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Well, this is not credit card news as far as I know. But some of you might still not know that Discover Card has an option to let you choose a biodegradable credit card. This is the American’s first biodegradable credit card. This Discover biodegradable credit card is made of biodegradable PVC, a substance that allows 99 percent of the card plastic to be safely absorbed when exposed to landfill conditions. This credit card will break down 99% in nine months to five years in soil, water, compost, or whatever microorganisms are present. Plus this card leaves no toxic effect on the environment. It might appeal you if you are aware of the environment issues that human are facing right now.

The distinct feature of this biodegradable Discover Card is the “biodegradable” symbol on the back of the card.(see figure below)

Other than the biodegradable of the plastic, there is no dramatic difference between this biodegradable Discover Card and other Discover Cards. This biodegradable Discover Card offers:

Cashback Bonus: up to 1% cashback on all purchases, 5% cashback on selected categories each quarter.

Cashback for shopping online: Use the links provided in your account (shopdiscover), you can earn up to 20% cashback when you use your Discover Card as the payment method.

If you are really curious about the environment, you can also enroll in the paperless statement option from Discover Card. In this way, you can view your credit card statement online without request for a delivery of paper statement.

Today I received a mail from American Express indicating that I could get $40 Best Buy gift card for spending $200 at Best Buy with my American Express Card between 10/01/2009~12/30/2009. The website to register your American Express Card is www.amexnetwork.com/bestbuy.

This is a great opportunity to save money at BesyBuy, especially when Thanks Giving and Christmas are approaching. You have to register your personal information at the above website to be eligible to get the $40 Best Buy gift card.

Fine print:

To be eligible to receive the $40 Best Buy Gift Card, you must be the named recipient of this invitation and you must register for the offer using any American Express Card in your household by 12/30/2009 at www.amexnetwork.com/bestbuy. Once registered, you must complete one transaction of at least $200 at any Best Buy store between 10/1/2009 and 12/31/2009. Cardmembers may only register one Card for this offer and certain American Express Cards, including but not limited to, Prepaid Cards, and Corporate Cards, are not eligible. Only transactions made on the Card registered for the offer are eligible. Transactions made on another Card account or a supplementary Card with a different Card account number are not eligible. The $40 Best Buy Gift Card will be mailed 6-8 weeks after completion of the promotion period.

Today amexnetwork is offering $25 off $50 and $50 off $100 coupons for Whole Foods Market.

I mentioned in my previous post that Discover Open Road Card is going to change its rewards program. In order to make a change on the Discover Open Road Card, Discover Card is no longer accept the application of this Discover Open Road Card right now. Maybe the new Discover Open Road Card will come out in the early 2010.

Today I receive a mail from Discover regarding my Discover Open Road Card. There are some changes that you might want to know:

5% on GAS and Auto Maintenance up to $100 will be replaced by 2% cashback bonus in GAS and Restaurants(from fast food to fine dining) up to $250 each month.

This change will be effective in Jan. 2010.

Please be prepared to find out a better credit card to get most from the pump.

Chase, at the Inc. 500/5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony, introduced the first pay-in-full charge card- the INK from Chase Cards. There are 4 distinct cards that consist of the Ink from Chase. These are also the first charge cards that issued by Chase branded with VISA and MasterCard. This all new set of credit cards is aimed to address the fundamental financial needs of small business owners’ day-to-day operations – access to capital and improved cash flow.

The four distinct Ink from Chase business cards are Ink Bold, Ink Plus, Ink, and Ink Cash. They are designed to cater the needs of small business owned with their own unique demands. Their features are listed below (from Chase press release):

Ink Bold: Chase’s first pay-in-full charge card with no interest charges is designed for small business owners who want robust purchasing power and spending capacity that adjusts dynamically, giving them the purchase power needed to meet their businesses’ changing needs. With Ink Bold, small business owners will earn premium rewards from business purchases with no limit on how many points may be earned and the points do not expire and rewards points are worth 25 percent more when redeemed for air travel.   Cardmembers can earn an annual spend bonus of up to 47,500 points, and they also have direct access to Chase business card specialists.  Ink Bold has no annual fee for the first year and $95 thereafter.

Ink Plus: The solution for small business owners seeking business-sized credit limits, flexible payment options, online expense management tools and the ability to earn rewards from business purchases, including extra travel benefits with no limit on how many points may be earned and the points do not expire.  Rewards points also are worth 25 percent more when redeemed for air travel and cardmembers can earn an annual spend bonus of up to 25,000 points.  Ink Plus has no annual fee for the first year and $60 thereafter.

Ink: Developed for small business owners seeking business-sized credit limits, flexible payment options and online expense management tools with the ability to earn rewards from business purchases with no limit on how many points may be earned and the points do not expire.  Ink has no annual fee.

Ink Cash: Designed for small business owners seeking unlimited cash back and accelerated earnings on everyday business purchases: dining, fuel, home improvement and office supplies. Earn 3% on eligible business purchases.  Ink Cash provides business-sized credit limits, flexible payment options and online expense management tools.  Ink Cash has no annual fee.

More information about the Ink from Chase can be found at www.chase.com/ink.

