Cashless shopping is at its finest when you are using Chase Sapphire Credit Card. Chase is one of the most stable banks in the US today. It was formerly called Chase Manhattan Bank but merged in 2000 with J.P. Morgan & Co.

The global financial company, J.P. Morgan Chase and Co was built over 200 years ago. It is operating in 60 countries and has assets reaching more than $2.1 trillion. It is a small wonder why people choose Chase Sapphire Credit Card as the preferred credit card by many users.

For first time Sapphire Card Users, you can immediately earn $100 in rewards of 10,000 bonus points. You can get this benefit if you spend $500 during the first three months after account activation. The bonus points will reflect on your bank statement within six to eight weeks from the dates of your purchases.

For each of $1 net purchase, you can earn a bonus point if you use your Sapphire Card to pay for meals. This means that you can earn two points for every dollar you spend on dining at various restaurants. Chase groups offers merchant codes to categorize the companies that can provide you with bonus points.

The same holds true for your airfare expenses. If you buy airline tickets using your Sapphire Card, you can earn 2 points for every dollar you spend. This benefit is offered by Chase Travel Booking Tool.

You can choose to buy online at over 300 accredited stores. This time, every dollar you spend gives you 10 points. This special promotion is available through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards Mall.

Another good thing about this program is that the number of points you can accumulate is unlimited. You can use your entire credit limit to earn a lot of reward points. There are no fees if you make your rewards redemption online.

The reward points have no expiration date. You can save all your points to reach a high amount which will enable you to splurge on a big item that you have been eyeing for a while. The reward points also earn a 7% annual dividend.

The Sapphire Blue Card offers you the Blueprint program. This provides you with the option to create a schedule on how you can handle your payments to settle your credit card bills. If you choose to pay all your bills within a month, you can earn rewards. In addition, you are not required to pay any kind of interest on all of your purchases for that month.

Some big purchases need to be paid in partial payments. You can choose the length of time for the payment schedule. This is to offer you the convenience of not having to shell out a big amount right away.

Trip Cancellation Insurance is one of the benefits you can take advantage of with your Chase Sapphire. There may be some cases when you may have bought a airplane ticket and paid for hotel accommodations and then suddenly you have to cancel your trip because of some concerns. This insurance will reimburse your expenses.

If your luggage gets lost during travel, you will receive lost luggage reimbursement. Moreover, if your suitcase arrives late for over 18 hours, Chase Sapphire Card can reimburse you for the purchases you incurred over this period of time.

You are covered under insurance while you are on travel. You are also provided with free medical assistance. Should you encounter any legal problems, you can contact your credit card company and they can provide you with assistance.

Car rental is inevitable during your trips away from home. Sapphire Card is your shield to ward off certain problems from damaged cars and car theft. Chase can cover the full expenses you may have to incur.

Trip delays can happen especially during bad weather situations. If you experience a trip delay for more that 12 hours, your Chase Sapphire Card can reimburse your expenses. These include hotel rooms, meals, and other expenditures you may be required to pay because of the trip delay. There are no blackout dates or travel restrictions. You can book your travel during any time of year. Chase lets you travel anywhere, anytime.

A Chase customer representative is available 24/7 to answer all of your concerns. You can call them even at 2 am to make a report about your concerns. You can also be sure that there will be a real person on the other line. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is always thinking of ways to provide you with the finest customer service.

OPEN UP THE CHASE SAPPHIRE CARD TODAY!

I love free money.  No work and the bank account goes up.  As you know, I’m a huge proponent of opening and closing credit cards to maximize bonuses throughout the year.

Today, I’d like to recommend to you a card I personally use.  It’s the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Card.  If you’re near a Southwest hub, you should really look into this card.  I was fortunate enough to have opened this card when they were offering the 50,000 bonus points but now the offer is at 25,000.  Still mighty good if you ask me!

Southwest is a company I just happen to love!  When I Southwest, I’m almost guaranteed an aisle row seat since you can pick your own seats.  Also, they serve almost every major city in the United States so you should be covered for the most part when it comes to travel.

So, now that you know a little bit about the card, let’s dive into some additional benefits that truly make this card great.

Get 25,000 after your first purchase!

Man, talk about a sweet bonus!  After you open your card, all you have to do is make a purchase at any amount and you will receive 25,000 bonus points.  This is equal to $400 in Wanna Get away Fares, which is their rewards brand.  Basically, that’s enough for two free flights!

While 25,000 points at other airlines will only get you a single flight, Southwest places a greater value on their points.  This is really a no-brainer if you’re looking to fly soon and need to save some money.

