MyCardBlog

CapitalOne launched a new website——www.capitalonecardlab.com. According to CapitalOne, this site allows you to choose the credit card offers by fitting the application criteria of CapitalOne. They claim that this is the first America’s “Do-It-Yourself” credit card offer. However, I think I should write a post about this new website. You might find a great offer from them.

Once you click “Get Started”, you will be beginning the choosing process. According to your credit score, you can choose “Excellent”, “Above Average”, “Needs Improvement”, and “Limited History”. And then, you can choose the from the following card features: “Basic Rewards”, “Additional Rewards”, “Introductory APR on Purchases”, “APR on Balance Transfer”, “Annual Percentage Rate”, and “Annual Fee”. After that, you can choose your card design through 9 beautiful designs. The last step is to review your card features and then click “Apply Now” to file the application form. Actually, at this step, you will be redirected to the CapitalOne site.

I think what you might be interested in is to choose “2x Rewards on Purchases for 12 months” at “Additional Rewards”. (They offer 1% cash back for everything.) SO you will have a card will 2% cash back on everything for 12 months with 0% APR on purchases. Another feature of CapitalOne card is there is no foreign transaction fee.

Following are two cards that I chose from this website. (Actually the ads from Kontera in my blog are introducing the CapitalOne card lab.)
Excellent

Above Average

ost of Americans have at least a credit card on hand. Although they are enjoying the benefits that are brought from using credit cards, it seems there are a lot of complains about credit card issuers. Are they really doing very badly? Or just because they can’t reach our consumers’ expectations? Anyway, a credit card is a must for all of us. There are top 10 reasons to have a credit card as I adapted from http://www.0-apr-creditcards.com. I like this post very much. I just list 4 of them for your reference.

1). Boost Your Credit History and Score
Getting a credit card will help you to establish and improve your credit history, as well as increase your credit score. Your credit score can affect a wide range of payments, and the better your score, the less you will have to pay. A high credit score may mean you pay an interest rate several points lower on a mortgage loan than the rate someone with a poor credit history would pay; this can mean thousands of dollars in savings over the life of the loan.
The same is true with an auto loan. A good credit score can mean paying less on many insurance products, such as homeowner’s insurance and auto insurance. It can even be the difference between getting a job or not, since many employers now pull potential employees’ credit scores and eliminate those with poor credit histories.

2). Internet Purchases
Having a credit card can save you money on the items you purchase. Some of the best deals available are now found on the Internet. In many instances, the only way to pay for these Internet purchases is with a credit card. If you don’t have a credit card, you may have to pay more for the exact same thing you could have purchased online, not to mention the extra cost of driving to get the item.

3). Emergency Money
A credit card provides you with instant access to money in case of an emergency. Most of us carry around the amount of cash we believe we will need for one particular day and not enough for an emergency. If you’re away from home and get stranded late at night and need to get a hotel room, you don’t have to worry about whether you have enough cash on hand. A credit card can provide an instant solution to paying off many unexpected expenses until you have the time to transfer the money from your bank account.

4). Rewards
There are many credit cards that provide a reward when you use them. This can be anything from cash back to travel points good for free airline tickets. By using a credit card that gives you an award, you can actually earn money.

Read the full article, please go to here.

American Express will start the “My Wishlist” promotion on November 28, 2007. My WishList is a program from American Express that offers limited quantities of some of the most sought-after items at incredible Cardmember-only prices, as well as featured products with great savings, and limited-time, limited-supply Wish Certificates. The program runs twice a year: in the spring and during the winter holiday season. It’s our way of saying “thanks” to our Cardmembers. American Express will be giving out HOT PRODUCTS, FEATURED PRODUCTS, WISH CERTIFICATE and EXCLUSIVE MERCHANT OFFERS.

Here are ultimate wish giveaways:

Promotion Period #1:
One “JetBlue Airways Private Flight” (“JetBlue Prize”). Total ARV of JetBlue Prize is $171,367.00. This prize includes a roundtrip coach class flight for up to 150 passengers on JetBlue Airways.

Promotion Period #2:
One model year 2008 Volvo C30 Version 2.0 automobile. ARV of Prize Vehicle C30: $29,820.00.

Promotion Period #3:
Same Prize Vehicle C30 as Promotion Period #2. ARV is $29,820.00.

Promotion Period #4:
One model year 2008 Volvo C70 T5 automobile. ARV of Prize Vehicle C70: $43,205.

Wish certificates are from the following merchants: eToys, Neiman Marcus, Home Depot, BestBuy, The UPS Store, Continetal Airline Vacation, Lands End, Hewlett-Packard, Kodak Gallery, Sports Authority, JetBlue Airways, Borders, Bed Bath & Beyond, Loehmanns, and Restoration Hardware.

You have to use American Express card to redeem the certificates. From my point of view, the certificates are worse than before. We all might be waiting for the Amazon gift certificates; however, they are gone this year. There are other featured products like Panasonic 42’’ 1080P HD Plasma TV for $700, BMW Motorcycle for $5000 and X Box Elite Game System for $300.

You can use AMEX card issued from BOA and Citi. If you don’t have a card from American Express, you can try to get one now. For detailed information, please refer to http://mywishlist.amexnetwork.com.

American Express OPEN introduced the Plum Card and it’s now open to accept application today! (Today is the first date to accept application!) This card will bring great benefits for business owners. General features are:

• pay in full within 10 days of the end of the billing period to receive the early pay discount, or
• defer payment up to two months by paying 10% of the balance by the date indicated in the billing statement.

