One of the tactics that a credit card holder can relieve the burden of debt is a balance transfer. So popular is this feature that banks are aggressively competing with each other to offer cards with the most favorable introductory terms. Consumers who have not done balance transfers in recent years will be pleasantly surprised by the current crop of offers, many of which offer 0% introductory periods for more than 15 months. And, while all of these cards carry 3% balance transfer fees, this nuisance fee is a pittance relative to the 15% annual interest rates most are paying.

Citibank credit cards dominate the balance transfer market.† Citi’s Platinum Select MasterCard and Diamond Preferred cards offer a 0% introductory APR on both purchases and balance transfers for 21 months. These offers are three months longer than the competition in the balance transfer department and in the purchase intro department, a full six months longer than what is available elsewhere. (more…)

While airline credit cards are best left in the hand of savvy frequent flyers, there are vast discrepancies in the quality and benefits this category of credit card offers. Some cards only offer miles and little else of value while charging hefty annual fees. Other cards offer miles and highly valuable perks that more than offset the cost of membership for even casual credit card users. Four  cards that fall into this category are the Gold Delta Skymiles Card,  the Capital One Venture Card, and the Continental/United credit cards.

The Delta Gold SkyMiles American Express card offers bonus miles as well as non-mileage perks. New card members will receive 20,000 bonus miles after their first purchase and another 5,000 miles simply for adding an authorized user. Card holders earn one mile per dollar spent and two miles on all Delta purchases. Beyond miles, cardholders will receive their first checked bag free for themselves and up to nine others traveling with them. Each year upon renewal, customers will receive a $99 domestic coach companion certificate. There is no annual fee for this card the first year, but it is $95 each following year.

Here, the miles are great, but the real value lay in the free checked bag feature. One couple that takes a single round trip can save $100, making all the other perks essentially fee.

Continental and United are in the process of merging and so are their credit cards. The Continental and United Chase credit cards offer up to 40,000 bonus miles, free checked bags for cardholders and in 2012 will remove all frequent flyer redemption restrictions, making Continental and United miles the easiest to redeem relative to all other legacy airlines.

Like the Delta Skymiles card, both Continental and United carry annual fees of $95. The first year is free and between free checked bags and the bonus miles provided at sign-up, it essentially costs nothing to use these cards.

While Capital One is not an airline, their Venture and VentureOne Visa cards do award “miles” that can be easily redeemed for one cent towards any travel related expense. The Venture card offers substantial value over its competitors by awarding double miles on all purchases. It has a $59 annual fee that is waived the first year and a 25,000 mile sign up bonus worth $250. The first year fee waiver, combined with the $250 sign-up bonus, essentially offset the cost of being a cardmember for five years.

Those who would prefer to avoid annual fees will find that VentureOne card appealing, though it only returns 1.25 miles per dollar spent.  When it comes time to redeem, each miles is worth one cent as a statement credit towards any travel expense.  A key benefit both Capital One Venture card’s share is no international transaction fees. This saves cardholders up to 3% on all purchases made outside the U.S.

For additional information on these offers or to apply, please see below.

Just about every major U.S. retailer offers a branded  credit card that can be used to pay for store purchases.  Kohl’s is one of these stores which provides shoppers an opportunity to save money and earn rewards by using their Kohl’s credit card for purchases.  To get the most out of any department store credit card, consumers must understand the terms and conditions associated with the account.  In nearly all instances, store credit cards are not the best credit card offers, even for die-hard customers. Here we weigh the benefits and drawbacks on the Kohl’s card

Member Savings and Rewards

When you apply for a Kohl’s credit card you can save 10% off your next purchase.  Members receive exclusive discounts 12 times per year that can be used to save even more money.  The extra 15%-30% discounts can be applied to all merchandise including sale and clearance items.  Already known for affordable prices, Kohl’s makes it easy to save money when using the Kohl’s credit card. (more…)

With the price of gasoline remaining higher than anyone really wants to pay, it can be tempting to get a gas station credit card which offers rewards just for filling up your gas tank.  Why wouldn’t you want to save some money for buying gas – something you have to buy anyway?  The theory is good – being rewarded for a purchase you can’t avoid making – but there are some problems with gas credit cards that make them less useful than you might think. Consequently, even the best credit cards tied to specific gas stations pale in comparison to mediocre credit card offers.

Here is why you shouldn’t get a gas station credit card:

Most gas station credit cards will only offer good rewards when you get gas at a specific gas station.  This means every time you have to fill up at a different gas station, you lose your chance to get rewards or get much lower rewards for the purchase. Additionally, a large number of gas station credit cards are not part of the Visa or MasterCard network and can only be used at the gas station you got the card. This makes them utterly useless if you need a general purpose credit card. (more…)

Like nearly all credit cards issued by retailers, the Sears card offers extremely limited benefits and zero convenience while charging obscenely high interest rates. While this card may be easier to get than traditional credit cards for consumers with a mediocre or limited credit profile, any consumer that can qualify for a general credit card offer will find better value, lower rates, and better rewards.

The Sears card is about as far from a low interest credit card as there is. All approved consumers are charged a 25.24% variable interest rate which can and will increase when the Prime Rate increases. This is 10 full percentage points above the current national average and more than twice what is charged by many major credit card companies. (more…)