Keeping an eye on the best credit card offers
For the third time this year, Amex is running a limited-time-only promo for its Business Gold Rewards Card: when you apply by August 9, 2012 (that’s tomorrow!), you’ll earn 75,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $10,000 within the first 4 months of Cardmembership. The annual fee of $175 will also be waived for the first year as part of this offer.
For more details or to apply for the card, see this link.
This popular offer is back, but only for a limited time. When you apply for an SPG American Express card by September 4, 2012, you’ll earn 30,000 bonus Starpoints–that’s 10,000 Starpoints after your first purchase and another 20,000 Starpoints after making at least $5,000 within your first 3 months of cardmembership.
It’s been about a year since the last time this offer was available, so if you’re interested in the card, you should act quickly.
Update 9/5/12: This offer has now expired.
Note: This offer is available for both the personal and business versions of the card.
American Express continues to churn out nice deals for a variety of retailers when you “sync” your card with social networks, while Discover enhanced a couple of its existing benefits. Read on for the details.
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The high-end travel credit card market keeps getting more competitive, as Citi and Hilton just introduced the Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Reserve Card aimed towards the affluent traveler. The brand new card offers a generous sign up bonus: when you spend $2,500 within 4 months of opening your account, you’ll earn 2 weekend night certificates, each valid for a weekend night standard accommodation at category 1-7 hotel or select Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, subject to availability. (Note that some Waldorf Astoria hotels and all All-Inclusive and Hilton Grand Vacation properties are excluded.) If the certificates are used at Hilton’s highest-end properties, this is a bonus that could easily be worth four figures.
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For some lucky customers, Bank of America is offering an excellent deal on its BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa Signature Card: a $400 cash back bonus after making at least $500 in purchases within 90 days of account opening, as well as an intro 0% APR for the first 15 months on purchases and any balance transfers made within 60 days of opening your account. Balance transfers, however, will incur a 4% fee (min $10).
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Through September 6, 2012, ShopDiscover.com, Discover‘s online shopping portal, is offering an extra 5% CashBack on top of the normal CashBack bonus you would earn for shopping through the site. That means, for instance, you’ll earn 10% at stores like SportsAuthority.com, Gap.com and HomeDepot.com instead of the normal 5% when you connect through ShopDiscover.com and use your Discover Card.
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Chase and Southwest have brought back the ever-popular 50,000 point sign up bonus for the Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card. The offer isn’t quite as good as it has been in the past, as you’re now required to spend at least $1,000 in the first 3 months of opening your account in order to earn your bonus (compared to earning the bonus on your first purchase), but it’s still a relatively low spend requirement.
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Visa, MasterCard and banks that issue their credit cards have agreed to pay $7.3 billion to some 7 million U.S. merchants in a lawsuit over the fixing of credit card and debit card fees. The settlement, which includes $6.05 billion in payments for past damages and a temporary reduction in fees valued at $1.2 billion, is believed to be the largest antitrust settlement in U.S. history.
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Through August 25, 2012, eligible Amex cardmembers will receive a $20 statement credit after spending at least $100 in one visit at ShopRite with their Amex. To see if your card is eligible and to register for this promotion, visit this link. You must register your card by August 10, 2012 to participate.
Restaurant Week Offers
American Express also has a few upcoming deals in honor of Restaurant Week in Los Angeles and New York:
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Available on both Twitter and Facebook, one of Amex‘s latest social media deals should have widespread appeal: Get a one-time $5 credit the next time you spend at least $25 at a Shell gas station.
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