Free From Broke

A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks

Credit Card Use and Reviews

Credit cards can be a gateway to debt but can also be a powerful personal finance tool. See articles that will teach you about credit cards,keep you up to date on credit card rules, show you the best credit cards, as well as show you reviews.

TurboCharge Your Costco Savings! TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express Review

Published or updated by

Are you a member of Costco, or thinking about it?  Want to make your dollar go even further there?

Then the TrueEarnings® Card from Costco and American Express may be for you.

Shopping at Costco (or any warehouse store) is one of those things you have to evaluate – is it worth it for your family at its current size and eating/spending habits?  Buying in bulk can sometimes mean great savings but it can also be deceptive and even cost more than your local grocery store when all is said and done.

If you’ve calculated that Costco is right for you, the TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express can help you earn cash back on your purchases there and elsewhere.

Let’s review the TrueEarnings Card a little more in-depth and explore how you can combine this credit card with Costco’s Executive membership for extra savings:

[Read more…] about TurboCharge Your Costco Savings! TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express Review

Make Your Travel Easier and Less Expensive – Credit Cards With Travel Rewards 2014

Published or updated by

Do you find yourself traveling often, perhaps for work or pleasure?

Using a credit card that offers travel rewards is a great way to earn extra perks or get a little back for your trips (sometimes a lot back).  Traveling can be expensive and a travel rewards card can go a long way to earning something back for your spending.

We all like getting something back, don’t we?

There are a number of different travel reward cards out there.  Among them you can find benefits like:

  • Earning free nights at hotels;
  • Earning hotel upgrades;
  • Earning free flights;
  • Not paying foreign transaction fees;
  • Earning free car rentals;
  • And more…

The cards below offer a variety of these benefits as well as others.

[Read more…] about Make Your Travel Easier and Less Expensive – Credit Cards With Travel Rewards 2014

Can I Get a Credit Card If I’m Unemployed? Should I?

Published or updated by

Credit cards are terrible and wonderful things wrapped up in the same shiny piece of plastic.

The right credit card can whisk you off on a dream vacation with reward points.  The wrong card can catch you with a late payment and jack your interest rate up to 20%.

A common question about credit cards revolves around getting one if you are unemployed.

Is it even possible to complete a credit card application when you’re unemployed and be accepted?  And even if it is possible, is this the wisest financial move you can make?

Let’s look at some scenarios to dig deeper on this problem.

Can I Get a New Credit Card When Unemployed?

[Read more…] about Can I Get a Credit Card If I’m Unemployed? Should I?

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card Review – Unlimited Cash Back and More

Published or updated by

Hey, did you know there is a brand new credit card that can get you a lot of cash back?

It’s the Capital One Quicksilver® card.  They’re offering a welcome bonus of $100 right now, too.

Here are the basics of what you get with this card:

  • Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
  • One-time $100 BONUS (once you spend $500 in the first three months)
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees like all other Capital One cards
  • No Annual Fee
  • No rotating bonus categories, no sign-ups required, no limit on the cash back earned and no expiration date for rewards

That’s a pretty good start but let’s look a little deeper at the Capital One Quicksilver now…

Get Rewarded with Cash

[Read more…] about Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card Review – Unlimited Cash Back and More

The Best Airline Miles Credit Cards 2014

Published or updated by

“If only there were a way to get airline miles faster,” you wonder?  “What would be really awesome is if I could get lots of cool benefits too,” you say.

Well there is and you can.

If you fly on one favorite airline for most of your trips (or even if it isn’t your favorite but you fly it because you have to), using an airline miles credit card for the specific carrier can be a great way to maximize your airline spending.

credit card for airline miles
Finding the best credit card for airline miles can help you travel for less!

If you have that one magic carrier you always use then it’s pretty easy to find an airline miles credit card to match.  Most, if not all major airlines have a credit card.

But what if you fly different carriers and have a few choices?

If that’s you then having a great airline miles credit card can make your flights more enjoyable and you can earn miles towards free trips faster.  The right card can steer you towards a specific carrier because of the better benefits.

And if I don’t know what airline I’ll be flying next?

Don’t worry, some of the best credit cards for airline miles let you transfer their miles to a number of different rewards programs so you can earn miles without worrying about one particular carrier.

But which are the best airline miles credit cards?

Below we’ll look at some great airline miles choices and what makes each card tick.

Need more convincing?

Finding the best airline miles credit card to match your favorite airline can net you free tickets to fly, miles that can be used towards car rentals and hotels, upgrades, free bag checking, preferential check-in, and more!

Keep in mind you need to responsibly spend and pay off your credit card bill monthly in order to truly make the most of your airline miles.  Keep in mind too, most airline miles cards have an annual fee (some waive the fee the first year).  You will find that if you take advantage of the benefits of the card, the fee is well made up for.

Done right, you can turn your everyday spending into airline miles and reduce the cost of your flying and possibly take advantage of special perks as well.

Take a look at the following cards and see which is the best airline miles credit card for you.

[Read more…] about The Best Airline Miles Credit Cards 2014