Category Archives for Credit Cards.
A new credit card rewards consumer protection law has been signed by the governor after passage this summer. Starting one year from now it will help customers who cancel a card – or have a card closed on them by the issuer for lack of use – to still use their points.
There are two challenges credit card companies face in marketing to consumers: Getting potential customers to apply for the card and getting cardmembers to use the card.
I already knew that the new Bilt Mastercard had a unique approach to the first challenge. Receiving my Bilt card I now see they have an interesting approach to the second as well.
Last year, when relatively few people were going out, Capital One offered to send cardmembers Michelin-starred dinners. Then over the summer they offered a series of Michelin restaurant experiences worth flying to in San Francisco, Brooklyn, and Northern Virginia.
For the winter they’re back with another three Michelin restaurant experiences as part of their “Capital One x MICHELIN Guide Destination Dinner Series.”
GoPuff is an on-demand delivery service for groceries, food, and other items like tooth paste, cell phone charges, or over the counter medicines. Nearly all Chase consumer cards now have a $10 per month credit with GoPuff on purchase of $10 or more.
This offer runs through December 31, 2023 so potentially $10 per month per eligible card for over 24 months. Deliveries cost $1.95, so you need to buy something over $8.05 to get the credit. No registration is required.
I’ve just applied – and was approved for – four new credit cards. Three of the approvals came instantly. And I have a lot of minimum spend to hit to earn initial bonuses. Here’s how I plan to do it.
The Bilt Mastercard has no annual fee, lets you earn points paying rent on your card, and has bonus categories similar to a Sapphire Preferred Card as well (2x travel, 3x dining). If you rent an apartment or house you can be 50,000 points richer each year with this card, and points transfer to great airline and hotel partners.
There’s a waiting list to get the card, but they gave me a code to skip the waitlist to share on this site. I do not receive referral credit of any kind if you do.
A currency serves two purposes – a medium of exchange and a store of value. So far crypto isn’t good for either, it’s tough to use (you first have to convert it to another currency and that’s costly) and good stores of value don’t fluctuate wildly in price.
However crypto is no longer a flash in the pan either, many very smart people are working developing businesses, tools, and use cases, and prices have dropped – and recovered – for the most popular currencies. The price of crypto doesn’t seem to behave like a classic bubble.
In the past few years we’ve seen a proliferation of merchant-funded credit card offers. Whether it’s a year of Door Dash Dash Pass from Chase or $15 per month credit at Uber from American Express Platinum, a credit with airport security fast track service CLEAR, or $50 twice a year with Saks, numerous businesses want access to a credit card company’s customers.
Banks are attracted to benefits they can deliver to customers at no or low cost (or even at a profit, the details on each deal are different). And bundle enough of these benefits and you can sell an annual fee increase, too, helping the bottom-line for a card product that may be struggling to earn a profit despite being very attractive to consumers.
The Points Guy gave out an award for ‘best new credit card of 2021’. I happen to think choosing the new Capital One Venture X is a reasonable pick. But how they dismiss the best competition is interesting.
One reader did a bit of a double take at the FAQs for credit card earning in the new American Airlines elite program.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