Using your bonus points

What makes this card even better is the flexibility of the bonus points.  You don’t have to use your bonus points for airline tickets.  You can also redeem them for gift cards to places like Amazon and Home Depot.  You can even use the points for car rentals and vacation packages.  The sky’s the limit with this card.  I ended up using the bonus points for both flights and Amazon gift cards.  Heck, Mother’s Day is coming up, use the points to get her something nice!

Here are some positives to the card

-Higher value for points means a greater number of free flights!  If you take short trips like myself, you will more than likely be able to squeeze two flights out of your bonus while people who travel from coast to coast will not be able to.

-Unlike other airlines, there is no first class on a Southwest flight.  However, if you do make the A-List you will gain priority access to boarding.

-Fantastic customer service definitely needs to be mentioned for this card.  Every time I’ve had a question about my card, I’ve had nothing but great experiences with a Southwest staff person.  They know how to put the customer first!

Not every credit card is perfect

-The reward formula is complicated for earning points and it would take me forever to explain it in this credit card review.  All you need to know is that it’s a waste of your time to look into how earning points are calculated.

-If you like to carry a balance on a credit card, this card is not for you!  With an APR of 15.24%, you’d be nuts to keep debt on this card.  Stay away if you have problem spending within your means.

-Rewards rate is abysmal.  This varies across credit card companies, and this card simply flat lines.  The Southwest Rewards Card only offers 1.66 cents per dollar spent.  Talk about stingy!  If you’re looking for a card for the long run, look else where and maybe consider the Discover it card.

You ready for two free flights?

Hopefully you’ll find this card useful and get you a couple free flights.  I love showing people these cards because it can make a huge impact on your finances!  If you’re flying soon, go ahead and sign up for this card, you will be happy you did.

As I currently use this card, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email if you have additional questions!

Many of you know my love for credit cards and their generous rewards programs.  Well, I have some good news for you.  Another big hitter has just reinstated their bonus program!

Currently, the Chase British Airways Visa Signature Card is offering a very special 100,000 Avois points for new members.  Not only is this a generous offer but this card truly rocks.  In terms of features and benefits, this card is up there with the likes of Chase Sapphire (which I personally use).  I can safely say that this current bonus is one of the best I’ve seen in a very long time.  With the bonus miles, you will be able to fly to almost anywhere for free for a while.  How cool is that?

Let’s break down the card and see if it’s right for you…

Points breakdown:

-Earn 50,000 Avios points after your first purchase.  Your first purchase can be as small as a bubble gum package.

-Then, after you spend $10,000 in the first year on any types of purchases, you will automatically earn 25,000 Avios points.  Can you say gravy train?

-If you’re a big spender, Chase will reward you with another 25,000 Avios points once you spend an additional $10,000.

What are Avios points anyways and how do I use them?

All an “Avios” point is, is a coined term by British Airways for their bonus miles.  It sets them apart from other companies because most call them miles or rewards.  Personally, I think the name is kind of cool!

You will earn up to 100,000 bonus Avios points with this card and will be able to redeem them for plane tickets for various travel across the world.  It’s easy to use the Avios points their the British Airways credit card site.  You can book a flight directly and not have to go through a third party.

Once your flight is booked, then you’re off on your adventures!  British Airways has excellent customer service for this card and their friendly agents will help you if you have any issues trying to use your rewards.

Smart chip technology is cool stuff

You don’t see chip based technology too often here in the States but in Europe, it’s all the rage.  With this card, you won’t have to swipe.  Assuming a retailer offer chip based purchases, you can experience the convenience of this cool chip based technology.

Additional benefits

-Another great benefit is that there are no foreign transaction fees.  You will not have to worry about what country you’re in because there are no fees!  I will be going to Puerta Vallarta and will enjoy the benefits of using a card with no foreign transaction fees, woohoo!

-If you’re a big spender and rack up $30,000 in expenses within the first year of opening this card, you will receive a Travel Together ticket.  A friend or loved one will be able to travel with you anywhere in the world for a round trip ticket in the same seating class.  This would be great if you had a wife or a friend during your travels!

-Avios points are now distanced based rewards.  What this means is that your travel will be calculated at how far the destination is.  It makes it easier to understand for points and ensures that you are maximizing the value of your Avios points.

Some things to consider:

Although there are some insane benefits to this card, you should know a couple things.  First, the card does have an annual fee of $95.  While most cards waive this for the first year, the British Airways Visa Signature Card does not.  However, with all the miles benefits, you really shouldn’t have to worry about this fee.  Past using the miles, then you may consider closing the card.

