MyCardBlog

There are so many credit card products in the market nowadays. And of course, there are many different credit card names. We have Platinum Credit Card, Platinum Select Credit Card, Visa Signature, Gold Card, or many others. Can you imagine that there is a diamond credit card? Yes, the Eurasian Bank from Kazakhstan is issuing a new diamond Visa credit card to ultra-rich people who can afford a diamond credit card.

It’s really strange to see banks issuing super-expensive credit cards recently. We all know that almost all organizations around the world have succumbed to recession. How can they attract new customers to try this new credit card product?

According to the report, the newly launched visa credit card by Eurasian Bank, Kazakhstan is encrusted with a shiny 0.02 carat diamond and laced with an elaborate gold pattern. This luxury credit card is designed for a private club of VIP clients.

This luxury Visa credit card is issued to customers with an annual income of $300,000 or above (the average monthly wage is about $500 in Kazakhstan.). And it’s not limited to the rich people in Kazakhstan only. Super-rich people from other countries can also apply for this credit card.

This credit card is similat to the other Diamond-Studded Dubai First Royale MasterCard. If you look carefully, it seems that this credit card is named as the “Visa Infinite”. I’m wondering how long it takes till the Diamond falls off. And whether the Eurasian Bank would offer free replacement.

Chase just launched a new credit card product not long time ago—the Chase Travel Rewards Credit Card. This is a high-end Chase Credit Card with some great benefits. Furthermore, this card is offering 25,000 bonus miles after first purchase which is a great deal to catch for most people with decent credit score and solid credit history.

The 25,000 bonus miles is the reason why I recommend this card to my readers. Nowadays, most credit card issuers are having a hard time. More and more credit card members are filing bankruptcy and can’t pay their balance down. Recently most credit cards are not offering 0% APR on balance transfer any more. This is a sign that credit card issuers are tightening their wallets. Chase Freedom Card is now only offer 3% Cash Back on Gas, Groceries, and Fast Food Purchases for the First 6 Months. And then the categories will be changing every quarter. The Chase Freedom Plus Card seems not have been influenced and is still offering 10,000 bonus miles and 3 miles per $1 on 6 categories.

So what is the requirement to get 25,000 bonus miles?

After your first purchase, you’ll receive enough bonus miles to redeem for a round-trip ticket when booked through Chase. In addition to booking travel on your own, Chase Travel Rewards lets you redeem a round-trip ticket with a $400 value for just 25,000 miles.

Although there is a $49 annual fee, this fee is waived for the first year. (Pretty same as the Gold Card from the American Express)

Chase claims that the rewards can be used to book any flight, any hotel, any reservation — anytime, anywhere. With Chase Travel Rewards, you won’t be tied down to one business or even a group of businesses. Earn and spend your miles the way you want. There are no caps, no expiration, and no blackouts.

As Chase indicates, you can redeem for:

• Any flight
• Any hotel
• Any restaurant
• Any time
• Any place

There is no pre-set spending limit on this card which gives you additional spending flexibility should you need it, so you can enjoy added peace of mind. You will receive a year-end summary statement from Chase which allows you to better understand you spending and save more in the future.

How to apply for the Chase Travel Rewards Credit Card?

You can view more information at www.choosetravelrewards.com (Yes, this is not chasetravelrewards.com but it belongs to Chase.). Or you can call 1-866-253-3569 to apply by phone.

Most of you are familiar with the famous Black Card (American Express Centurion Card) issued by American Express. This Black Card has been reviewed here. The reason why the Black Card is famous is over 98% people are not qualified for this credit card which has an annual fee of $2,500. However, there is another card that even more prestigious than the Black Card, the Diamond-Studded Dubai First Royale MasterCard.

Yes, this is a very cool credit card which is studded with real diamonds all over the credit card. For me, there is no other ways to let me know that you are a very rich people in the world. Because all of our credit cards are made from plastic but your credit card is made from real diamond and covered with real gold! The Dubai First Royale Diamond MasterCard was introduced to the Dubai credit card market in the March of 2008. This credit card is also by invitation only. This credit card is offered to a “select” group of elites who “must possess the right criteria in terms of social standing and profile.”

Another limitation which restricted the population of the First Royale MasterCard is this credit card is only available to the super rich people at Dubai. This handcrafted black with golden metallic border credit card with no spending limit is studded with a certified diamond.

