AMEX Starwood Preferred Guest Card 25,000 Starpoints Promotion
Are you a frequent traveler? If you are, then you may want to check out the Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express, another travel rewards credit card that rewards cardholders with generous points and bonuses.
Right now, Starwood Preferred Guest Card is running a promotion that will give new cardholder up to 25,000 Starpoints in bonus. Of those bonus points, 10,000 points (enough for up to 3 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel) will be credited after the first purchase within the first year. The additional 15,000 Starpoints will be rewarded after the cardholder spends $15,000 on the card within 6 months.
Starwood Preferred Guest Card Reviews
American Express’s Starwood Preferred Guest Card is a travel rewards credit card that earns cardholders Starpoints which can be redeemed for airline tickets, hotel stays, or room upgrade. To earn rewards points, all you need to do is use the card for your everyday purchases at any location where American Express is accepted. With the Startwood card, you can
- Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend on every day items;
- Earn double points when you stay and make purchases on over 890 participating Starwood hotels and resorts in 95 countries;
- Earn an additional point for every dollar spent at Starwood hotels and resorts when joining the Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program (enrollment in the program is automatic for the cardholder).
In addition to the rewards program, as an American Express cardholder, you also enjoy some extra services from American Express for either shopping or travel when you use the card.
- Return protection: Guarantees your satisfaction on designated items within 90 days from the date of purchase.
- Extended warranty: Mirrors manufacturers’ warranties for covered products purchased with your Card account, for up to one additional year.
- Purchase protection: Protects covered items for up to 90 days from the date of purchase if it is stolen or accidentally damaged.
- Emergency check-in: Check into a hotel and charge your stay with the Card, even if your Card has been lost or stolen.
- Assured reservations: Guarantee your hotel reservations with your Card and your room will be waiting for you even if you arrive late, or the hotel will provide you with a comparable room nearby, along with transportation to your new location.
- Travel accident insurance: Provides up to $100,000 in accidental death and dismemberment insurance.
All these benefits come with a $45 annual fee. If you open an account during the promotion period, the annual fee will be waived for the first year.
How to Redeem Starpoints?
There are several ways to redeem points earned with the Starwood Preferred Guest Card. You can redeem the points for free stays at hundreds of Starwood properties, such as Westin Hotels & Resorts, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, and W Hotels with no blackout date. If you prefer, the points can also be transferred to frequent flyer miles with more than 30 airlines, usually at 1 mile per point ratio. Redemption can be easily made online, by phone, or at the hotel.
Currently, the Starwood Preferred Guest Card also offers a promotional rate of 2.90% APR for 6 months on purchase made with the card. Check it out to see if you like the card.
Pulaski Bank Visa Card: A Card With Low Rate
Apparently, I never really know anything about the Pulaski Bank Visa Card issued by Pulaski Bank, except seeing it mentioned in the Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine as one of the low-rate cards.
So how low is the rate? How about 6.50% fixed APR for both purchase and cash advance?
When I apply for a new credit card, and for all those credit cards that I already own, I almost never paid any attention to the card’s interest rate, except the introductory rate which could be 0% for 12 months. Some may argue that interest rate is probably one of the most important elements of a card offer, but that’s never the case for me because I always pay my credit card bills in full. So whatever rate a card charges doesn’t bother me at all (I’d rather keep a close eye on the card’s rewards program). Nonetheless, I can still tell that the 6.50% APR is still much lower than the rates of all the premium cards I own, where are usually in the range between 10 to 15% APR.
While it’s nice to have a card with a low rate, I also want some other features or benefits if I would ever get a card. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can expect from the Pulaski Bank Visa Card except, well, the low rate. So basically, the low rate is the only feature of this credit card (BTW, you will have to pay a $35 annual fee for using the card).
Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this is a card for me. I want a card to have a little bit more than a low rate. However, if you always carry a balance on your credit card, then the Pulaski Bank Visa Card could make a nice choice. After all, you can save a lot of money with a card that charges 6.5o% APR than a card that charges 15.0% APR.
The AmericanDream Card - The Pooled Rewards Card
This card, the AmericanDream Card from HSBC, is quite unique.
