Capital One Venture Card Customer Service Impresses
August 27, 2011 by Charlie Stedman · Leave a Comment
Before a recent trip to the Caribbean, I opted to swap out my Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards card for the Capital One Venture card. There was a good promotion – 25,000 free miles ($250) after $1,000 of spend – and I needed a good card with no international transaction fees. Less than a day into the trip, my wife misplaced one of our cards. We were quite certain it was not lost, but we wanted to take precautions just in case.
I wavered a bit before calling Capital One customer service. I’d had a poor experience with them in the past, but this was on a lower end card. The primary concern, however, was that we’d lose access to both of our cards if we called the lost/stolen card department. We decided to take a chance.
The U.S. based Capital One representative I spoke with offered up some bad news initially: both my wife and I shared the same card number, so if we closed one account, we’d lose both and be forced to pay a 3% foreign transaction fee on every purchase we made – a reality that likely would have cost us at least $100, not to mention $60 in rewards. Fortunately,
New United Credit Card: The MileagePlus Explorer Card with Free Checked Bags
July 18, 2011 by Laura Reveley · Leave a Comment
United frequent fliers concerned about how the Continental merger will impact the United credit card can breathe a sigh of relief. Chase revamped, renamed, and relaunched a vastly improved version of United’s Visa – the MileagePlus Explorer Card – and loaded it with benefits few other airline credit cards possess.
The new United MileagePlus Explorer card is exponentially better than its predecessor. Unlike the old card, the MileagePlus Explorer offers a waiver on bag check fees for all cardmembers and up to one guest. For a couple, this benefit is worth up to $100 per round trip. This perk alone more than offsets the cost of membership for any couple who flies United at least once a year.
A difficult to quantify, but nevertheless valuable feature that is unique to the new United credit card is priority boarding. Regardless of frequent flier status, cardmembers and companions can board immediately after first-class and elite travelers. This
4 Disadvantages of a Student Charge Card
July 11, 2011 by Laura Reveley · Leave a Comment
A student charge card is often necessary to make ongoing purchases while you are in school and not earning an income. For example, many students must place expenses like books and meal plans on a charge card since these are not covered in student loan sums. Student charge cards can help build your credit while you are in school, but this plan works only if you are able to repay the cards on time. There are a number of challenges that can arise and eat away at the benefits of a student charge card.
Lack of Collateral
When a student secures a charge card, that student rarely has a high degree of assets in his or her name. This means two things: first, the credit line on a student charge card is typically very low; second, a cosigner may be required. Both of these factors lessen the value of a credit card to improve a student’s credit rating. Credit cards can build credit, but they do so only if the user maintains a low balance and repays the card by himself or herself.
Review: Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Credit Card
June 30, 2011 by Laura Reveley · Leave a Comment
Many frequent travelers are becoming disenchanted with airline reward cards. Many find that miles can be nearly impossible to redeem at the lowest advertised redemption levels. Others have grown disenchanted after saving miles for years, only to be told that their flight is has no available reward seats. The Hilton HHonors credit card is tied to one of a handful of hotel programs that avoids redemption problems by offering award stays with no blackout dates and no capacity restrictions, making this one of the better options for consumers seeking a hotel rewards card.
For each dollar spent on the Hilton HHonors Visa, card-members earn two points in the HHonors rewards program. There are three HHonors reward points given for purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations. Plus, consumers earn six HHonors points per dollar for all purchases at Hilton owned hotels. These hotels include brands such as Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, Doubletree Hotels and the Waldorf Astoria.
New cardmembers receive an initial sign up bonus of 40,000 HHonors reward points as long as $1,000 is charged to the Hilton card within four months of opening an account.
How Much Has Your Credit Card Debt Cost You This Year?
June 27, 2011 by Laura Reveley · Leave a Comment
Credit card interest is an easy to overlook monthly expense. It doesn’t require actively swiping a card or forking over cash like other expenses. It just shows up on credit card statements, month in and month out.
Perhaps because we don’t consciously spend money on interest and we’re not required to pay credit card bills in full, many of us fail to realize that carrying just a few thousand dollars in credit card debt can cost hundreds of dollars a year.
Thus, with 2011 almost at the halfway point, it may be a good time to take a closer look at your credit card debt and find ways to reduce interest expenses via a 0% APR balance transfer. Here’s why:
1.) A person who carries an average monthly credit card balance of $1,000 on a card that charges a 15% interest rate will spend slightly more than $150 a year in interest. On a card with a 20% rate, the number leaps above $200.
2.) The average American carries slightly more than $4,000 of credit card debt. At a 15%