The Plum Card offers cardholders an early pay discount of up to 2% on virtually everything they buy with this card and the ability to defer the payment for up to 60 days. Detlailed card benefits:

Trade Terms
- Early Pay Discount with no caps: Pay the bill in full within 10 days of the billing cycle and receive a 2% discount on new spending when it exceeds $5,000. Any month the charges total $5,000 or less receive a 1% discount for early payment. A credit appears on the following month’s statement; OR
- Defer Pay Option: Take up to two months from the billing cycle date to pay for new purchases in full – all without interest or finance charges. All it requires is a payment of 10% of the full balance during the first billing cycle.

Payment cycle selection - Choose to have the billing statement delivered at the beginning, middle or end of the month;

Easy online card management: Customizable online tools for expense management, reporting and to view payment options/history. Online tools that will help small businesses get the most out of the product, including: Early Pay Reminder, E-statement and Online Bill Pay;

No pre-set spending limit: Based on spending and payment history. Purchasing power adapts based on Card usage and can grow over time;

First year fee-free, $185 annual fee thereafter; fee-free additional Card: Ideal for a purchasing manager/office manager (First additional Card is free, all additional are $45);

The OPEN Savings program, which offers automatic savings at select travel and service providers, and business suppliers like Delta, JetBlue, Fedex Kinko’s, and Hyatt. For more information, visit OpenSavings.com;

Retail and travel protections such as Global Assist, Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance, Purchase Protection Insurance, Travel Accident Insurance, American Express Card Baggage Insurance, Buyers Assurance Plan, Automatic Bill Payment, Express Cash Emergency Card Replacement, Emergency Check Cashing, and 24-hour customer service.

In summary, if you can spend $5000+ every month, this is a good card for you. Every month you spend $5000+, you can get 2% cashback. Every month you spend less than $5000, you can get 1% cashback. Drawback is you have to pay at least 10% of your balance in 10 days of the new bill. I think the new color will also attract new applications. If you are a great spender, this is a nice card for you. For deatails, please click here.

Wells Fargo is offering $50 for opening a checking account. TO qualify for this offer, you have to make $100 initial deposit. You will receive the $50 bonus within 30 to 45 days opening. This offer also doen’t require direct deposit. It’s totally free! And you have to open and fund this ccount before Nov. 30, 2007.

• Free Checking That’s Really Free — Enjoy no monthly service fees, no minimum balance requirements, and a Wells Fargo^® Check Card with no annual card fee.
• Free Access To Wells Fargo Online^® — Our top-ranked online service lets you view statements, monitor account balances, transfer funds, automatically track your spending, and more — anytime, anywhere you have internet access.

However, a hard pull will be likely to hit your credit report. When you want to apply for this account, please make sure to keep a copy of the offer page. (This reminder applied to all of the offers.) You may want to make more money by using credit card. To apply for this account, please click through this link.

LaSalle Bank is offering $100 for its new customers for opening both checking account and statement saving account. At the same time, you should use the Money Card debit card from Lasalle.

Important disclosure:

The minimum balance to open a checking account to earn the $100 cash bonus is $250. To be eligible for the Bonus you are required to sign up for a LaSalle Money Card debit card and open a new Statement Savings Account with a $100 minimum opening deposit. You are also required to make a purchase with your Money Card within 60 days of account opening. Bonus will not be considered part of the new checking or savings minimum opening deposit. Bonus will be credited to the savings account within 120 days from the date of account opening provided the stated requirements have been met. Bonus is limited to one per household, may not be combined with any other offer, is not transferable, and may be considered income to you for tax purposes. Offer available for a limited time and is for new accounts only with funds not currently on deposit.

You can choose to open Convenience Checking Account to avoid direct deposit. But you have to keep $250 daily balance to avoid monthly service fee. The application is a soft pull. You will receive the welcome package after your application is approved from which you can get the password to set up your account online. Remember to apply two accounts and use the debit card from LaSalle Bank.

If you have Citi CashReturns Card, you can make extra $100. LaSalle accepts credit cards to fund the new accounts (limit $1000). To take advantage of this offer, you can apply online, visit LaSalle bank branches or call 800-275-9072. You have to apply two accounts separately.

Wachovia is offering $50 for opening a new checking account with them. It’s really free. No minimum balacnce, no mothly service fee, and no direct deposit required. To qulify for this offer, you must be a new customer and open the account before 01/31/2008 with new $100 funds to wachovia. The offer code is “ATM2″. TO see details please see here. Wachovia is the fourth largest bank in US and ranked 47 in Fortune 500 in 2007. However, there are only 16 states have Wachovia banking center. TO find the locations of Wachovia banking center please see here.

Right now you can get a Free Digital Picture Frame from Citi Credit Protector. The digidtal picture frame seems to be Coby DP562 5.6 inchDigital Picture Frame with MP3. According to Amazon.com the price is about $60. You can get the gift after 60 days. I think it’s a nice deal if you have a lot of credit cards or you won’t carry a lot of balance on the card you enrolled. The price is $0.85 for each new $100 balace on the card. I can enroll this program with my Citi Dividend Platinum select Card without any problem. However, others indicate that they can’t enroll the Citi Protector with Professional Card. Compared to the DVD player that they previously provided, it’s really a nice deal currently from Citicards.com. To enroll the program, please click here.