New cardholders can earn up to 50,000 bonus points, plus 2x points for every dollar spent on restaurants and travel.

Review of Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card

If dumping your no-rewards credit card was on your list of 2012 to-dos, there’s no time like the present. Rewards of every kind are being offered for savvy consumers, and if travel is your bailiwick, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card as one option.

Right now, new cardholders can earn 50,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of the account. Balance transfers aren’t eligible for this bonus offer. Standard rewards tiers include:

• 2x points for each dollar spent on travel, such as flights and hotel nights. Plus you can earn another point (for a total of 3x points per dollar spent) if travel is booked through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards website
• 2x points for each dollar spent on dining
• 1x point for each dollar spent anywhere else

Also, you can get a 7-percent annual points dividend on all points earned in the previous year. There are no limits to the number of points that can be earned, but the card does come with a $95 annual fee which is waived for the first year only. One hefty fee you can avoid is the $20 charge if you book your rewards flight (or change flights) over the phone using the company’s toll-free number. Best to book online, as no fees are charged for using Chase’s website.

Chase’s Ultimate Rewards program touts its claim that cardholders can book flights for an average of 20 percent fewer rewards points if booked on the rewards program website, plus there are no blackout dates or restrictions.

The card has an APR of 15.24 percent on purchases and balance transfers; 19.24 percent on cash advances and overdraft advances. Balance transfers are charged $5 or 3 percent of each transfer, whichever is greater, and cash advances cost $10 or 5 percent of each advance, whichever is greater. There are no foreign transaction fees for this card.

With ever-increasing destinations and a low annual fee, the JetBlue credit card is worth a look.
JetBlue Business Card from American Express OPEN: Key perks for business travelers
The JetBlue Business Card from American Express OPEN is making headway as a fairly unique product travel credit card industry. The American Express co-branded card has a relatively low annual fee but earns up to eight points for every dollar spent.
JetBlue was launched in 1999, and its first flight was in 2000, so it’s a relatively young airline. Its service area now includes more than 70 cities in 21 states and 700 flights a day, making it a travel rewards card that could be worth a look if the geography works for you. Some of card perks of this business card include:
• The ability to earn 10,000 TrueBlue points with the first purchase
• No black out dates on JetBlue flights
• Up to eight points for each dollar spent on travel at JetBlue.com
• Annual fee is just $40 (lower than that of many travel rewards cards).
• Double points when you buy wireless phone services, auto gas, car rentals, office supplies and equipment
• One point for all other purchases on the card
Now to the fine print items associated with those perks:
• The 10,000 points offer is good for the first year after opening a new card only, and while a business may have more than one credit card account, the 10,000 bonus points is only available one time.
• JetBlue partners and code share airlines can impose blackout dates.
• To earn 8 points, use your JetBlue Business Card to purchase flights and travel on JetBlue.com. You earn 6 points per dollar for your TrueBlue account for booking, and an additional 2 points per dollar for using the business card.
• The double point purchase items cannot be made at warehouse clubs, superstores or supermarkets.
Award tickets on JetBlue start at 5,000 points, depending on the cost of the flight at the time of booking and the destination and departure cities.
This American Express card is a revolving credit line, meaning you can pay the balance each month or over time. Interest rates for purchases and cash advances are typical for rewards cards. The foreign transaction fee of 2.7 percent is lower than many other cards that charge those fees. Cash advances do not earn TrueBlue reward points. Penalty APR applies if you make two late payments in a 12-month period, you miss your payment due date or your payment is returned. That penalty APR stands for one year; after 12 on-time payments the standard APR will be applied to your account.
Because the JetBlue Business Card is part of the American Express OPEN line of credit cards, members have access to other features, like customer support available 24 hours a day, baggage insurance plans, rental car insurance plans, and the OPEN Savings program which offers discounts on business expenses from OPEN partners such as FedEx delivery service and Hertz rental cars.

