Popular Deals
Free Costco Membership for Select Amex Gold Cardmembers
January 12th, 2010Select Amex Gold cardmembers are eligible to receive one year of free Costco membership, courtesy of American Express. To receive the $50 statement credit for the annual Costco membership fee, you must enroll in the promo, then use your Gold Card to purchase a membership and spend at Costco by January 15, 2010.
Eligible cardmembers can enroll at www.americanexpress.com/costcogift/
Amex: Pay Your Income Tax with Membership Rewards Points
January 11th, 2010American Express just announced a new Membership Rewards redemption option, allowing cardmembers to use points toward federal, state and local income tax payments. Through expanded partnerships with Pay1040 and Official Payments Corp, cardmembers can now redeem their points towards the actual tax payment. Previously, points could only be used to offset the cost of the convenience and payment fees incurred when filing taxes online. Unfortunately, the redemption rate of 200 MR points per 1 dollar towards your tax bill leaves a lot to be desired.
Select Chase Freedom Cardholders: Triple Rewards on Dining, Education, Childcare and Utilities Expenses
December 30th, 2009Select Chase Freedom card holders can earn triple cash back or points on dining, education, childcare and utilities expenses charged to their card between January 1 and March 31, 2010.
As each offer appears to be individualized, there may be a spending threshold that needs to be reached before earning the bonus. Of note is that the maximum bonus available during the promo period is $20. Enrollment must be completed by March 12, 2010.
To enroll, see www.yourchasefreedom.com.
Cap One, Bank of America Drop Mandatory Arbitration Clauses
December 18th, 2009Earlier this year, two large arbitration firms announced they would no longer be handling credit card collection disputes. Now comes word that, as a result of a huge class action lawsuit against the major banks, many of them are starting to drop the language in their contracts that requires consumers to engage in binding arbitration rather than taking their case to the courts. Earlier this week, B of A announced it would drop these requirements for consumer and small business agreements for at least three and a half years. On Thursday, Capital One became the latest bank to agree to drop the clause, as part of a settlement over the lawsuit. B of A and Cap One join JPMorgan Chase, which had previously reached a similar agreement in November.
These settlements are hailed as a victory for credit card users, as many consumer advocates have viewed the arbitration process as being unfairly biased towards the credit card companies.
New Credit Card Abuses Spread in Advance of Credit CARD Act
December 10th, 2009A new study by the Center for Responsible Lending finds that credit card issuers have managed to find new ways to pad their profit and work around the Federal Reserve Board rules and federal law set to take effect in February 2010. Even as old abuses are outlawed, CRL finds that new ways to squeeze fees out of consumers are being introduced and popularized.
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My American Express Car Buying Service Experience: Amex vs. Carsdirect.com and Costco
December 7th, 2009So recently I was in the market for a new car. Now, I know that many will argue the merits of only buying used cars because of the steep and immediate depreciation hit you take the minute you leave the lot with a new car. Well, in general, I prefer to buy new because I don’t trust my ability to evaluate the mechanical condition of a used car. Plus, it’s just a lot easier to comparison shop for new cars. I also keep my cars for a long time, so the depreciation is less of an issue.
Another problem I face when buying a car is that I hate haggling. Personally, I’d rather pay a slight premium for a more convenient transaction. Which is why I decided to explore the subject of this post: a review and comparison of a few of the “no-haggle” price car purchase programs on the market.
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Virgin Atlantic Amex: Up to 65,000 Bonus Miles
December 4th, 2009The Virgin Atlantic American Express now offers up to 65,000 bonus miles in your first year of cardmembership. The new, improved offer is only available through this link, as the standard deal only offers up to 35,000 bonus miles.
Under terms of the new promotion, you’ll earn 20,000 Flying Club miles after your first purchase. You’ll also receive an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make at least $750 in purchases within 90 days of opening your account. In addition, you’ll earn 7,500 Flying Club miles for spending $15,000 and another 7,500 miles for reaching $25,000 in annual spending. Up to 5,000 more bonus miles may be earned for adding more Cardmembers to your account.
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Use your Discover Card and Get $10 off $50 on a Variety of Items at Amazon
November 25th, 2009For a limited time, when you spend $50 or more on select items sold by Amazon.com in Apparel, Electronics, Software, Video Games, and Computers, you will get $10 off when you pay with your Discover Card. Items that qualify for this promotion will display a message under the “Special Offers and Product Promotions” section. After you’ve added qualifying items that total $50 or more and update your payment form to your Discover Card, the discount should be reflected in your cart. For the full terms of the promo, see this link. For examples of items eligible for the discount, see this SD thread.
5% Rebate on BP Gas with Your Amex
November 17th, 2009Enroll your American Express card at the link below and earn a 5% rebate on BP gas through December 31, 2009. The rebate will be issued as a statement credit and may take up to 2 billing cycles to post. Note that not all American Express cards are eligible for this promotion.
For more info or to see if your card qualifies, see this link. (via SD)
PenFed Premium Travel Rewards Amex
November 16th, 2009PenFed today announced it has teamed with American Express to issue a new American Express-branded credit card, becoming the first credit union in the country to do so. The PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express Card will earn 5 points per $1 on all airfare purchases and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Until December 31, 2010, dining and hotel purchases will also earn 3 points per dollar spent. In addition, you’ll earn 20,000 bonus rewards points for spending $650 on the card within the first 90 days of membership. Rewards include travel, merchandise, and more. For instance, 10,000 points can be redeemed for a $100 gift card (a value of 1 cent per point).
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