I believe we might be coming back from a recession. How do I know? I notice credit cards bonuses been on the rise lately. Currently, Chase Sapphire(SM) Card is giving away 10,000 Bonus Points after first purchase. The 10,000 bonus points can be cashed in for a $100 check. There is no annual fee with the Chase Sapphire Card.

Once you apply for the Chase Sapphire Card, then make one purchase to get 10,000 points. Do the following to cash out:

– Call Ultimate Rewards Redemption Center at 1-800-610-5676
– Enter in CC# and zip code when prompted — the automated voice prompt should verbally state your current point balance as reflected in the system
– Select option to redeem rewards
– Select option to redeem rewards for cash (Option 2, I think)
– Select option for $50 check
– Indicate number of $50 checks that you wish to redeem — 2
– Complete order and make a note of confirmation code

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Many Citibank cardholders have received notices of an annual fee effective April 1, 2010.

From the letter:

February 13, 2010

Dear Potentially Hosed Customer,

We’re writing to let you know about an important change we’re making to your account. Effective April 1, 2010, an annual
fee of $60 is being added.

The reason we are making this change is to maintain the quality of our service amid the rising cost of doing business.
However, because we value you as a customer, we wanted to give you an opportunity to have the annual fee credited
back to your account.

Here’s how it works. Each year, we’ll credit the $60 fee back to your account once you have made $2,400 in purchases
during that year. That comes to an average of $200 in spending a month, an amount you can reach by using your card
for purchases you already make, like gas, groceries, cell phone plans or your cable bill.

As always, you have the right to opt out of this change and close your account. Please read the Notice of Change in
Terms and Right to Opt Out beginning on the back of this letter so you are fully aware of all your account changes. If you
have questions, call 1-866-915-9425.

Sincerely,

Ken Stork
Citibank (South Dakota), N.A.

Here are some of the Citi cards with annual fee starting April 1st:

1. Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards MasterCard
2. Citi Dividend World MasterCard
3. Citi mtvU
4. Citi Drivers Edge
5. Citi CashReturns

It states that once you spent $2400, they will add the $60 credit back to offset the fee. This is almost like blackmail in my opinion. I suggest get a new card with no annual fee below:

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Every credit cards’ issuers have some perks and freebies. Well, American Express Credit Cards will double your warranty for anything you buy using their Cards. Some of the basic features include automatic warranty extension up to one year.

From the website:

1. How does the Extended Warranty work?
When you charge the cost of a covered product with your American Express® Card, the Extended Warranty will extend the terms of the original manufacturer’s warranty for a period of time equal to the duration of the original manufacturer’s warranty, up to one additional year on warranties of five years or less that are eligible in the U.S.

Make sure to keep the following items to file your claim: the original purchase receipt, the product warranty card, your AmEx statement, and the broken product.

Want to file your claim? Call their Extended Warranty Hotline at 1-800-225-3750. Once you file your claim, check your status by checking at www.americanexpress.com/onlineclaim. Be prepared to wait two weeks for the claim to process after submitting support materials.

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With Bank of America’s Upromise Mastercard, you can get $25 bonus after first purchase. First, you need to join Upromise Rewards program which is completely free. They are currently running a $250,000 scholarship giveaway. Then sign up for the Bank of America’s Upromise Mastercard to gt maximum cash back and a $25 bonus. There is no annual fee, and you get 10% EXTRA on college savings on participating grocery and drugstore items, 2% EXTRA
college savings on eligible Exxon and Mobil gas purchases, and EARN 1% on college savings on every purchase. Join Today!

What is Upromise?

Upromise is a free service that helps you pay for college. Whether you’re saving for a child’s future college expenses or paying down a student loan, Upromise can really make a difference. In fact, it’s helping millions of people all across the country.

How does it work?

You can get money back for college just for doing the things you do every day – shopping online, buying groceries, filling the gas tank, eating out at a restaurant, booking travel, and much more. Relatives and friends can also join Upromise and direct their college earnings to your account.

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The 2% cashback Charles Schwab Invest First Visa Card has been around for awhile. It’s getting pretty popular, and they have been taking down the old links. Make sure to apply for it before it’s too late. The 2% cash back card is good on all purchases. Get this while it’s available, and there is no annual fee at all. No limit on the cash back you earn. However, you must open a Charles Schwab brokerage account to get unlimited 2% cash back. The cash back will automatically deposited into your Schwab One account.

