KeyBank MasterCard Select Rewards Platinum Card Review

By christina | January 31, 2011

KeyBank offers lesser known credit cards with rewards programs and one of the cards they offer is the MasterCard Select Rewards Platinum card. Let’s investigate this card from KeyBank to uncover whether this card is for you.

Fees

There is no annual fee for this credit card and it also offers a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers and purchases for 6 months.

Rewards Program

Cardholders of the KeyBank MasterCard Select Rewards Platinum credit card earn 2,500 bonus points on the first purchase which is enough for a $25 statement credit. You will earn 1% cash back on all purchases and rewards can be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards and travel rewards as well through the Rewards Center.

Other Benefits

Although a bit standard, cardholders receive purchase assurance, zero liability fraud protection and 24/7 cardmember service.

Conclusion of the Investigation

The KeyBank MasterCard Select Rewards Platinum Card will appeal most to those who are looking for a simple rewards card or a credit card with a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers and purchases. The 0% APR and bonus rewards of what is equivalent to a $25 statement credit worth trying out the card, but there are other credit cards with better rewards programs, though a bit more complicated. With this credit card you do earn 1% cash back on all purchases instead of certain categories like other cards.

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U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature Review

By christina | January 28, 2011

The U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature card is one of a many credit cards that U.S. Bank offers. There are a number of ways to earn and redeem FlexPoints with this card for travel, merchandise and gift cards. Let’s investigate how the U.S. Bank Travel Rewards work.

Fees

This card has an annual fee that is waived the first year. After that it is $49.00. The APR varies and can be from 13.99% to 23.99%.

FlexPerks Travel Rewards

Cardholders earn 1 FlexPoint for each dollar spent and double points in the category you make the most purchases in (gas, groceries or airline travel) as well as most cell phone expenses. This means that the category in any monthly billing cycle that has the highest total of net purchases charged to your card, will receive double points per each dollar spent. Cardholders also earn triple points for charitable donations made with the card.

Bonus FlexPoints

Cardholders earn a bonus of 10,000 FlexPoints after the first $500 in net purchases made with the card. You will also earn 3,500 bonus FlexPoints each year that you spend $24,000.

How to Redeem FlexPoints

FlexPoints can be redeemed for the annual fee of $49 or can be combined for travel awards. Free travel starts at just 20,000 FlexPoints which is up to a $400 ticket value. You can choose from over 150 airlines with no blackout dates or redemption fees.

FlexPoints can also be redeemed for hotel, car rental and cruise rewards as well as merchandise rewards, gift cards and statement credits. There are a number of top brands to choose from if you should decide to redeem your points for merchandise rewards or gift cards.

Other Benefits

  • The U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature also offers extra benefits to cardholders. Some of these include the following:
  • $25 airline allowance. Cardholders are reimbursed up to $25 with each award ticket, that can be used for airline expenses such as baggage fees or food and drinks that are charged to the card.
  • Rental car deals with National Car Rental of up to 25% off. You will also receive a certificate each year for one free day on a three-day weekend car rental, and free Emerald Club Membership that lets you go straight to the Emerald Club Aisle to choose your own car and get going.
  • Free Hideaways Aficionado® Club Silver Membership which is worth $145 annually. This membership gives VIP perks and preferred rates at the world’s best hotels, resorts, villas and on cruises.

Cardholders also receive access to Visa Signature which includes perks such as 24/7 concierge service, complimentary access to OpenTable reservations and dining offers
and special offers from Visa Signature Travel, Sports and Entertainment.

Conclusion of the Investigation

Cardholders interested in a travel rewards card with a low annual fee may want to consider the U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature card. With the 10,000 bonus FlexPoints you earn from spending your first $500 it seems fairly simple to earn enough for airline rewards quickly. There are also a number of ways to redeem the rewards miles. Additionally, this credit card offers cardholders a number of other perks including access to Visa Signature benefits.

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Victoria’s Secret Angel Card Review

By christina | January 24, 2011

The Victoria’s Secret Angel Card is issued by World Financial Network National Bank, that probably appeals most to fans and frequent shoppers of Victoria’s Secret. Let’s investigate whether the Angel Card is for you.

Fees Although the APR is dependent upon credit worthiness, the lowest APR available for The Angel card is 22.80%. There is no annual fee or other fees for this credit card. The Victoria’s Secret card is a store card and cannot be used anywhere except for purchases with Victoria’s Secret.

Benefits and Rewards Program

There are two cards with Victoria’s Secret, one is the standard Angel card and the other is the upgraded card for Angel VIPs.

