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Citi Dividend Amex: No Fee, 0% BT Until October 2007

July 16, 2006 ccwatcher American Express, Balance Transfer Offers, Cash Back Cards, Citibank

Reported by FW, this promo offer pushes the new Citi Dividend Amex:

5% Cash Back on supermarket, Drugstore, and gas station purchases

1% Cash Back everywhere else

0% APR on BT until 7/1/07, no BT fee with this offer***

$5 Cash Back on BT more than $1500

No annual fee

*** First BT and 100$ in purchases must post to account and not be returned within 3 months of becoming a cardmember to receive this rate until Oct. 1, 2007. Otherwise rate lasts until July 1, 2007. BT, Cash advances, and finance charges do not qualify as purchases under this offer.

To apply, visit www.signup.citicards.com and use offer code: P1G9

Or call 1-800-368-1265 by Sept. 15, 2006.

So it appears they’re making you jump through another hoop to get the 15-month balance transfer–namely, the $100 in purchases. It’s important to note that because of the “lower APR balances get paid off first” rule, it’s imperative that those purchases get paid off first before completing your balance transfer.

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MasterCard Sweepstakes: Win 500 Plane Tickets Anywhere

July 11, 2006 ccwatcher MasterCard, Sweepstakes

Between now and August 31, 2006, every time you use your MasterCard, you’ll receive an entry into a sweepstakes to win 500 round-trip plane tickets. Fortunately, you don’t have to do all the flying yourself–should you win, these plane tickets can be also be shared with friends and family.

In addition, you’ll receive an additional entry if you use one of these airline partner cards. You’ll also earn an extra entry when you use your MasterCard to book a flight with any of the listed airlines. You can earn up to 3 entries per transaction.

For more details and the official rules, see http://www.priceless.com/summerpromo/index.html.

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Citi Diamond Preferred Card: 0% APR on Gas, Supermarkets, Drugstores Until 2011

July 8, 2006 ccwatcher Citibank, Reward Cards, Signup Bonuses

No, that is not a typo. This innovative offer lets you make purchases at gas stations, supermarkets and drugstores and pay no interest until December 31, 2011.

This offer is for new Cardmembers only and you must apply by 9/15/06. It doesn’t appear that there’s any associated promo code. To apply, call 1-800-479-1183.

This thread at FW presents the offer and also discusses the potentially interesting trade-offs between this offer and the gold-standard of 5% cash back on these types of purchases. Among the variables that need to be considered are the probability of 5% cards still being available in the future, what interest rates will be like for the next 5 years, as well as tax considerations. There is also the hassle factor, as you will need to be especially careful to not charge non-qualifying purchases on the card, as they will accrue interest at the standard APR. Because of these complications, I don’t think this offer is for everyone, but it will certainly appeal to many.

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AMEX: Pay Two Bills Automatically and Get $20

July 7, 2006 ccwatcher American Express

Here’s another promotion from AMEX encouraging users to start charging their monthly bills on their card, similar to this old one for business card holders. Basically, as discovered by SD, if you sign up for two automatic bill pays, you get paid $20:

This offer is good for solicited Cardmembers only. First, contact your service providers and have your bill charged to your eligible, enrolled American Express® Card. Then, log on to americanexpress.com/paytwobills to enroll for the promotion by August 31, 2006. Bonus points will be credited to your account 12-14 weeks after the charges appear on your American Express statement. 2,000 point/ $20 cash back/2,000 miles/2,000 Starpoints/2,000 Hilton HHonors bonus point maximum.

Visit americanexpress.com/paytwobills for more information.

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Citi AAdvantage MC: 20,000 Miles after Spending $250

July 3, 2006 ccwatcher Citibank, Signup Bonuses, Travel Cards

Citi and AA have come up with another variation on their standard credit card offer:

20,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after $250 in purchases
5,000 additional AAdvantage bonus miles after your one-year anniversary
No annual fee for the first 12 months

As usual, this offer is only good for new accounts. It is very similar to the one-day only deal offered during AA’s 25th anniversary, except that this deal requires that you keep the card a year (and pay the annual fee) to earn the last 5,000 miles.

This offer expires Nov 20, 2006. To learn more, visit www.miles5.citicards.com or call 1-888-FLY-4924.

Credit for this find goes to FT.