The First Royale MasterCard is designed by Inno Design, an internationally acclaimed design consultancy and is the first of its kind to use a certified diamond and metal implant technology in credit card design. There are less than 200 people are using this credit card in the world.

What’re benefits of this credit card?

The cardholders can have their own personal relationship managers with personalized services worldwide, yacht charter, polo club entry, VIP restaurant services, and a business package that allows customers to order a set of four key personal services in more then 13 international locations.

Due to the special design, it’s reported that only nine cards are produced in a day and the manufacturing process involves 36 processes from metal casting to diamond setting by a jeweler.

Actually, there are many other similar credit card products in the market like Sotheby’s World MasterCard and GK Power’s High-Concept Card. I will introduce them in the near future.

(Report about this card can be found at business24-7.)

Chase has just updated its famous and most popular credit card product—the Chase Freedom Credit Card. You can’t find any link to apply for the previous Chase Freedom Visa Signature Card. Since this is a new credit card product or more accurately, this is the replacement of the previous Chase Freedom Card, I will do a short review of this card and give some tips here.

The Chase Freedom Card is one of my favorite credit cards, and I use it a lot. But it seems the new card members will not receive the great cash back offers now. Now, it seems that the Chase Freedom’s rewards program just got downgraded to a program that’s like other general rewards programs: 3% Bonus Cash Back on Gas, Groceries, and Fast Food Purchases for the First 6 Months. 1% Unlimited Cash Back on Everything Else. No Cap. No Expiration. This is a huge change of their rewards program! It’s very obvious that this rewards program is not as good as previous one! Besides, Chase also do the rewards as discover card: cardholders will receive quarterly bonus opportunities, which offer 3% cash back. I’m really disappointed at the rewards program.

The only highlight of this card is the 0% intro APR on purchases for up to 12 months. I think Chase is aimed at those in great need of money because of the financial crisis. For general consumers, this Chase Freedom Card is not a recommended card any longer.

One thing I am still happy with the Chase Freedom Card is, however, the great Chase Rewards Plus program. If you are a Chase Freedom Card owner, you are automatically enrolled in the Chase Freedom Rewards Plus, a shopping rewards program like ebates.com, ShopDiscover etc. Your rewards earned through the Chase Rewards Plus is credited to your Chase Freedom Card and you can redeem the rewards altogether.

Plus, according to Chase, this credit card is designed for those who have excellent credit and who plan to take advantage of the cash rewards program.

A very useful tip: If you apply for the new Chase Freedom card through www.chasefreedomnow.com, you can get 5,000 bonus points which can be redeemed for a $50 gift card. So you can still get $50 sign up bonus from this card, but only at www.chasefreedomnow.com.

So it’s very obvious that this Chase Freedom Card is not a great cash back card for everyday rewards. The question is: are there other cards that give you great cash back rewards?

Following are some suggestions:

TrueEarnings Business Card from Costco and American Express: 5% cash back at pumps, 3% cash back for eating out, 2% cash back for traveling, and 1% cash back for everything else.

Blue Cash from American Express: You can get 5% cash back on everyday purchase if you spend over $6,500 each year.

Discover More Card: earn 5% cash back on selected categories for every quarter which is way better than curerrent Chase Freedom Card.

There are many black card designs out there in the market. The most famous one probably is the American Express Black Card which is dedicated to those with high incomes. Other credit card issuers are also promoting their “Black Card” to attract more customers. This post is a summary of 5 cool Black Card designs.

1. American Express Centurion Card: This is the most famous credit card with an annual fee of $2,500. And you must have to spend more than $250,000 each year otherwise your card account will be canceled by American Express. This card is not available for general market. You must have to receive the invitations from American Express to be eligible to submit your application. The complete review of this card can be found here.

2. Citi Chairman Card: This is the Citi version of Black Card. The annual fee for this card is $500. This card is the high end card product from Citi. But the benefits from this card is not so good as those from the American Express Black Card. This card is actually an American Express card although you can’t find any visa, mastercard, or American express card designs. The review on this card can be found here.