Also, NEVER use this card for economy class when you’re traveling from the US to Europe.  You will be faced with some nasty taxes and additional fees for these flights.

And finally, be aware that you can use your bonus points for various partner airlines such as LAN and Cathay Pacific.  These airlines are convenient if you’re interested in travel to Asia and South American territories.

100,000 bonus miles are waiting at your doorstep

So, what are you waiting for?  If you have postponed a trip, then now you have no excuse!  Get this card and achieve your dreams.  If I was planning an international trip, this card would be my first pick.  Hopefully I lined out the benefits of opening this card and you will enjoy some nice bonus miles!

GRAB THIS CARD AND SCORE 100,000 BONUS MILES!

I’ve always been impressed with the Discover card lineup.  My fiancee has a Discover credit card and loves it.  It’s a company I recommend to anyone I know, mainly due to their fantastic customer service and putting their customers first.

Many of you (not me, not old enough!) might remember the first unveiling of the Discover card during the 1986 Super Bowl (video here).  During those days, annual fees were common and cash back was unheard of.  Discover was a pioneer during their time and offered to their customers what other “big boys” weren’t.  Discover is now one of the largest credit card issuer and rivals the likes of Chase and Citi, among others.

I love that Discover offers a wide range of cards that covers any type of consumer.  There are plenty of Discover credit cards to choose from.  Whether it’s a gas card or an every day purchase card, Discover has something to offer.

Without further-ado, here are some of their best cards that I personally recommend:

Discover it® Card

The Discover it® Card is ideal if you want to earn cash back on your purchases. 0% Intro APR* for 14 months on purchases and balance transfers.
Then 10.99% – 22.99% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies.
3% fee for each balance transferred.

5% cash back in categories that change throughout the year, up to the quarterly maximum. Signing up each time is free and easy. 5% Cashback Calendar
Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases*

Call your Cashback ConciergeSM any time for a 1-on-1 online tour that helps you get the most out of your rewards based on how you use your card.
Accepted Where you Shop at 9 million merchants1 nationwide.

Discover it® for Students

The Discover ® Student Card is an ideal card if you want to earn cash rewards on card purchases. Through the rewards program, you’ll earn a 5%  Cashback Bonus  for purchases made in popular categories that change four times a year like travel, gas, restaurants, movies, and more. 5% to 20% Cashback Bonus through our exclusive online shopping mall. 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases—with no limit on how much you can earn. 1-on-1 Cashback Concierge who can walk you through your rewards options online to help you get the most cash back for how you use your card.

Discover it® – 18 Month Balance Transfer

The Discover ® Student Card offers 0% Intro APR* for 6 months on purchases and for 18 months on balance transfers. Then 10.99% – 22.99% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies 3% fee for each balance transferred 5% cash back in categories that change throughout the year, up to the quarterly maximum. Signing up each time is free and easy. 5% Cashback Calendar Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases* Call your Cashback ConciergeSM any time for a 1-on-1 online tour that helps you get the most out of your rewards based on how you use your card. Accepted Where you Shop at 9 million merchants1 nationwide.

Discover Motiva Card

If you have very good credit and are looking for a cash back rewards card, then the Discover ® Motiva Card may be the right card for you. Through the rewards program, cardholders earn a 5% to 20%  Cashback Bonus ®  at top retailers through Discover’s exclusive online shopping site, and they get up to a 1%  Cashback Bonus ®  on all other purchases. Cardholders will also be eligible to earn the pay-on-time bonus each time cardholders make six on-time payments in a row. You’ll receive several cardholder benefits including up to $500,000 in travel accident insurance, auto rental insurance, and various fraud and security protection services. There’s no annual fee, and an attractive 3.99% introductory rate on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. The APR for this card is reasonable for those who qualify.

Disclaimer: Offer no longer available.

Discover Escape Card

The  Escape by Discover ® Card, issued by Discover, is a travel rewards card. With the rewards program, you’ll earn 1,000 miles for each month you make a purchase for the first 25 months since opening an account. You’ll also earn Double Miles on all your purchases while you enjoy enhanced travel benefits. Miles can be redeemed for travel credits, cash, or gift cards to 90 brand-name partners. Although there is an annual fee requirement for this card, you’ll get a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first six months of opening an account. The APR for this card is reasonable, but it is important to note that only higher qualifying applicants will receive the lowest rate available.

Disclaimer: Offer no longer available.