Rewards programs from most credit cards usually reward cardholders with cash backs, frequent flyer miles, or points. The AmericanDream Card, on the other hand, gives card members entries to the sweepstakes. Every time a dollar is spent on everyday purchases with the card, an entry to the monthly American Dream jackpot is earned. Card members can receive up to 1,000 entries per qualified transaction and there’s no limit on the number of entries one can earn. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?
During the promotion period (from now till September 30, 2009), the card is offering some incentives to encourage people apply for the card, including:
- 1,000 lottery entries for just applying for the card;
- 50 entries for every referral and another 1,000 entries for every approved application;
- 100 entries for paying bills online;
So what exactly is up for grab? Well, the grand prize for one lucky winner each month’s drawing is 0.5% of the total amount spent by all card members during the month, up to $25,000.
What do you think of this card? While the jackpot is pretty impressive, I won’t put too much into the odds of actually winning, obviously depending on the number of users and how much money they spend. To increase your chance of winning the sweepstakes, you will have to spend more money. The spending, however, could end up earn you nothing if you don’t win the lottery. I’d prefer a guaranteed return for the money I spend via a reward program that guarantees something, might that be rebates or miles.
Anyway, that’s just me. Take a look at the AmericanDream Card to see if it’s your type.
Orchard Bank Classic MasterCards
If you have a good credit score, then you should be looking for other premium cards because Orchard Bank Classic MasterCard is, from what I can tell, for people with poor credit or low credit score but hoping to improve their credit by using a credit card that fits them responsibly. The cards, with four different varieties including Platinum, Gold, Classic and Secured, are issued by HSBC Bank Nevada, N.A., which also operates the HSBC Direct Online Bank.
The Classic Card is ideal for people who are interested in establishing better credit but having trouble obtaining a premium card. If you are in need of a credit card that provides the opportunity to improve your creditworthiness, then you may find one of the Orchard Bank Classic MasterCard to be a good fit. Benefits of the Classic Card include acceptance at millions of locations worldwide. In addition, cardholders also receive online account access as well as e-mail and text message payment reminders. Upon approval, you may qualify for a six-month 0% introductory rate on purchases and balance transfers, depending on your credit profile.
The Classic Card charges a $49 annual fee plus another $49 account processing fee. The card currently has a variable purchase APR of 14.9%. For people with really poor credit history, the Secured Card may be approved (which card will be approved depends on the screening during the account application process), which requires a $200 minimum security deposit but has a lower 7.5% APR and $35 annul fee. The annual fee is waived for the first year.
Other fees charged include a Cash Advance Fee of 5% ($10 minimum) and 3% foreign transaction fee the U.S. dollar amount on transactions made in a foreign currency.
If you have a poor credit, then you may want to check out Orchard Bank Classic MasterCard if you are shopping for a credit card.
Citi Introduced Brand New Forward Credit Card
Meet the brand new Citi Forward credit card!
The card was launched yesterday as the only card that rewards its cardholder for maintaining a healthy credit. What what I can see, the main attraction of this card is that it actually pays customers, with ThankYou Network rewards points and interest rate reduction, for staying below their credit limits and paying bills on time. And that’s not all the Forward card offers. Card members can also earn hefty rewards with Forward, including
- 5 rewards points for every dollar spent on books, movies, music, and at restaurants and 1 point for $1 elsewhere;
- 100 ThankYou Points each billing period when paying bill on time and staying under the credit limit.
In addition to the rewards points, cardholder can also be rewarded with a 0.25% reduction in the card’s interest rate if he/she pays at least the minimum amount due three months in a row. So even if you carry a balance, you won’t see your rate go up, but rather come down as long as you pay the minimum. Carrying a credit card balance isn’t something that I will recommend because you will keep accumulating more debt if you only pay the minimum, but it’s at least good to know that the rate will be lowered. The bad news, however, is there’s a limit of 2% APR reduction you can take throughout the time of being a card member.
Since this a new card, it is now offering some incentives to new card members, including
- 6,000 ThankYou points after making $50 purchase within the first three months;
- 5,000 ThankYou points after signing up to receive paperless statements within the first three months.
The requirements aren’t really high to get the 11,000 rewards points (which can be redeemed for gift cards from various merchants), besides, the card doesn’t carry an annual membership fee.
What do you think of this new card? Check it out to see if and what you like it.