Written by Megg Mueller

Megg Mueller is a journalist with almost two decades of experience. She has worked as a reporter and editor for the Reno Gazette-Journal and as an editor of health care and education manuals for Aspen Publishers, a subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer. She wrote a weekly column on the hotel industry during her tenure as assistant travel editor for USA TODAY.com. Mueller is the editor of a tourism-based website and also serves as a reporter for a weekly business newspaper.

Open an account when you have H&R Block do your taxes and you could get an instant refund.
The Emerald Prepaid MasterCard offers quick refund access
If you’re working to rebuild your credit, prepaid cards with offer a way to get back into financial responsibility. You won’t be tempted to go crazy and make large purchases because you simply can’t; your available balance is whatever you put on the card and not a penny more. One such card is the H&R Block Emerald Prepaid MasterCard.
The Emerald card works like other prepaid debit cards; you load funds onto the card and whatever you load is the amount you can spend. No interest charges, no bill to pay at the end of the month, and for many people, it opens the option to make online purchases and works like a regular credit card anywhere MasterCard is accepted. A major difference between the Emerald card and other prepaid cards is that with the Emerald card, when you have your taxes prepared by H&R Block, you are able to have your income tax refund loaded onto your card.
You don’t have to have your tax refund applied to open the card, but it is an option that offers a few perks. Tax preparation fees are deducted from the refund amount to be loaded, meaning you don’t pay anything out of pocket at the time of the preparation. The funds from an Emerald Advance Line of Credit, if approved, will be applied within an hour. If you choose to have a refund anticipation check or have the IRS direct deposit your funds onto the Emerald card, it will take an estimated eight to 15 days for them to appear on the card.
You can also apply for the Emerald card online, and you have 45 days to get it funded. The options for funding include direct payroll deposit, or using a retail reloading location such as Green Dot, MoneyGram and Western Union. These retailers will charge you a fee for loading cash or your paper check to the card, and those are determined by the individual company but generally run between $3.50 and $4.95 per transaction.
Unlike other prepaid cards in the media lately, the Emerald card does not charge a fee to apply for the card, but there are fees associated with using the card, meaning you do spend some money to access your money. Standard credit-card type transaction at merchants do not have a fee, but if you use the card at an ATM you will pay $2.50 for each withdrawal, $1 each time you check your balance, and even $1 if you try to withdraw funds but are denied. A better option is to ask for cash back when making a purchase at a retailer such as a grocery store. You could also incur a $2.50 charge if your account is inactive for three months, although H&R Block’s terms and conditions notes that the company will not create a deficit on your card with that fee.
A few other fees and restrictions include:
• Maximum daily withdrawal from ATM or point of sale is $3,000
• Maximum spent on the card per day is $3,500
• Over-the-counter withdrawal fee is $25
Make sure any ATM usage is at an AllPoint Network machine, otherwise you could incur additional surcharges of $1-$3 per transaction. Prepaid cards like the Emerald Prepaid MasterCard are not for everyone, but if you’re unable to qualify for a credit card or you’re looking for a fast refund on your income tax, this might could be worth a look.

Writen by Megg Mueller

Megg Mueller is a journalist with almost two decades of experience. She has worked as a reporter and editor for the Reno Gazette-Journal and as an editor of health care and education manuals for Aspen Publishers, a subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer. She wrote a weekly column on the hotel industry during her tenure as assistant travel editor for USA TODAY.com. Mueller is the editor of a tourism-based website and also serves as a reporter for a weekly business newspaper.

“The current Credit Rating System needs to be abolished in order to get the U.S. real estate market and overall economy back on positive tracks,” says Phil Mitsch, a real estate examiner. So therefore, he adds, understanding how the Credit Rating System works will give millions of Americans a substantial financial and psychological advantage over it, saving Americans billions of dollars a year. Below are 10 of the 35 of secrets to higher credit scores Mitsch shares as listed on Examiner.com.