Discover Open Road Card ($150 Restaurant.com signup bonus)

Through the Discover ® Open Road Card – $150 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate cash rewards program, you will earn a full 2% Cashback Bonus automatically at any gas station and any restaurant. In addition, you’ll earn a full 1% unlimited Cashback Bonus on all other purchases after your total annual purchases exceed $3,000, and other purchases that are part of your first $3,000 will earn .25%. You can earn from 5% to 20% cashback bonus when you shop over 200 online retailers through ShopDiscover.com! You can also earn 5% Cashback Bonus on up to $300 in gas, hotel, theme park, and movie theater purchases now through September, 2011. Plus, get a free $150 Restaurant.com gift certificate with first purchase! The card provides an attractive 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months. There is no annual fee and a reasonable APR for those who qualify.

Disclaimer: Offer no longer available.

Discover Miles Card

With the Miles by Discover ® Card, you can take advantage of the travel rewards program where you’ll earn double miles on up to $3,000 in travel and restaurant purchases, and one mile for every dollar spent on general purchases. Earned miles can be redeemed for airfare or reduced airfare on most major U.S.-based airlines with no blackout dates. Miles can also be redeemed for gift cards from 50 brand-name partners or cash. You’ll earn 1,000 bonus miles in every month that you make a purchase during the first year for up to 12,000 bonus miles. There is a maximum of 60,000 miles that may be accumulated per year, but miles will not expire as long as the account is active within a 36-month period. Finance charges applied use a more costly method, but the card offers platinum benefits, an attractive 0% introductory rate with no annual fee, and a reasonable APR (for those who qualify).

Disclaimer: Offer no longer available.

What card will you choose?

Hopefully, this review has given you a glimpse into what Discover Financial has to offer in the credit card arena.  They have plenty of options so you won’t have a hard time finding the right card for you.  Combine their awesome card selection with their renown customer service and you just can’t go wrong.

READERS:  Do you have a Discover card?  Do you recommend it?  What have been your experiences?

Do you run or own a small business?  I’ve always had dreams and aspirations of running my own business and hopefully someday I will!  For those that already do, you need to make sure your costs are covered and are getting maximum reward back in return.  Credit cards can help out, and that’s where American Express Gold Rewards OPEN comes in!

It’s also one of the top credit cards for small businesses. Things like purchase price protection, extended warranties, and product return protection, this card was built for a small business and to keep your mind at ease.

Benefits of the Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN

-Bonus points can be used at Amazon as an alternative.

-3X points on airfare, 2X points on advertising, gas, and shipping, and 1X points on everything else

-This card is build for a business owner who travels.  You will receive triple points on any airfare during your travels.

-You will earn double points for all advertising, shipping and gas purchases up to a $100,000 cap.

-You also have an opportunity to earn up to 10 points for every dollar spent in the American Express membership rewards area.

-Unlimited Rewards Potential – there is no limit to the number of points you can earn and points do not expire.

-Offering  extended warranties, purchase protection, and travel protection for all card members.

Drawbacks of the  Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN

-Although the annual fee is $0 for the first year, it goes up to $175 for consecutive years.

-Balances are due in full at the end of each month.

-Superior credit score is a must.

Eligibility and Spending Requirements

Although this is a business credit card, anyone can apply!  You probably didn’t know that you can use your name as your business.  Simply submitting your name and social security number as your business information will suffice.  Another cool thing about this credit card is that it’s separate from your personal credit history and credit lines.  It won’t mess with your credit limits and other things like your credit utilization ratio.

The spending requirement for this card is at $2,000 per month.  Along with the stipulation to pay off the credit card in full each month, this card is not for everyone.  In the end, if you’re running a business, this spending requirement shouldn’t be a problem.  With the combination of office rent, wages, insurances, and other related expenses, the $2,000 spending requirement is a piece of cake.

So, is this card for you?  I highly recommend you get this card if you’re looking for an unsecured credit line for business related expenses.  There are some serious rewards you don’t want to miss out on.  Like most business cards, you will need a fantastic credit score for this card.

Disclaimer:  This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

Remember when I mentioned the credit card companies fighting for your business?  Well, guess what.  Now, the debit card companies are fighting for you!  You’ve probably seen my raving reviews of PerkStreet Financial, and here is another one!

Best debit card out there

They’ve outdone themselves once again.  The PerkStreet Financial debit card was already a great score, but their July and summer specials are even better.  Right now, they are offering 5% cash back in select categories.  Now, on all non-pin purchases, you can get 2% cashback on all purchases and 5% cashback on these select purchases:

-Movie Tickets

-Dairy Queen

-Old Navy

-Cold Stone Creamery

-Ben and Jerry’s

I’m actually not surprised about this move.  They basically are trying to model after the Chase Freedom or Discover More cards where there are rotating cashback categories for various times of the year.