The Angel Card

Cardholders of the standard Angel card receive a $10 reward for every 250 points and will receive 6 months of special offers that are worth up to $100 as a new card member. You also receive a surprise birthday gift each year and early access to sales and new items as well as an exclusive customer service number. New cardholders earn double points when they “apply and use the card today”.

Angel VIP

Cardholders that earn 250 points are eligible for an upgrade to the Angel VIP card which includes double points on all bra purchases (sale and clearance as well), free beauty samples and makeover offers at exclusive events and  invitation access to in-store events. As with the standard membership VIP members receive the birthday gift and access to the exclusive customer service number.

VIP cardholders will receive a reward of $10 and will continue to receive the $10 gift reward after each 250 points earned.

Conclusion of the Investigation

The Victoria’s Secret Card is only beneficial for fans of Victoria’s Secret merchandise. It does provide benefits and valuable rewards. If choosing between the two cards, the Angel VIP is probably a better card not only because of the $10 reward card that is earned at every 250 points, but because you will also earn double points on bra purchases as well as free samples of makeup and beauty products. Cardholders should be aware though that if there are no purchases made with the card for 12 consecutive months, you will lose your rewards points.

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Citi mtvU Platinum Select Card Review

By christina | January 4, 2011

The Citi® mtvUTM Platinum Select® Visa® Card for College Students is possibly the best and most innovative reward credit card available for students for a number of reasons. We’ll take a look at this credit card in further detail to investigate how this card is different from other student credit cards.

Fees

There is no annual fee for the Citi mtvU Platinum Select Visa and an introductory APR of 0% on purchases for 7 months.

Rewards Program

Cardholders earn 5 points for each dollar spent on purchases at book stores, record stores, restaurants (including fast food), theaters and video and rental stores. You also earn one point for each dollar spent on all other purchases. If you pay your payments on time and don’t go over your credit limit, you are rewarded with an additional 25 points per billing cycle. PLUS, cardholders are rewarded for good GPA scores.

Reward Formula for GPA Score

GPA Score Points
2.50 – 2.99 250
3.00 – 3.49 500
3.50 – 3.99 750
4.00 2,000

Unique Rewards for Students

This card includes the Citibanks ThankYou Redemption Network reward program, which has both travel and shopping rewards. With this credit card, you can get a free ticket to MTV Videos Music Award for 30,000 points or a 10% discount at mtvshop.mtv.com and the MTV store in New York City. You can also use points to reduce your student loan principal.

mtvU Exclusive Rewards


Additional Benefits and Services

Cardholders receive platinum benefits such as one million dollars in travel accident insurance, auto rental insurance, online account management and Citibanks’ 24/7 customer service, annual account summary.

Conclusion of the Investigation

The Citi® mtvUTM Platinum Select® Visa® Card for College Students is one of the best credit cards available for students.As you can see from the Sample Semester below, the points can really accumulate just in regular student spending. Aside from earning reward points from normal purchases, you are also rewarded for paying your bills on time and not going over your credit limit. You also receive additional points for getting good grades. The benefit of being able to use points to reduce your student loan principal makes the Citi mtvU stand out above other student credit cards. There are no other student cards that offer these rewards.

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Citi AT&T Universal Business Card Review

By christina | January 3, 2011

The Citi AT&T Universal Business Card will appeal to business owners, especially those that purchase services or products from  AT&T. Let’s investigate which businesses and business owners will benefit from this credit card.

Fees

The Citi AT&T Universal Business Card has no annual fee and an introductory rate of a 0% APR for up to 6 months on purchases which can be especially beneficial for new businesses that need to finance startup costs.

Rewards Program

The rewards program is one of the best features of the Citi AT&T Universal credit card. Cardholders automatically become a part of Citi Cards’ ThankYou Rewards Program and will be eligible to receive the following rewards:

  • Earn 5 ThankYou Points for each dollar spent on AT&T products and services purchased through AT&T.
  • 3 ThankYou Points for each dollar spent at office supply stores, gas stations and professional services.
  • 1 ThankYou Point for each dollar that is spent on other purchases made by you, your business or your employees.

Additional Benefits

  • Additional cards with individual spending limits that earn points.
  • Access to Citi Card’s 24/7 Personal Business Assistant service that provides assistance in office management, travel arrangements, hotel accommodations and entertainment.
  • Quarterly & annual summaries are included which are broken down by employee, the spending category and the amount.
  • Cardholders of the AT&T  Universal Business credit card receive immediate customer assistance and are able to bypass the pre-recorded menu options to reach an associate.
  • Discounts on Prescription Drugs of up to 60 % with a separate “prescription discount” card that can be used at over 60,000 pharmacies. The service can be extended to non credit card holding employees and can include vision and dental for an additional fee.
  • Travel & Emergency Assistance, which covers services like medical and legal referrals when traveling abroad as well as assistance with lost luggage, emergency transportation and translation services. Cardholders also receive automatic travel accident insurance and auto rental insurance.
  • Cardholders have the added option of taking advantage of banking services with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney which offers help with managing cash and investing.

