Updated December 2019. That space in your wallet or purse is more valuable than you think. Credit card companies are fighting it out, offering strong perks and $500+ value for a single card during the first year to encourage you to apply and try it out. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now, if I didn’t already have most of them. Notable changes: United 65k – limited-time offer. Added NavyFed 50k card (requires military affiliation). If you pay off your balances every month, then you can join me and many others in funding a huge chunk of your annual travel budget with cash credits, points, and miles. You don’t need to be a “I only … [Read More...]

Updated December 2019. Do you have small business income or work as an independent contractor? Uber/Lyft, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Airbnb? You are eligible to open a small business credit card, which keeps your personal and business expenses separate. If you are not a corporation or LLC, you can apply as a sole proprietorship, with your name as the business name and your Social Security number as the Tax ID number. I did this for years successfully before incorporating my business. Small business credit cards are offering strong perks and $500+ value for a single card during the first year to try out a new card. Below are the top 10 credit card offers that I would apply for (or have applied for already). Recent changes: CapOne Spark… [Read More...]

Updated. I enjoy optimizing my credit card rewards, but I would ignore points or airline miles if I was carrying a balance at 15%+ interest! In fact, the WSJ reports that companies are charging higher interest rates because of their generous rewards programs. If you are ready to pay down that debt, consider transferring your balance to another issuer at a lower rate. Shopping around can save you thousands in interest. You’ll want the best combination of the longest 0% APR period and the lowest balance transfer fees. Having no balance transfer fee is obviously best, but if you need to spread out your payments, it may be better to pick a longer term with a modest balance transfer fee. For example, if you are paying… [Read More...]

Updated November 2019. Do you have small business income or work as an independent contractor? Uber/Lyft, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Airbnb? You are eligible to open a small business credit card, which keeps your personal and business expenses separate. If you are not a corporation or LLC, you can apply as a sole proprietorship, with your name as the business name and your Social Security number as the Tax ID number. I did this for years successfully before incorporating my business. Small business credit cards are offering strong perks and $500+ value for a single card during the first year to try out a new card. Below are the top 10 credit card offers that I would apply for (or have applied for already). Recent changes: CapOne Spark… [Read More...]

Updated November 2019. That space in your wallet or purse is more valuable than you think. Credit card companies are fighting it out, offering strong perks and $500+ value for a single card during the first year to encourage you to apply and try it out. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now, if I didn’t already have most of them. Notable changes: United 65k – limited-time offer. Delta, Southwest, Marriott 100k, IHG 125k limited-time offers all ended. If you pay off your balances every month, then you can join me and many others in funding a huge chunk of your annual travel budget with cash credits, points, and miles. You don’t need to be … [Read More...]

New limited-time offer. The United Explorer Card is a Chase-issued credit card that offers unique perks on United Airlines including free checked bags and expanded award seat availability for redeeming miles. Right now, there is also a limited-time offer bump up to 65,000 bonus miles with no annual fee during the first year. Here are the highlights: Limited time offer – Up to 65,000 bonus miles. 40,000 bonus miles after $2,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Plus earn an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you spend $10,000 total in purchases in the first 6 months. Free first checked bag for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $120 per roundtrip) when you use your Card to purchase your ticket. Expanded award availability. Having this card … [Read More...]

Data breaches are scary fact of life these days. If you have a Mastercard, did you know that they offer a Mastercard ID Theft Protection service to cardholders for free? If you activate it, Mastercard has paid on your behalf for a private-label identity theft protection service provided by Generali Global Assistance, Inc. (GGA). The same way that Safeway doesn’t actually make their generic version of Cheerios, Mastercard has outsourced this service. Thanks to reader Bill P for the tip. Services are provided by Generali Global Assistance, Inc. (GGA), one of the largest providers of private-label identity protection services in the United States. GGA has handled thousands of identity-related cases and has protected millions of customers since it began offering the service in 2003. … [Read More...]