3. Bank of America Accolades American Express Card: This is the Bank of America’s version of Black Card. This is the first premium credit card offered by Bank of America targeted exclusively for the banks “affluent, wealthy and ultra- wealthy clients served through Premier Banking & Investments, the Private Bank of Bank of America and its extension, Family Wealth Advisors. After you become one of the account members of the Premier Banking & Investments, you will be eligible to apply for this card. (You must have more than $200,000 in assets with Bank of America.)

4. Merill Lynch Merill+ Visa Card: This is the Merill Lynch version of Black Card. There is nothing special for this card but a black card design. This card features a 1.9% APR on balance transfers, check cash advances and direct deposits for the first 12 billing cycles. There is no annual fee associated with this card.

5. Chase +1 Student MasterCard: This is a very very special black card which doesn’t contain any black features. This card is designed exclusively for college students. So even students can have a black card now. If you are a college student and want to get a “Black Card”, this is your top choice.

Every year during the last two months American Express is offering great offers for American Express credit card members. This November American Express is running My WishList Teaser Program which offers great wish certificates for shopping at selected retailers. This program is running the same as other American Express Program which are all on a first come first served basis.

Where to find the My WishList Teaser program?

The website for all American Express My WishList Promotions is http://mywishlist.amexnetwork.com.

There are great offers for this promotion:

11/03 Petsmart spend $75 and get $20 statement credit

11/05 Borders spend $60 and get $20 statement credit

11/07 BestBuy spend $500 and get $150 statement credit

11/10 Sports Authority spend $100 and get $25 statement credit

11/12 BestBuy spend $500 and get $150 statement credit

11/14 Bluefly get $100 off $400

11/17 Brookstone get $20 off $100

11/19 Body Shop spend $75 and get $25 statement credit

11/21 Borders spend $60 and get $20 statement credit

How to participate in the My WishList Teaser Program?

My WishList Teaser is a program from American Express that offers limited quantities of limited-time Wish Certificates only available when you use any American Express Card on a first come first served basis. Note: Corporate Cards and Pre-Paid Cards are not valid.

This program starts at 12:00PM ET on November 3, 2008, and ends at 11:59PM ET on November 21, 2008. The offer number is limited and the time to click for the offer starts at 12:00 PM on each above mentioned date. You must first enter your credit card number and verified by American Express first.

The reason why American Express launches this program is: “It’s our way of getting ready for the 2008 Holiday My WishList Program which launches on December 1, 2008 and saying “thanks” to our Cardmembers for their business throughout the year and for making American Express their Card of choice.”

Beginning on December 1, 2008 American Express will launch official My WishList Program.

This year’s offers are as followed:

2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK 350

42″ Sharp Aquos Full HD 1080p LCD TV at the price of $700

Dell Studio 15 Laptop at the price of $499

Dinner with Gordon Ramsay at The London NYC for $2,500

So please make a note on December 1, 2008 and get the chance to win a 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK 350!

We are talking about credit cards that might offer $50, $100, $150 or even $200 bonus. But do you know that there is a credit card that can offer you (not everyone) up to 140,000 bonus points? Yes, 140,000 membership rewards points which are equal to $1,400! The name of this credit card is the Platinum Card from American Express which is designed exclusively for Goldman Sachs Clients.

If you apply for a new Platinum Card from American Express at American Express website, you can only get 25,000 bonus points which can be redeemed for a free round-trip ticket. And you have to spend $1000 in your first 3 months of membership to qualify for this 25,000 bonus points, otherwise you can’t get the bonus points.

Right now, American Express and Goldman sachs are running a promotion. If you apply for a Platinum Card from American Express through this website: http://gs.americanexpress.com/ and are a Goldman sachs client, you are eligible to get 100,000 sign up bonus after first purchase! If you spend more than 100,000 each year, you can get additional 40,000 bonus points.

Following are two important sentences from American Express and Goldman Sachs:

1. As a Goldman Sachs client, you can earn 100,000 Membership Rewards bonus points after your first purchase on your new Platinum Card.
2. Apply by January 31, 2009 and you can earn 100,000 Membership Rewards bonus points after your first purchase.¹ Receive an additional 40,000 bonus points when you spend a minimum of $100,000 on your Card for each year of membership.

