Airline  credit cards have been around for a long time, but Delta and American Express have pioneered new ways to offer exclusive benefits to holders of their co-branded products. This process began with cardholders having their checked bags waived, and has now extended to nearly all aspects of traveler’s interactions with their airline. The American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve card is available to Delta customers who want to be on the cutting edge of credit card rewards.

Upon their first purchase, cardholders will earn 10,000 SkyMiles, which will also count towards elite status in their Medallion program. After that, cardholders will earn one mile per dollar spent, with two miles being offered for all purchases from Delta. Cardholders who spend $30,000 in a calendar year will also be awarded an additional 15,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs), and another 15,000 MQMs when reaching $60,000 of annual spending. These miles can even be gifted to friends or family if the cardholder has already attained their desired status level. read the rest of this entry… »

Having acquired Northwest Airlines, Delta is now a dominant force among the remaining legacy carriers in the United States. Delta also enjoys an extremely close relationship with one of the major issuers of credit cards, American Express. Through this partnership, they offer five different credit cards for consumers, and three for small businesses. Of all of these products, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card may represent the best value for the average consumer.

New customers are immediately rewarded with 20,000 bonus miles after their first purchase, 5,000 of which count towards Medallion status. A further 5,000 miles can be earned if cardholders choose to add two additional authorized cardholders to their account. One mile is earned for each dollar spent on most purchases, with two miles being received for each dollar spent with Delta. Cardholders can earn an additional 10,000 Medallion qualifying miles when they spend $25,000 in a calendar year and another 10,000 when they reach $50,000 in charges. This card is also on the forefront of the trend to add additional non-mileage benefits to airline credit cards. read the rest of this entry… »

In a world of complex credit cards, Americans yearn for simple products without harsh penalties and conditions. In response, many banks have begun offering at least one card without the large menu of fees and penalties that commonly appear on the disclosure statements of their other products. American Express offers its Clear card for those who value simplicity, but still want to earn some credit card rewards.

How This Card Works

For each dollar spent, cardholders will receive one cent in their Automatic Rewards program. This program is extraordinarily simple; cardholders will receive a $25 American Express shopping card for each $2,500 in spending. Additionally, new customers will be offered a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months after opening an account. Subsequently, interest on both purchases and balance transfers will be incurred at the standard rates, which are equal to the Prime Rate plus 13.99%, 16.99%, or 18.99%, depending on the applicant’s credit worthiness. There is no annual fee, no late fees, no balance transfer fees, no over-limit fees, and no cash advance fees with the Clear Card. Unfortunately, American Express is still charging a 2.7% credit card foreign transaction fee on all charges processed outside the United States. read the rest of this entry… »

While many rewards credit cards are tied to an affiliate’s loyalty program, some banks offer their own proprietary points system for use with their credit cards. Integral to these points programs are a means to redeem the currency for products and services. These programs can also allow customers to make purchases at select merchants in order to earn additional rewards. Chase’s Ultimate Rewards mall allows customers to redeem points earned and to earn bonus points for making purchases at featured retailers.

How The Ultimate Rewards Mall Works

Chase’s best credit card offers fall into three different card families that are eligible to participate in their Ultimate Rewards program, their Freedom cash back credit card, Sapphire, and Ink offers which that already earn Ultimate Rewards points from their purchases. When it comes time to redeem these points, cardholders can visit the online shopping portal to redeem points for travel, cash back, experiences, merchandise, and gift cards. Points are generally worth one cent each with most redemption opportunities, but cardholders will receive a 25% bonus when making travel reservations through the Ultimate Rewards web site. read the rest of this entry… »

Everybody knows that you can use your cash back rewards card to save money on your everyday purchases. Indeed, banks compete fiercely with each other in order to offer customers the best cash back return rates, with their best offers only being separated by fractions of a percentage point. At the same time, most card issuers offer their customers and online shopping “mall” that will return far higher rates of cash back on purchases from specific merchants. Discover offers its ShopDiscover online shopping rewards portal that will return a 5% to 20% cash back bonus on each purchase.

How ShopDiscover Works

The shopping portal is available to all Discover customers that hold one of their cash back reward cards. Cash back card holders are eligible for 5% to 20% cash back, depending on the merchant; however miles cards members will only receive double miles. Cardholders will first need to log in to their account with their normal user ID and password. From there, they can choose to shop at over 200 different merchants. 

Each merchant is listed with offer details which specify the rate of cash back and any other benefits and limitations. In addition to bonus cash back, some merchants even offer free shipping for purchases above a specified spending minimum.  Limitations can exclude charges for tax, shipping, service fees, and gift cards.

Fortunately, all offers are in addition to the normal cash back or miles received for spending on the card member’s Discover cash back rewards card. Cash back bonuses will be credited to the cardholder’s account within eight weeks of purchase; however, in the case of hotel stays and cruises, the bonus will take eight weeks from the date of use.

What Types Of Retailers Are Listed

While there are many smaller retailers featured in their online shopping mall, there are also some major outlets including department stores, home improvement stores, office supply chains. For example, purchases at JC Penny are eligible for 10% cash back, 5% cash back at the Home Depot, and 5% at Office Depot. Finally, there are numerous specialty retailers in the areas of apparel, travel, sporting goods, electronics, and gifts. In particular, Barnes and Noble and Nike both offer a 15% bonus.

Who Can Benefit From Using ShopDiscover

Discover customers with a reward card would be wise to familiarize themselves with the list of merchants in the ShopDiscover mall. Online shopping has always held an advantage in convenience while usually saving customers the cost of sales tax. While the savings offered to Discover’s cash back card holders can be very significant, the double miles offered to miles card holders is far less so. By adding an additional bonus for online shopping at popular merchants to cardholder’s existing cash back benefits, ShopDiscover is a valuable asset to their customers.