. Go though this Special Lending Club link
2. Fill in your name, email, password, and make up a user ID.
3. Verify your identity
4. Add your bank account and wait them to withdraw an amount less than $1
5. Wait for a few days, and verify the amount that has been withdrawn.
6. Deposit $1 to get $25 bonus.
7. Bonus will show up after the initial deposit.

• 0 Comments

The credit card Act of 2009 is about to takes effect this Monday, credit card issuers are coming out with new ways to increase their earning according to this WSJ’s article. The new law expects to cost the credit card industry $12 billion a year.

New Tactics to Recuperate their loss Earning:

1. Citi and Bank of America now charge 3% foreign-transaction fees on all foreign transactions including those charged in U.S dollars such as in the Bahamas. Discover is charging a new 2% for foreign purchases since last year.
2. American Express Cardholders will lose their rewards points if they pay late.  In order to get the points back, they must pay a $29 fee.
3. Expect higher annual fees, higher balance-transfer charges, and growing charges for overseas transactions. E.G. Citi’s recent $60 fee annual fee.
4. More fees for extra services from requesting a year-end itemization of all your purchases to  paper statements or getting extended warranties on purchases.

The article claims that they are going beyond charging fees to increase their profit. They are cutting back their rewards program significantly such as shortening the expiration periods, raising redemption fees or implementing earnings caps on rewards.

ING Direct Checking $50 Bonus

I’m starting to think ING is the new Chase. Currently, ING Direct is giving out a $50 bonus for their new Electric Orange checking account customers. Click through the link, then apply now button, hit the continue button, and make sure to put in the offer code EM428 in the reference box.

In order to qualify, you must make 3 signature based debit transactions in 45 days after account opening. If you already have their ING Savings, then you are automatically approved. Simply sign through this link with the offer code EM428. With both accounts, you can easily transfer money back and forth. It doesn’t have the best interest rate since it’s only a checking account. However, it very convenient to have both checking and savings.

• 0 Comments

You all know that using a credit card, building your credit limit, and paying your balance on time build up your credit score. It’s always a good idea to check up on your credit score every now and then. Well, there is a free service out here called Credit Karma. It allows to check your Transunion credit score for absolutely free. No credit card sign up and no cancellation requirement. However, this is not the real FICO score, but it gives you a good estimation of where your FICO credit score is.

Simply sign up through the link , which is completely free for credit score approximation. You will need to give up some personal information such as Social Security in order to access your credit report. Credit Karma stands out in their comparison tools. The visual presentation compares you nationally with your age group, location, etc.

Again, this is completely free, and there is simply no trial here. You check as often as you want, and it doesn’t hurt your credit score. Although you may just check your score once a month since the score will only be updated monthly.  Finally,  play with the credit simulator to see how you could raise your credit score within your account.

Some important notes:

It’s not a real FICO credit score. If you want a real FICO score, you can still do it free under a 30 days free trial from MyFico. You would need to cancel within 30 days in order to get it for free.

If you only want to look at your credit report and not your credit score, then simply visit annualcreditreport.com from the government for a complete free report of your credit history.

• 1 Comment

By invitation only, your American Express rewards plus cards can save you 20% at Cheesecake Factory and Capital Grille. The spending requirement must be at least $75 at Cheesecake Factory or $100 at Capital Grille for the 20% to kick in. Promo includes the following cards:

The American Express Card, the American Express Rewards Green Card, the American Express Preferred Rewards Green Card, the American Express Gold Card, the American Express Rewards Gold Card, the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card, the American Express Rewards Plus Gold Card, and the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express .

From the website:

We’d like to say thank you for being a valued Card member. To participate, just register your Card and start enjoying meals at either The Capital® Grille or The Cheesecake Factory®—or both! Once you reach your spending threshold at a restaurant, your statement will reflect a 20% credit on future meals at that restaurant. Register and reach the spending threshold before June 15, 2010 to dine for less. Three easy steps…

American Express Premier Gold $150 Bonus

The American Express(R) Premier Rewards Gold Card is currently offering 15000 bonus points = $150 gift cards after $1000 in spending in your first 3 months. You can order coins to fulfill this promotion to do this quickly. This offer is a quick easy way to make $150 bonus. There is no fees for first year, so I would cancel the card before the anniversary if you don’t find it useful.