Fine print about this promotion:

100,000 Membership Rewards bonus points will be credited to your Membership Rewards program account 6-8 weeks after your first purchase appears on your monthly billing statement. The bonus points will appear as two separate credits: one for 10,000 points (Bonus ID: 4338) and one for 90,000 points (Bonus ID: 1914). To be eligible to earn bonus points, your application must be received by January 31, 2009, you must be enrolled in the Membership rewards program at the time of spend, and you must make your first purchase on your new, enrolled Platinum Card designed for Goldman Sachs clients before February 28, 2009.

Other benefits about this card?

First, this card has an annual fee of $450 and $175 for every authorized user. (On very rare occasion you might have seen a fee waived offer.)

• Access to the following airport lounges: American Airlines Admiral Club, Continental Airlines Presidents Club, Delta Crown Room Club, and Northwest Airlines WorldClubs. Plus you can gain complimentary admittance for yourself, your family, or up to two guests at airport clubs around the globe.
• Up to 4 complementary companion airfare tickets a year.
• Access to book cruises, private jets, yachts, and villas and hotel upgrades. Plus you can get free Starwood Preferred Guest Gold Status.
• No pre-set spending limit.
• Access to invitation only events.
• Roadside Assistance program.

If you are going to get a Platinum Card from American Express, I would suggest you apply through http://gs.americanexpress.com/.

I have many reviews and tips on the famous Chase Freedom Card which offers $50 sign-up bonus and gives you 3% cash back on certain categories. This credit card is one of my top rated rewards credit cards and it is also the most popular credit card issued by Chase with more than 1.5 million cardholders. If you use the Chase Freedom Card together with the Blue Cash from American Express, you will be surprised to see how much cash back you can earn from them (Of course, this is good for big spenders only.).

However, it seems I neglect the other upgraded Chase Freedom Card issued from Chase—the Chase Freedom Plus Credit Card. This is a new credit card product launched in late 2007 aimed to attract more credit card consumers who want to get more rewards by using a credit card. Some of previous Chase Freedom Card members have converted to the Chase Freedom Plus Card while they can still keep the same account number. So what’s new in the Chase Freedom Plus Credit Card?

As far as I can tell, there are four improvements on the Chase Freedom Plus Card.

• The number of bonus categories increases from 3 to 6.
• The rewards cap for bonus categories is lifted. This is a really good move for those big spenders!
• The sign-up bonus is increased to 10,000 bonus miles which can be redeemed as $100 ($50 for the Chase Freedom Card).
• More versatile rewards programs. Unlike the Chase Freedom Card which you can only accumulate points or cash, the Chase Freedom Plus Card allows you to choose which kind of rewards you want to accumulate. You can switch between cash back, points and miles.

According to the fine print, this program gives you more freedom to choose which rewards you like:

If you choose to switch how you earn rewards, and you are earning your rewards as rebates, your rebates will be converted to points at a rate of $0.01 to one point, and to miles at a rate of $0.01 to one mile. For example, $5 in rebates will transfer to 500 points or 500 miles. If you are earning your rewards as points, your points will be transferred to the cash back program at a rate of 1 point to $0.01. For example, 500 points will transfer to $5 in rebates. Points will be transferred to the miles program at a rate of 1 point to 1 mile. For example, 500 points will transfer to 500 miles. If you are earning your rewards as miles, your miles will be transferred to the cash back program at a rate of 1 mile to $0.01. For example, 500 miles will transfer to $5 in rebates. Miles will be transferred to the points program at a rate of 1 mile to 1 point. For example, 500 miles will transfer to 500 points.

The 15 categories that are eligible for receiving bonus rewards are:

• Cable/Satellite TV, internet providers
• Department stores
• Utilities
• Fast food & quick service restaurants
• Gas & convenience stores
• Drugstores
• Pet supply stores/veterinarian
• Phone/cell phone bills
• Movie theaters
• Grocery stores
• Movie rentals
• Dry cleaners
• Local commuting
• Beauty salons/SPAs
• Gym memberships

The bad news is this card has a $30 annual fee which can be waived for the first year.

My thoughts: Upgrade to the Chase Freedom Plus Card is not a good move besides to receive the $100 bonus. I would suggest you open a new Chase Checking Account which can give you $125 sign-up bonus (You can easily get a coupon with $125 bonus at the post office.). If you have a Chase checking account, your Chase Freedom Card will automatically be upgraded to get 3% cash back from 5 categories (You can only get 3% cash back from 3 categories if you don’t have a checking account at Chase.).