Conclusion of the Investigation

The 0% introductory APR and the fact that there is no annual fee for you, your business or your employees to use this card are beneficial to new businesses, even if you don’t use AT&T products. You also have the added benefit of becoming part of the ThankYou Rewards Program which allows your business to earn on purchases made at office supply stores, gas stations and professional services which both the business and employees are likely to use.

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Citi Forward Credit Card Review

By christina | December 24, 2010

The Citi Forward Credit Card was initially targeted toward younger, college aged demographics with bonuses and rewards for making payments and staying within your credit limit.  Although beneficial for younger cardholders that purchase books, movies, music and restaurants, The Citi Forward Card may benefit other cardholders as well. Let’s investigate who the Citi Forward Card is for.

Fees

There is no annual fee for the Citi Forward Card. New cardholders receive an introductory APR of 0% on purchases for 7 months and 0% on balance transfers for 12 months.

Bonuses for Good Credit Habits

Cardholders receive a bonuses for paying on time and staying within their credit limits. When you make a purchase with your card and stay under your limit and pay on time for 3 consecutive billing periods and you will receive a reduction in your APR of up to 2%. You will also receive up to 1200 bonus points for paying on time and staying within your credit limit.

Citi Forward Rewards Program

Earn 5 ThankYou points for each dollar spent on restaurants and entertainment. This includes fast food, bookstores, music stores and movie theaters. Earn 1 ThankYou point for each dollar spent on other purchases.

Earn up to 8500 ThankYou points when you sign up for paperless statements and make $250 in purchases with the card.

Redeeming ThankYou Points

Accumulated ThankYou Points can be redeemed for almost anything through the Citi ThankYou Network. This includes deals and discounts on anything from gift cards, music and electronics, to student loan rebates, statement credits and charitable donations.

Investigation Results

You will not benefit much from this card if you pay your balance in full each month or if the majority of your purchases are made at supermarkets or gas stations. You will have to look at the types of purchases that you make, in order to determine if the Citi Forward Card will work for you.

If you are a student, or part of the younger crowd that the Citi Forward Credit Card is targeting, you will want to look into this credit card as a means for a great rewards package. If most of your purchases are on restaurants and entertainment, you’ll be able to earn ThankYou points easily. Additionally, you’ll receive the bonuses for using your credit wisely and paying on time. If you are looking for a card with a 0% introductory rate on purchases and balance transfers, you may want to try the Citi Forward card out for this reason as well.

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Citi Platinum Select MasterCard Review

By christina | December 15, 2010

The Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard is a simple no frills credit card with a low APR and 0% on purchases and balance transfers. Credit Card Investigators looks at this credit card a little further to determine who it is best suited for.

Fees

There is no annual fee for the Citi Platinum Select MasterCard. New cardholders receive an introductory APR of 0% on balance transfers for 21 months and 0% APR on purchases for 12 months. After that, the APR is based upon your credit worthiness and is as low as 11.99%.

Citi Extra Cash

Cardholders of the Citi Platinum Select card are also eligible for the Extra Cash reward program. This program allows cardholders the ability to earn Extra Cash based on 10% of the purchases made with the credit card. Unlike other reward programs where you can redeem the points for free stuff, the Extra Cash is good for discounts on travel, entertainment and merchandise.

This may seem restrictive but some of the rewards include discounts on airline tickets for international flights. Additionally, the Extra Cash program includes a hotel program where cardholders are guaranteed the lowest hotel prices with any of the hotel partners. Prices are even lower if you book directly with the hotel and unlike airline rewards programs, the hotels are all U.S. based.

Other Benefits

Cardholders of the Citi Platinum Select MasterCard also receive benefits such as Retail Protection, Extended Warranty, Citi Identity Theft Solutions and $0 Liability on unauthorized purchases.

Conclusion of the Investigation

If you have “good” credit and are looking for a low APR credit card with a 0% offer on balance transfers and purchases, you will want to consider the Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard. This card is also recommended for those that will benefit from the discounts on international flights and airline tickets as well as the guaranteed lowest prices with the hotels that are partnered with Citi.

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Discover Student More Credit Card Review

By christina | December 14, 2010

Students that are considering a credit card may want to consider the Discover Student More credit card. We’ll investigate further why this credit is considered one of the best cards for students.

Fees

There is no annual fee for the Discover Student More Card. The APR presently is as low as 12.99%. New cardholders also get a 0% APR on Purchases for 6 Months.