Offer Details:

1. Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards bonus points when you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months of Card membership. MR points are very versatile, and can be converted to 15,000 frequent flier miles in a number of programs (or 10 Southwest credits), or you can simply get $150 in gift cards at several stores like Home Depot, Crate & Barrel, or Macy’s. I think you can also get cash equivalents at a reduced ratio.
2. Offers 3X points on airfare, 2X points on gas and groceries, and 1X points on everything else.
3. Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards bonus points when you spend $30,000 per calendar year.
4. No annual fee for your first year. After that it is $175.

• 0 Comments

Are you a Chase cardholder? Ever since Chase took away the $250 check for 20,000 points, there hasn’t been a good redemption for your points.  Lately, they have been running a special whereas you can get a $25 restaurant card + a $10 AMC gift card for 2500 points. Some of the restaurants include Applebee’s, On the Border, Chili’s, Maggiano’s, Macaroni Grill, Outback, and more.  Log-in your Chase credit card account to see. Offer is good until 3/14/10 on Chase Ultimate Rewards main page.

ING Business $100 Bonus

Just got an email from ING about their new business $100 bonus good until Feb. 28th. Make sure to put in BSA298 in the reference code box.

Small business savings with big time benefits

The ING DIRECT Business Savings Account pays a 1.10% Annual Percentage Yield – that’s more than 3X the national average. Plus a $100 bonus just to get started.

* No minimums, hidden fees or service charges
* Access for up to 3 authorized signers for added flexibility and security
* Manage your account online with 24/7 accessibility

Sign up for one today and remember to put in the offer code BSA298 for reference code box when filling out the application.

Open an account by February 28th, 2010 and make sure you use Reference Code BSA298 to be eligible for the $100.

• 0 Comments

If you have an American Express card with a high credit limit, then you don’t want to ask for an increase in credit limit. If you do, there is a good chance of a Financial Review which will most likely be resulted in a slash of your credit limit(CLI).  Those with a low credit limit, you can ask for a credit limit increase as long as the credit line amount that you requested is not greater than three times your current credit line. Lets say your credit limit is $1000, then you would want to ask for somewhere below $3000.  If you are denied, then ask for a lower amount since there is no waiting period with American Express.

It has been reported that they only do soft pulls for credit limit increase. Also, if your CLI request is granted, you have to wait 30 days before you can request another CLI.  Finally, if you requests for CLI are still being deny, then it’s better to get a new American Express card.

American Express Cards:

Blue Cash® from American Express is designed for those with good or excellent credit who plan to take advantage of the cash back rewards program. This card has no annual fee and an average rate for purchases and balance transfers (for those who qualify), which makes it ideal for those who plan to occasionally carry a balance. The card also has a 0% introductory rate for the first six months of membership that can be applied toward purchases.

The TrueEarnings® Card from Costco and American Express is designed for Costco members who have average credit and plan to take advantage of the cash back reward program. A 1% rebate is earned on general purchases, 2% is earned for travel-related purchases, and 3% is earned for restaurant and on gasoline purchases up to $3,000 (1% thereafter). There is no limit to the amount of cash rebates that can be earned. There is also no annual fee for this card with a paid Costco membership. This card also provides many common benefits and services.

• 0 Comments

The Credit Card Act of 2009 (H.R. 627) has a new set of rules for credit card issuers with annual fees, rewards program, interest rate hikes, and issuing cards to minors. Most of the major changes will take effect on February 22nd as outlined by the Federal Reserve.

Top Credit Card Act Rules

1. Interest rate cannot be raised within the first year unless it’s an end of introductory rate, variable rate tied to the LIBOR, or more than 60 days late on a payment.
2. Existing balances cannot be retroactively apply rate increase.
3. Monthly statement due dates must be the same day every month.
4. Minimum payment requirements cannot be raised without notification.
5. Issuers can raise interest rate with 45 days advanced notice and customers can opt out.
6. Any amount over the minimum payment due will go to the highest interest rate balance first.
7. Double cycle billing and Universal default are not permitted.
8. The over-limit must be opt in, likewise cardholder can opt out anytime.
9. Issuers cannot charge extra fees for paying their bill and statements must be 21 days before due date.