1) Higher Credit Rating Scores = lower interest rates for consumers.
2) Credit Rating Scores range from 300 to 850
Below 599 is considered bad
600 to 649 is considered poor
650 to 699 is considered fair
700 to 749 is considered good
Over 750 is considered excellent
3) The formula used to determine Credit Rating Score
4) Get a copy of your 3 Credit Reports
5) Review your credit reports for accuracy
6) Correct personal information errors
7) Correct negative information errors
File disputes to have questionable negative information removed
9) Have collection agencies delete collection information when paid
10) Compare credit card companies

According to a recent Experian National Score Index study, about 14 percent of US consumers have more than 10 credit cards, and one in seven use at least half of their available credit. The study also found that US consumers have an average of four credit cards, and just over half–51 percent–have at least two credit cards.

So how many is too many? 888-MyMoney.net states that the guideline is to maintain only the number of cards that you can handle responsibly, and that two credit cards are better than one in unfortunate situations such as cards being stolen. A backup card (with a zero balance) will provide some credit while you’re waiting for the stolen card(s) to be replaced. But remember, maxing out any of your cards is always a no-no.

A 2009 Sallie Mae study reported that the average college graduate carried about four credit cards by the time he earned his degree. That’s a hefty amount of plastic for a recent grad indeed, which proves that plastic is quite attractive to young adults.

Reporter Steve Rosen shares on Recordnet.com the story of a recent grad who already had a credit card, inquired if she should find another deal or stick with her one card after being denied a credit application for an airlines card. The advice recent graduates should consider for just-because credit cards: Improve your chances of obtaining a second card by building up a lengthier repayment history on the first card and, of course, invest the time to check your credit report to make sure there are no errors that can lower your credit score.

One of the best ways to save big money on a big loan is to first do your homework and know your own credit standing. This is important because raising your credit score by as little as 40 points could qualify you for a lower interest on a home mortgage, auto, student, or personal loan. Sounds worth it right?

The first step would be to pull your report to get a glimpse at what lenders will see and to correct any lingering errors. Second, you want to make sure you’ve established some credit history. And third, eliminate collections by paying your bills on time because payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score. These are just a few, take a glance at the other ways you can raise your fico score on FoxBusiness.com.

Well that depends on several scenarios, but you should start by asking yourself a rather simple financial question: Which number is greater? The return on your investment or the interest you are paying. For example, a Forbes.com article asks if you should invest $10,000 that you owe in credit debt into a guaranteed 1% interest from your bank or invest it into a possible 30% return from a small business endeavor?

The bottom line is that there are a lot of alternatives to consider such as the cost of the debt and the downside risks or over a given time frame. Moreover, there are also emotional points to consider as well such as how a particular outcome will make you feel. So when trying to decide whether or not you should pay off credit debt or invest, try to make your decisions with your head and your heart for the likelihood of a winning decision.

The widening of the spread between rewards and non-rewards cards makes this a good time to re-evaluate the relative benefits of rewards credit cards. FoxBusiness.com reports that non-reward credit card offers declined to 14.72 percent from their previous level of 14.88 percent. Meanwhile, reward credit card offers rose to 17.27 percent from 17.09 percent.

Nonetheless, credit card customers who carry a balance should try to quantify how much they are likely to be able to take advantage of rewards programs, and compare this amount with the additional interest they are likely to pay on rewards cards to see if worth the extra percentages.

There is a plastic ceiling to some credit cards that will be denied to you no matter how high your credit scores are. They are pretty much invitation-only cards such as the American Express Black card and Chase Palladium card. Both cards are reserved for existing big-spender cardholders. These cards have what is a “plunk factor.” The Centurion, for instance, is made of titanium, while the Palladium is made of the precious metal that shares its name and has the cardholder’s signature permanently etched into it.

But behold, there are plenty of top-tier cards listed on MSN Money that you don’t need to be rich and/or famous to snag that offer stellar rewards for average consumers.