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These cards are extremely hard to find because they don’t offer 0% APR Balance Transfer cards anymore. Not only the great 12 months 0% APR, but they all have a cap or no balance transfer fee. Very rare to find, but here is the exclusive list:

1. 12 months 0% APR $0 BT fee US Bank TheLinuxFund.org
2. 12 months 0% APR $0 BT fee US Bank Baylor Alumni card
3. 12 months 0% APR $0 BT fee US Bank Prof. Bullrider’s Assoc.
4. 12 months 0% APR $0 BT fee US Bank American Humane
5. 12 months 0% APR $0 BT fee US Bank Sons OF Norway
6. 6 months 0% APR $0 BT fee Barclays Harvard World MasterCard (Alumni). 5000 bonus points first use.
7. 8 months 0% APR $60 Max BT fee RBS People’s United Bank card
8. 12 months 0% APR $75 Max BT fee Barclays Coast to Coast Visa
9. 12 months 0% APR $75 Max BT fee Chase Disney Rewards
10. 12 months 0% APR $75 Max BT fee Chase OptionsXpress Platinum Visa

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Those with a Visa Signature card from the list below, you can get a free $5 in movie tickets for every $20 purchased at Fandango. Before they have the buy one get one free, but the promo is over.

414716 – Bank of America (US) – Alaska Airlines Signature Visa Credit Card
426690 – Chase Disney Visa Rewards
414720 – Chase freedom
424615 – Chase freedom alternate code
426684 – Chase freedom Cash Rewards
426681 – Chase Rewards
441712 – Chase Buy.com
441597 – Chase rewards
435787 – Chase Sapphire

412800 – Citi Dividend
412800 – Citi Forward
412800 – Citi MTVu

441712 – SW visa

431307 – Fidelity Investments

431307 – Schwab Invest First

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The Chase Sapphire is getting great reviews from many blogs and online mags. The $100 bonus is not the only icing on the cake. Here’s a quick sample of their no hold time for customer services.

When a Sapphire cardholder calls Chase, “a specially trained advisor picks up the phone – with no need to navigate a voice-response system.” These specially trained advisors have the goal of resolving the customer’s need on the first call. (Chase didn’t say anything about the empowerment to do so, but perhaps that’s a picayune quibble). No phone tree has to be worth at least a ten point reduction in blood pressure. Can one really put a price on health? Perhaps not, but Sapphire seems to have given it an annual fee…

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Expect a Hard:

1. Barclay’s Business (i.e. Bank Atlantic) – per call on, but soft when done to new account.
2. Chase – always a hard pull
3. Citi – hard pull is definite if they ask for income verification.
4. Discover – hard pull at or beyond 15k
5. FNBO – Always hard through form.

No Hard Pull:

1. Juniper / Barclay’s – call the CSR on the back of your card and ask for an increase.
2. Discover (personal) – credit limit increase $2K every six months by calling 1-800-DISCOVER. It’s a soft pull.
3. US Bank (personal) – increase credit limit by 20% every 3 months with usage .
4. Wells Fargo – Call CSR and ask for increase without hard pull. They might say “we have to hard pull” then just talk to another CSR later.
5. USAA – Choose soft pull for additional review.
6. Citi – You can do this within your online account. CLI is instant unless ask for income verification.
7. AMEX – Use online form for no-hard CLI. If your credit limit is more than $25K, don’t bother asking. Otherwise they might reduce your credit limit.
8. Bank of America – Use online form for no-hard CLI.
9. WalMart – Use online form for no-hard CLI. Every 6 months usually.
10. Principal – No credit check for pre-approved limit increase.

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American Express and Costco is giving away $25 bonus after first purchase for the TrueEarnings Card. The TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express offers 3% on gasoline and restaurants, 2% for travel, and 1% everywhere else. Their is no cap on the cash back because it’s unlimited. This is a must have card for those shopping at Costco.

There is no annual fee for those with a Costco membership. There are many benefits to shop at Costco:

1. All year round low prices on most items and no need to wait for special sales like supermarkets.
2. Bulk packages of name brands which offer cheaper prices.
3. Great quality with photo printouts with cheap passport photo development.
4. Excellent Customer service with the best return policy.

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