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Bank of America Phasing Out 1.5% and 2% Cash Back on Power Rewards Visa

June 30, 2006 ccwatcher Bank of America, Cash Back Cards

According to a few reports, including this one, Bank of America will be phasing out the 1.5% and 2% cash back redemption tiers on its Power Rewards Visa card:

I just called the Power Rewards Center at 1-888-434-2232, and they told me they will indeed be phasing out BOTH the 30,000 point reward (for $450 statement credit, 1.5% cash back), and the 50,000 point reward (for $1,000 statement credit, 2% cash back). She did not know when the phase out will occur, which is disappointing because I specifically asked her, “so, possibly by the end of this year?” She did not know.

Anyway, she said the highest cash back reward would be 20,000 points for a $200 statement credit, only 1% cash back.

This is a real shame, as this used to be a great card for big spenders, where a true 2% cash back was possible. Then again, that it was such a great deal probably spelled its demise. It also underscores the recurring problem with points based programs–that they can be devalued at any time.

Current cardholders would be well advised to get to one of the higher tiers and cash out while the 1.5% and 2% redemption tiers are still available. Currently these redemption options are only available by calling a CSR.

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$50 Signup Bonus for MBNA WorldPoints Card

June 28, 2006 ccwatcher MBNA, Reward Cards, Signup Bonuses, Travel Cards

This offer was reported at FW. Card benefits include:

Receive a $50 Statement Credit after qualifying transactions

0% introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on balance transfers and cash advance checks for your first 12 billing cycles†

Redeem your points for travel, merchandise, gift certificates, and cash

Earn 1 point for every net retail purchase dollar

Redemption levels start as low as 2,500 Points

No annual fee

The offer may be available after you log out of your Bank of America online account. Alternatively, you can use this link.

The noteworthy aspect of this offer is the $50 statement credit. According to the fine print, the qualifying transaction you need for the $50 is simply any transaction within the first 45 days of opening the account.

The other benefits are standard for the card. The 0% balance transfer offer is not that attractive since it comes with a 3% fee that is uncapped. As such, this offer is primarily useful for someone who was already in the market for this card.

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Double Membership Reward Points for July-August 2006

June 27, 2006 ccwatcher American Express, Reward Cards

As usual, not every card will be eligible for these bonuses:

Check out the links above to see if your charge card is eligible. If so, virtually every dollar spent between July 1, 2006 – August 31, 2006 will earn you double points. See the terms and conditions at AMEX’s website for full details.

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CITGO MasterCard: Introductory 20% rebate on CITGO purchases

June 23, 2006 ccwatcher Citibank, MasterCard, Reward Cards, Signup Bonuses

A card with a 20% rebate is bound to attract some attention. Before you rush out and get one, though, you should be aware of the details. According to CardTrak, CITGO and CitiBank are teaming up to offer a new gas rebate card that is launching on August 1st. During the first 60 days, you’ll receive a 20% rebate on CITGO purchases; after the introductory period is over, you’ll receive a 4% rebate. The fine print includes:

The 20% rebate offer is part of the 90-day launch period which ends October 31st. Once the launch promotion ends, cardholders earn 4% on CITGO purchases and up to 1% on other qualified purchases. Cardholders may earn up to $50 in rebates each month. All rebates are automatically credited on the cardholder’s statement against future CITGO purchases made with the card.

The limitation of $50 in monthly rebates obviously limits the maximum reward you can earn during the introductory period to $100, so you can think of this as a signup bonus of something less than $100. After the introductory period, there are better paying gas rebate alternatives.

I didn’t see anything on either CITGO’s or Citi’s web site about this card yet, but I would expect that to change as the launch date of August 1 nears.

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Chase PerfectCard: “Five Times the rewards” on Restaurant and Grocery Store Purchases Through July 2006

June 20, 2006 ccwatcher Chase, Reward Cards

Got this offer in the mail the other day and it does not look targeted:

…From now until July 31, 2006, you’ll enjoy Five Times the rewards on all your qualifying restaurant and grocery store purchases… of course, you’ll still enjoy 3% rebates on qualified gas purchases and 1% on all other eligible purchaes as a valued Chase PerfectCard cardmember.

Best of all, this special “thank you” offer is automatic — there’s no need to activate it.

One major downside is that the fine print stipulates that the maximum rebate accumulation is $15 monthly, excluding purchases that earn 1%. This means that the limit will be reached after only $300 of restaurant/grocery spending, which is something to keep in mind.

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