Have you seen the commercials for the ZYNC Card from American Express? I’ve got to say, I was curious about the card when I heard about how you can tailor the card to fit your lifestyle. As an American Express card user, and fan, I had to look into the Zync card further. Here’s what I found:
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Ever hear of the Schumer Box? It’s actually an important piece of information that you will find in a credit card application and something you need to be aware of when considering a credit card.
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It’s been many moons but I remember my first credit card. It was a retail card for A&S (remember that store?). I forget what I was buying (a sweater maybe?) but there was a discount offered if you signed up for their card. “What they hey,” I thought. Why not sign up and see what happens? So I did. And a few minutes later I was the proud owner of a new credit card! Ahh, memories.
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SmartMoney is reporting that we should expect to see more 0% APR credit card offers available for those who have credit scores of 720 and above. Balance transfer offers are also on the rise.
It wasn’t long ago that credit card companies cut out 0% APR offers and balance transfers since those with better credit tended to also be less profitable as they usually paid off their balances. According to the SmartMoney article, credit card issuers are hoping that the more credit-worthy will spend with their new cards and keep a balance beyond their introductory offers.
If the thought of your 18-year-old on the loose with plastic in hand terrifies you, you likely share the sentiment of many parents in the same situation.
Lawmakers seem to agree as well, which is probably why the Credit CARD Act of 2009 has made it much harder for young adults age 18 to 20 to obtain their own credit card.
Under this new act, anyone under the age of 21 has to meet a few extra requirements before being granted a line of credit. They either have to either prove their income is high enough to pay off the bill or have someone over the age of 21 with sufficient income and credit co-sign (i.e. Mom or Dad).
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Do you shop at Amazon? Do you have an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points? Great news! Amazon now accepts AmEx Membership Rewards points as payment (for most items).
In order to use your Membership Rewards points on Amazon you need to register your American Express card with Amazon. It’s a one-time registration and it’s real easy to do.
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You know that making purchases using credit cards is expensive if you do not pay off your balance each month. Indeed, carrying a balance on your credit card is one of the biggest ways that people waste money each month. However, it is hard to see this, since the minimum payments required by credit card companies are so small and seem so affordable. The Credit CARD Act of 2009 has required credit card companies to list total payoff amounts, and alternatives to only paying the minimum, on statements, but many still overlook some of the issues associated with a slow repayment of credit card debt.
This infographic from Go Banking Rates offers a look at just how expensive it can be to make purchases using credit:
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We’re all looking for the best ways we can use our credit cards and one way to help is to find the card that best fits our needs. Here’s a card that could help with your spending habits – the Discover More Card with a $75 $50 cash back bonus.
Here are the features:
Let’s break this down:
If you have a credit card balance on another card and aren’t happy with the card, here’s an opportunity to transfer your balance to a card with 0% APR for 12 months. With 0% you can really attack the principal without compounding your interest owed. Just be aware of the 12 month limit and make sure the transfer is worth the balance transfer fee (there is an initial fee of 3% to transfer though the balance will not have interest for 12 months).
If you know you will be making a big purchase, the Discover More card can be good since you are getting 0% APR on new purchases for six months. Keep in mind though that after six months interest will start. Consider this against some retail cards where if you don’t pay in full you are charged interest back to the purchase date.
A $75 $50 (updated 04-02-11) bonus is pretty cool. You do have to make $250 in purchases within three months though. If you don’t use a credit card often and don’t think you will make it to $250 then this incentive doesn’t help you. But if you know you have a big purchase coming up (remember 0% APR for six months) or know you will make the $250 threshold, then getting $50 back is nice. Use your credit wisely and that’s free money!
I’m always using one of my cards over another because I can earn points on it (we pay our balance in full so the points are a real bonus for us). Cash back is an alternative to points that’s pretty useful since you don’t have to figure out what to turn your points in for. Getting up 5% cash back, depending on the category, can add up quickly!
No annual fee is pretty self-explanatory. Used to be you could reasonably expect to get a no annual fee card if you had decent credit. But these days credit card companies are tightening up and I think you will see more annual fee cards on the market. That the Discover More Card with $50 cash back doesn’t have an annual fee is pretty cool.
Don’t just sign up for another card if all you want is the bonus. Remember every line of credit opened affects your credit score so you need to be careful. But if you are looking for a new card that fits the features of the Discover More Card then you should really give it a look. It could provide some nice perks for you.
Sign up for the Discover® More Card – $50 Cashback Bonus.
* Always make sure you read and understand the terms of any credit card before you sign up. Be aware that the terms may change after this article’s publication.
As of August 22nd, 2010, the final legislation of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (CARD Act) go into effect. These recent credit card changes include:
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Just like bank loans, where there is secured and unsecured borrowing by businesses, credit cards as a form of consumer debt can also be either secured or unsecured.
Credit cards, as most of us know and use, are unsecured.
The money is lent to card users without any collateral against it and it is up to consumers to pay back the account balance later and if not, the card issuer loses (well, they will go after you but there is no guarantee they get their money back). When the possibility of not paying back by a credit card holder becomes a serious concern, either because of the applicant’s bad credit in the past or no established credit at all, a card issuer would require certain amount of funds to be deposited as collateral before a credit line can be issued.
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