2% cash back unlimited

What separates this card from other visa cards is that not a single credit card out there offers these types of unlimited rewards.  Most credit card companies cap their rewards at a certain limit.  Most people don’t even realize this about their credit cards.  With PerkStreet, your rewards are endless, no end in sight.  If you’re a big spender, this means some pretty amazing cashback and no risk to your credit score!

It’s important to remember though, that your debit account needs to have at least $5,000 for you to receive rewards.  Anyone with a type of emergency fund should be able to easily have this much in their account.

(The following is post is by guest blogger Michael, founder of Credit Card Forum)

During the recession, those uber-generous bonus offers for airline cards basically disappeared. However over the past year or so, they have come back in full swing. But determining their value isn’t as easy as it used to be, because many airlines have re-worked their reward programs over the past 2 or 3 years to accommodate higher fuel prices. Here’s a look at three of the most popular offers from 2011 and what they’re really worthâ¦

Capital One Venture Card â“ Match My Miles Challenge
You probably saw the commercials a few weeks ago with Alec Baldwin peddling this. In a nutshell, Capital One was offering to match your current mileage account balance â“ up to 100,000 miles â“ if you submitted proof and then spent $1,000 during your first 3 months with a new Venture card.

But how much is this bonus worth? Well the Venture miles❠are not like regular frequent flyer miles. Rather, they can basically be thought of as cash; each mile is worth exactly $0.01 towards a travel purchase. So assuming you actually had 100,000 miles on your current mileage account (whomever that may be with) then the value of this Venture card offer is $1,000⦠which is truly mind blowing!

The bad news is that they ended this promotion earlier this month. But if it comes back and you have a frequent flyer account with a boatload of miles, then you will probably want to take advantage of it (even if you signup and cancel afterward, like Jon advocated with the Citi ThankYou credit cards, ha!)

British Airways Credit Card â“ 100,000 Bonus BA Miles
This offer was just launched a couple weeks ago and like the Venture card, it has generated quite a bit of buzz. What they are offering is 50,000 bonus miles after the first purchase and another 50,000 for spending $2,500+ during the first 90 days. This offer was supposed to be ending but just today, Chase announced that they would extend it until May 6^th.

So what will these 100,000 miles buy you? Well it ends up being enough for two round-trip transatlantic flights. The fine print goes into further details; from USA to Europe Zone 1❠which includes the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. However keep in mind the cardholder is still responsible for paying fees, taxes, and airline surcharges out-of-pocket, which can really add up on international flights!

In terms of the cash value of this promotion, I suppose it would vary based on your destinations and flight dates (which would affect the cash price you would normally pay for the same tickets). Regardless, I think it’s safe to say this appears to be at least a $1,000 value. I actually have never been to Europe myself, but am strongly considering this offer to change that! Plus, since I advertise the card on my site, I would get a few extra bucks for signing up anyway. Here’s is my full review of the British Airways credit card promotion.

Southwest Airlines Credit Card â“ 20,000
If you’re a member of the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards❠frequent flyer program, than you are well aware that for 2011 they totally changed the way you earn free flights. Here’s a comparison of the new and old Southwest programs. There are pros and cons for both versions but to sum it up, the old program was better in the sense that you got more value per point. However I personally like the new program better, because it does away with blackout dates, rewards expiration (before they expired after 24 months), and you can use points for any seat (you don’t have to worry about award seats❠being available).

The promotion that Chase and Southwest are currently running is 20,000 bonus points. But what’s the value of that in the new program? Well if you are redeeming your points for Wanna Get Away❠fares, then you get $100 airfare credit per 6,000 points. That means your bonus is worth $333.33. That being said, point conversion isn’t the same for their other airfare tiers. I recently wrote a review of the Southwest Airlines credit card which goes over the current program.

Although $333.33 is a nice bonus, the value is comparable to what the Gold Delta SkyMiles, Continental Airlines OnePass Plus, and a couple other airline cards are currently offering. That means unless you regularly fly Southwest, there is no reason to jump at this specific offer.

Conclusion?
For 2011, by far the biggest standouts for bonuses in the airline credit card category are the Capital One Venture and Chase British Airways. It will be interesting to see what the offers will look like throughout the rest of the year. Unfortunately with oil hovering around $105 to $110 per barrel and possibly heading higher, I wonder if they will be forced to scale back the promotions?