Credit Cards

Category Archives for Credit Cards.

JetBlue Could Bail On Its Credit Card Issuer Again, Drop Barclays For Goldman Sachs

by Gary Leff on March 18, 2021

Mar 18 2021

JetBlue moved over from American Express to Barclays as issuer of its co-brand credit card in 2016. There’s probably a seven year deal in place expiring late in 2023. But JetBlue is already shopping their co-brand business to Goldman Sachs as they renegotiate with Barclays on an extension.

We rarely see large loyalty programs change issuers. It’s much more likely to see smaller brands with less lucrative products changing hands, which is why JetBlue could move again after just seven years.

American Airlines Cabin Crew Have New Incentive To Sign Passengers Up For Credit Cards

by Gary Leff on March 11, 2021

Mar 11 2021

With people thinking more about getting out more in the not too distant future, on board card promotion is back in a big way in fact for March and April they’re incentivizing this with additional cash and donations.

What’s perhaps most interesting though is the statistic they’re promoting, that only 14% of passengers on a given flight have an AAdvantage credit card.

For 2021, Marriott Amex Cards Will Reward Spending As Much As The Starwood Amex Used To

by Gary Leff on February 5, 2021

Feb 05 2021

When Marriott acquired Starwood and merged the loyalty programs, as much changed with their credit cards as with the loyalty program itself.

Chase’s Marriott cards used to earn 1 point per dollar. Starwood’s Amex cards earned 1 Starwood point per dollar. Marriott themselves declared 1 SPG point worth 3 Marriott points. In other words, the Amex cards were 3 times as rewarding for spending.

Southwest Has A Credit Card Offer That Comes With Companion Pass. Is It The Best There Is?

by Gary Leff on February 2, 2021

Feb 02 2021

The card that comes with a companion pass is a great deal – but – consider the current 80,000 point offer that ends February 8.

Meet the spending requirement and you’ll have a minimum of 90,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points. These count towards companion pass. As long as your Southwest Rapid Rewards account was open in 2020 you’ll only need 10,000 more qualifying points for a companion pass that’s valid longer – through 12/31/22 – and you have a lot more points.

Stolen Credit Card Marketplace Shuts Down Permanently

by Gary Leff on January 20, 2021

Jan 20 2021

Since 2014 this site has sold ‘fresh stolen credit card data’ with ‘a promise of card validity’ and earned an estimated billion dollars. However the FBI and Interpol closed in this year, taking over blockchain domains they had been using as proxy servers for their Tor service. And they had seen a drop in activity when their administrator came down with Covid-19 and reported being hospitalized.

Moreover, the quality of the stolen cards they had been selling declined as well, because there have been fewer in-person card transactions during the pandemic and they’ve relied on hacked online card transactions.

How I Plan To Stack Offers For $450 Off My New Phone

by Gary Leff on January 14, 2021

Jan 14 2021

I’ve been using a Samsung Galaxy S7 for 5 years. I was going to replace it in early 2020 but the pandemic hit and I didn’t bother. So I’m planning to buy the new Samsung S21 when it comes out in a few weeks. Since I get a new phone only every 4-5 years I may get the S21 ultra.

New York Times Says Credit Card Rewards Hurt The Poor. That’s Not True.

by Gary Leff on January 10, 2021

Jan 10 2021

In a glowing New York Times magazine profile of Brian Kelly, the founder of The Points Guy website, there are a number of unreasonable and poorly-argued claims. One in particular bothered me enough to address: that people earning credit card rewards do so at the expense of the poor.

Merchants pay fees to swipe credit cards, but the cost to accept credit cards is lower than other forms of payment. In the fight between businesses and credit card companies over fees, poor people are used as a fig leaf for corporate interests. Cutting interchange rates doesn’t lower prices, and doesn’t improve access to credit for the poor.

$60 In Free Wine From American Express Offers, Is There Anything Worth Drinking?

by Gary Leff on January 10, 2021

Jan 10 2021

American Express has an ‘Amex Offer’ that I’ve added to my Platinum Card from American Express for (2) $30 off $30 statement credits for purchases at Wine Insiders.

New $30/Month American Express Platinum Paypal Credit

by Gary Leff on January 1, 2021

Jan 01 2021

The Platinum Card® from American Express now offers a $30 per month spending credit with Paypal, effective today and running through June 30, 2021. That’s up to $180 in value over six months.

No registration or enrollment is required. Add your Platinum Card® from American Express to your PayPal wallet and use it paying with PayPal. Your spending, up to $30 each month, will be credited back to you.

LAST CHANCE: Hyatt Visa Double The Elite Nights For New Cardmembers Ending

by Gary Leff on December 27, 2020

Dec 27 2020

World Of Hyatt Credit Card cardmembers normally receive 5 elite nights every year (and earn 2 more elite nights for every $5000 they spend on the card). However Hyatt tells me that new cardmembers who are approved by December 31, 2020 will receive (10) elite nights both for 2020 and for 2021. That’s double the number of elite nights, twice.

And there’s a new card offer that gives you a choice of initial bonus.