Credit Cards

Category Archives for Credit Cards.

American Express Introduces Premium Cabin Airfare Discounts via Online Chat

by Gary Leff on October 18, 2018

Oct 18 2018

For years American Express has had an ‘International Airline Program’ for Platinum and Centurion cardholders which amounted to 2-for-1 business class tickets provided you were buying full fare.

This has had limited usefulness for many cardmembers, often full fare business class is about twice as much as discounted advance purchase business, at most you’d save a few hundred dollars buying business class for two passengers. A limited subset of cardmembers, though, found this very useful.

Last June they revamped the program and made it much more useful. And now you do not even need to call to use it.

60,000 Chase Points Now Available Online for Sapphire Banking

by Gary Leff on October 16, 2018

Oct 16 2018

In late August I wrote that Chase was about to introduce their new Sapphire Banking product — but not to sign up right away because a bonus would be on its way that you should wait for.

The bonus debuted in-branch a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s available online: 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

Bank of America Launches New Air France KLM Mastercard

by Gary Leff on October 16, 2018

Oct 16 2018

Bank of America has just launched the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard.

Air France KLM Flying Blue has been one of the international programs most keen on that sweet, sweet U.S. credit card revenue. They’re a transfer partner of American Express, Chase, and Citibank. And now they have their own US-issued co-brand.

There are some creative elements to the card, and will help those looking for Air France elite status.

Barclays Arrival Premier Being Closed to New Customers

by Gary Leff on October 5, 2018

Oct 05 2018

The Barclays Arrival Premier World Elite Mastercard just launched in April. It put Barclays into the transferable miles game alongside American Express, Chase, and Citibank.

The play with this card was the unique earning structure — a bonus for spending on the card each year instead of an initial signup bonus.

American Express Launches New Gold Card With Great 4x Bonus Categories

by Gary Leff on October 4, 2018

Oct 04 2018

American Express just refreshed their Premier Rewards Gold Card and renamed it “American Express Gold Card.”

Most importantly the card raises the bar for points-earning at US restaurants and US grocery stores, while retaining strong points-earning on airline spend. And they’ve added a new monthly credit for dining. Today’s changes to the product – for me – make it the most rewarding card for ongoing spend.

The First Card to Get After Dropping Below 5/24

by Gary Leff on October 1, 2018

Oct 01 2018

For many Chase cards you can only get approved if you’ve had fewer than 5 new credit card accounts in the last 24 months.

If you’ve had 5 or more new cards in the last 24 months, and you take a break from any new cards and fall back under 5/24, here’s the first card you should get.

Amazon is Leading a New Attack on Rewards Credit Cards

by Gary Leff on September 26, 2018

Sep 26 2018

While credit cards are generally less expensive for a merchant than taking cash, retailers push back on the cost of accepting cards.

The latest salvo comes from Amazon, along with Home Depot and Target. They want to be able to accept lower-tier Visa and Mastercard products, and not accept premium cards.

Coming Soon: American Express Will Let Platinum Cardmembers Book Sold Out Restaurants By App

by Gary Leff on September 22, 2018

Sep 22 2018

American Express offers its Global Dining Collection program to The Platinum Card from American Express cardholders and to Centurion (Black Card) customers.

These are top restaurants where American Express has an arrangement to set aside some tables for cardmembers. You’ve had to make bookings through their concierge service. They’ll be launching searches for reservations, including special set-aside availability, through the American Express mobile app first in the UK starting next month and then in the US next year.

Sri Lanka’s Leader Plays Seinfeld With His Country’s Airline and Why the FAIR FEES Act Will Raise Fares

by Gary Leff on September 13, 2018

Sep 13 2018

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Chase Launching 60,000 Point Offer for New Sapphire Banking