Rebates

Students earn rebates with the Discover Student card of up to $500 per year, which includes a 1% rebate once your annual expenditure on your card exceeds $3,000. Your first $1,500 in purchases earns .25% and your second $1,500 in purchases earns .50%. Purchases made at select warehouse clubs, discount stores and their affiliates earn .25%.

Students also earn 5% rebates on various categories that rotate once every quarter. Below is the current schedule.

Other Benefits of Discover Student More

Students are able to shop with Shopdiscover.com which includes over 100 partners. Purchases made with these retailers with the Discover card earn between  5% to 20% cash rebates. You shop the same way you normally would with these partners, the only difference is you connect through Shopdiscover.com

In addition to the rebates, you also have the opportunity to up to double your cash rebates by exchanging them for gift certificates from their partner merchants.

There are also over 100 credit card designs to choose from.

Conclusion of the Investigation

The Discover Student More Card is widely considered the best student credit card available today. There are very few credit cards that offer students an opportunity to easily earn cash rebates on purchases and the ability to redeem the cash rebates for up to double the value. Additionally, there is no annual fee
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Discover Business Credit Card Review

By christina | December 13, 2010

The Discover Business Card is a little more complicated than the Discover Business Miles card which we reviewed previously. The regular business card will appeal to the small business owner who is looking for a cash rebate business credit card instead of miles rewards. We investigate this card further to help determine which card may be best for your business.

Fees

The Discover Business card has no annual fee and an introductory APR of 9.99% on balance transfers until the last day of the billing period ending during May 2011. The APR on purchases is as low as 10.99%.

Rebate Formula

The Discover Business Card has a tiered rebate formula. Cardholders earn 5% rebates on the first $2,000 spent annually on office equipment and supplies and 2% rebates on the first $2,000 in gasoline purchases. After that you will earn the same rebate as you would on other purchases which is explained next.

Rebate Formula for “other purchases”

For other purchases, you earn 0.25% rebates when your annual spending is below $5,000. Once your annual spending exceeds $5,000 you earn 1% rebates. Purchases made on office supplies and gasoline count towards the $5,000 threshold. You can earn unlimited rebates.

Double Rebates

Another great feature of the Discover Business Card is that you can up to double the value of the cash rebates you have earned by exchanging them for the 60+ merchant partners gift certificate. That means that a $20.00 rebate can turn into a $40.00 gift certificate.

Bonus for Charitable Donations

Discover will add 20% to the following charities if you choose to donate your cash rebates. They are the American Red Cross, Junior Achievement, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Merchants Discount

Discover gives the business cardholders special discounts to various merchants. Retailers include Barnes and Nobles – 7% cash back Overstock.com – 5% discount FTD.com – 20% cash back or discount. You have the opportunity to earn 5% to 20% cash back by shopping online with Shop Discover.

Conclusion of the Investigation

To decide between the Discover Business card and Discover Business Miles, you will need to look at your expenses. If you spend less than $2,000 in office supplies and gasoline, and would like the flexibility of exchanging your rebates for gift certificates instead, then the Discover Business Card would be a very appropriate card for you. But if you spend more than $2,000 per year on these items and would rather earn double miles for these expenses, you will probably benefit more from the Business Miles card by Discover.

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Discover Business Miles Review

By christina | December 11, 2010

The Discover Business Miles credit card offers businesses the opportunity to earn miles and rewards with their credit card. We’ll investigate further how this card benefits small businesses.

Fees: The Discover Business Miles card has an APR of as low as 10.99%. There is no annual fee for this credit card.

Rewards

  • Cardholders earn double miles on the first $5,000 spent on gas and travel purchases every year, which are common business expenses that will benefit from double miles.
  • Also earn 1 miles for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
  • There are no restrictions on who you book with. Choose the airline, travel agent or online travel site that works the best with your business.
  • Businesses can also earn double miles when shopping through ShopDiscover.com which as mentioned before, includes retailers from Gap.com and BestBuy.com. For business expenses though, there are also retailers such as Toshiba, Dell and Office Depot. This way business owners can earn double miles on purchases of business equipment and supplies. You will ealso earn double miles when employees use their cards at ShopDiscover as well.

Redeeming Miles

Miles can be redeemed for travel cards, partner cards, gift cards, donations to charity or cash.

    Other Benefits

    Businesses receive free employee cards with customizable spending limits to manage the business expenses of your employees. You also earn miles on the purchases that the employees make with their cards.

    Conclusion of the Investigation

    The Discover Business Miles credit card is recommended for small businesses because it offers one of the best miles rewards programs with no annual fee. As most businesses, have business related expenses, it’s easy to rack up double miles on gas and travel purchases as will as with the many retailers that are available at ShopDiscover.

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