If issuers make a change to your card agreement, you have the right to opt out. If you do opt out, issuers can have cardholder repay the balance over 5 years and keep the same payment as before.

Rules for Minor/College Students

1. You must be 21 to get a credit card. If not, you must get co-signers or prove source of income to repay the debt.
2. College or alumni association’s deals with credit card marketers must be transparent to the Federal Reserve Board.
3. Credit card companies cannot come within 1,000 yards from campus.

Gift Card Rules

1. Prepaid cards, gift cards and certificates are good for at least 5 years unless stated otherwise.
2. No more dormancy or inactivity fees unless clearly stated.

Quick Free FICO Score and Report

MyFico is giving your credit Score Watch and report Free Trial for thirty days. They will remind you when your free trial is up. The best part is they are making the cancellation extremely easy. Simply visit this MyFico cancellation page so you won’t ever have to pay anything! Once you login, the cancellation is quick with an easy cancellation button. No need to call customer services or dealing with them selling other financial products.

Checking your credit score and report are vital to your financial health. Visit MyFico today to get your free credit score and report.

• 0 Comments

For those Chase customers with a Chase Credit Card and a Chase Checking Account, you may be able to get a free FICO Experian score. People from the following states AZ, CA, ID, NV, OR, UT, and WA are qualify at the moment.

Here’s a recent email from the CSR:

Thank you for contacting the Internet Service Center.

Thank you for inquiring about the ability to view your
credit score online. I’m happy to explain this new feature
to Chase Online.

Starting February 11, 2010, some credit card customers who
log onto Chase Online will see a full-page ad notifying
that you can find out your FICO credit score at no charge.
The FICO score is valuable to you because it’s a key
factor in determining the loan rates and credit card terms
that you are offered.

The ad features a “Show me my free credit score from FICO”
button that you click on to see your score.

When you click on the button, you’ll be taken to a special
Chase Online page that gives you your credit score (within
a 10 point range) and additional information about how to
improve or maintain your credit score. FICO scores can
range from 300 to 850; they’re provided by Experian, a
third-party credit reporting agency.

When you click “Go to My Accounts” on the full-page ad you
will see a banner ad promoting the free FICO score after
subsequent log-ins to Chase Online.

Please note, your FICO score is calculated based on
information from your credit report (e.g. payment history,
length of credit history, new credit, amounts owed), but
the score does NOT reflect your full credit report.

If you have questions about your FICO score, please call
Experian at (888) 397-3742. Also, if you would like to
obtain your Credit Report you can contact any of the three
credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax (800-685-1111) and
TransUnion (800-888-4213).

I’m not really sure how we were able to offer this but
being a bank I believe since we do work closely with
credit reporting agencies we may have been able to have a
contract with them to offer this to our crdit card
customers. I’m sorry that I cannot answer your question
but enjoy this new wonderful benefit and have a great
weekend Ms. xxxxxx.

If you have any questions or require further assistance,
please e-mail us via the Secure Message Center or contact
our Internet Service Center.

You should be able to see the screen like below inside your Chase account:

$25 ING Savings Bonus

ING Direct is an online bank with the quickest $25 bonus I can think of. I have set up some automatic links so you can sign up right away. In order to get the bonus, you must go through my referral link and deposit $250. The $25 bonus will take no longer than a day to show up. There is no monthly or minimum fees. Setup is extremely fast and easy. Not only it’s a quick $25, the account is 1.25% APY and FDIC insured. You can also use this account to send money to other bank accounts such as Chase and Bank of America, and it will count as a Direct Deposit requirement.

Once you got your account open, you can send 50 referrals to your friends and family members to make up to $500 more.

Make sure to deposit $250 for opening deposit

1. ING $25 Referral Link!
   
2. ING $25 Referral Link!
3. ING $25 Referral Link!

• 0 Comments