Although credit card market is still not in a good shape, Chase seems to be the only one credit card issuer that keeps introducing more and more credit card products into the market. Other than the Chase Sapphire Card that I mentioned few months ago, Chase also brought the Chase Slate Credit Card. Unlike the Chase Sapphire Card, the Chase Slate Card does not provide any sign up bonus. One obvious benefit of this Chase Slate Card is the 0% Intro APR and $0 annual fee. All other credit card features are similar to Chase credit card products. It is said that this Chase Slate Card is introduced to replace the previous Chase Platinum Card.

There is one, however, new feature that Chase launched together with this Chase Slate Card-the Chase BluePrint. Chase BluePrint is a unique feature that unveiled by Chase recently to manage your finances on your terms. With Chase BluePrint, Chase credit cardholders are offered versatile flexibility and customization for their existing Chase credit card accounts. After enrollment in the BluePrint program, cardholders can select special financing terms for individual purchases.

There are 4 points listed by Chase about the Chase BluePrint:

Full Pay: With Full Pay, the Chase credit cardholder can choose one or more of 14 categories of purchases for which the credit card issuer will waive the interest on the interval between the date of purchase and the billing due date, even if you don’t pay it off at the end of the month. (Most credit cards have this feature.)

Split It: If the Chase credit cardholders want to put a larger purchase on his/her credit card, he can set up a payment schedule much like an installment loan, based either on how long he wishes to take to pay it off or how much he wishes to pay per month.

Finish It: Chase offers a unique way to cardholders to pay off the credit card balances. Cardholders and Chase can work out a plan to pay off the balance gradually.

Track It: This feature allow the cardholder to track expenditures and payments conveniently. (Not new to me.)

Only the Chase Sapphire Card, Chase Freedom Card, Chase Slate Card, Chase Ink Card and Chase Platinum Card have this feature.

More information about the new Chase Slate Card and Chase BluePrint program can be found at Chase.com.

There is not good news in the credit card market in the past one month. It seems that all credit card issuers have terminated their promotions under current economic situation. You will see more credit card promotions in the near future as the situation gets better now. I mentioned in my previous posts that Chase Sony Card always runs 1 promotion each year. And now it comes! You have a great chance to earn 5,000 bonus points for using your Chase Sony Card in July and August. Since the new PlayStation Card is a sister card of the Sony Card, the PlayStation Card members can also earn the 5,000 points.

Here is the details about this promotion:

1. Go to www.sony.com/sonycard/summer2009 or www.sony.com/playstationcard/summer2009.

2. After log in with your Chase Card, you will need a coupon code to enroll your card. The code is: SCSummer09 (PSSummer09 for PlayStation Card).

3. Use your card for everyday purchases from July 1, 2009 through August 31, 2009. You need to spend over 1.5K to get 5,000 bonus points.

Following is the message after I  enroll my Sony Card:

You’re now enrolled in the Sony Card Summer Bonus Points Offer.

Remember, you need to spend $1,500 or more on your Sony Card between July 1, 2009 and August 31, 2009 to receive your 5,000 bonus points.

Thanks for participating and being a loyal Sony Card member!

The email indicates  that only the people who receive the invitation email are eligible for the promotion but I personally think everyone is eligible since the link and code are universal. And Sony always runs similar promotions which are open to everyone.

Good LUCK and enjoy the summer!

American Express cards are my favorite credit cards. I use my Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express frequently to accumulate Starpoints. American Express usually provide great promotions for credit card members now and then. Now American Express is offering free credit report for its card members.

The link to the offer is www.americanexpress.com/creditreport. You have to login your online account to see whether you are qualified for this offer. The credit report is provided by Experian which is one of the three major credit reporting agencies. There will be a credit score associated with the credit report. That is named as PLUS score which is in the range of 330~830.

I’m really impressed by this American Express credit report offer. Usually credit card issuers offer free 30-day period trial for using credit report service. But this time you might be qualified to get free credit report service with a free credit score.

Meanwhile, American Express is also offering credit education for its card members at www.americanexpress.com/managemycard. At this website, you learn facts about your credit cards, your credit report, your credit protection and your support from American Express. There are a lot of valuable information like: What’s In Your Report? How Credit Report Mistakes Are Made? How to improve your FICO score.

You can also find some great tips:

• Helpful tips to manage your credit profile
• Key factors lenders use to make credit decisions
• How late payments, requests for new credit, and length of your credit history can affect your credit score
• Tips for safeguarding yourself against fraud and what you can do if you suspect it

American Express is offering double points opportunity for its cardmembers. This offer lasts exactly one year from March15, 2008 to March 15, 2009. We have not heard the promotion from American Express for a while. I think this is a great chance for American Express cardmembers to earn bonus Membership Rewards Points.

The promotion can be found at American Express website. According to the website, American Express charge card members can double their own membership rewards points on gas and groceries until March 15th, 2010. There is a cap of $1000 per month for each cardmember.

Details: Use your American Express^® Charge Card for everyday needs, and you can get more of the things you want. Enroll now so you can start earning double Membership Rewards points on virtually every dollar you spend on gas and groceries (up to $1,000 each month) until March 15th, 2010. If you are registered to manage your account online, you may enter your User ID and Password below to sign in and enroll in this promotion. Or, you may enroll by calling the phone number listed below and entering the promotional code.

Eligible Cards: the American Express Card, the American Express Rewards Green Card, the American Express Preferred Rewards Green Card, the American Express Gold Card, the American Express Rewards Gold Card, the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card, the American Express Rewards Plus Gold Card, the Platinum Card^®, the Centurion^® Card.

Promotion code: 139150001 or you can call 800-794-1308 to enroll.