MyCardBlog

The Citi Professional Card used to be a very popular credit card which offers 15,000 bonus thankyou points after approval. Now this credit card no longer offers 15,000 bonus points. Today after a little bit search on the internet (via Google), I discovered a link pointed to the Citi Professional Card application which offers 15,000 bonus thankyou points.

The link to the application page is here. You go through the normal application procedures and wait for the approval. Please make sure you save the application page with bonus information. (I can not guarantee that Citi will honor this bonus but it is worth trying.) You have to make a purchase to get the bonus. According to the application page, you can also get 0% APR on balance transfer for 12 months.

The 15,000 thankyou points can be redeemed at thankyou.com ($135 gift card).

This is a credit card tip but not credit card news (not official).

It has been a while that I got no promotion information from major US Banks. The latest news was the Bank of America’s $75 bonus. Now I have a great news that $100 checking account bonus is available to new customers to BB&T Bank.

The promotion page can be found at BB&T bank’s homepage. According to the promotion page, the requirements to get the $100 bonus is pretty easy:

1. Open a BB&T free checking account at BB&T Bank website
2. Set up direct deposit or make 3 online bill payments
3. Get your $100 bonus

The BB&T free checking account features:

• No minimum balance or monthly maintenance fee
• Free BB&T Check Card with Visa extras
• Free online banking with bill payments

The promotion code is AFAAP

Fine print:

This special limited time offer is available to new clients that open a new personal checking account between 08/28/09 and 10/31/09 through BBT.com. A new client is a person who is not currently a signer and who was not a signer within the last 6 months on any BB&T personal checking account. In order to receive the $100 incentive, new clients must do at least one of the following: 1) Use our online bill payment service to initiate 3 online bill payments from your new checking account within 60 days of account opening, OR 2) Enroll in and receive a direct deposit to the new personal checking account within 60 days of account opening. The $100 account opening incentive will be deposited directly to your account within 4 weeks of meeting the above requirements, and will be reported to the IRS as required by law.

BB&T Bank has branches at following states:

• Alabama
• Florida
• Georgia
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia

If you are not a resident at above states, you are not eligible to get a bonus.

It seems PayPal offers a unique way to let parents and students manage their money. PayPal now launches new student account which can be setup by parents and offer purchasing power for students. This student account works just like other normal PayPal account but with a new feature. Other accounts can be added on to it. It not linked to outside checking accounts. Instead, all transactions flow through the parent’s account.

I search online and found a video about this new account. Below is an interview from MarketWatch’s Jonathan Burton with PayPal vice president Don Fotsch.

Detailed information about the student account can be found at https://www.paypal.com/studentaccount.

According to PayPal this new account is good for both parents and students:

• Spending is limited to what’s available in the account
• Provides visibility to all transactions
• Promotes healthy dialogue about money

• Shop online with PayPal and in stores with the Student Card
• Learn to manage money
• Enjoy freedom and independence in a safer and more secure way

Recently, there is essentially no news for credit card sing-up bonus. Most credit card issuers retract their offers and it is very rare to see huge sign-up bonus. Remember that it is not uncommon to get $250 bonus for getting a new credit card two years ago. Right now, Chase is offering $250 bonus gift cards for applying and getting approved for the new Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

The link to this promotion can be found at the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card website: http://www.chasesapphire.com/chase-sapphire-preferred/. This is a new credit card that Chase launched very recently. Here is another similar credit card named Chase Sapphire Card which only offer $100 bonus.

The rule for this promotion:

25,000 points after first purchase

You will receive 25,000 bonus points with this bonus offer, which can be redeemed for a round trip ticket on most major airlines up to a $312.50 value. Ticket value exceeding $312.50 can be charged to your new card. A service fee of up to $20 per ticket may be charged for the use of our toll-free number to book or change airline itineraries. Redemptions made online do not have a service fee. Cardmember is responsible for any airline or government-imposed fees. You will qualify for and receive your bonus after your first purchase/first use of the card. First purchase/first use includes purchases, balance transfers, or any checks that are used to access your account, and excludes cash advances. After qualifying, please allow 6 to 8 weeks for bonus points to post to your account. This one-time bonus offer is valid only for first-time cardmembers with new accounts. Existing cardmembers/accounts are not eligible for this bonus offer.

Rewards program of this card:

You will earn 1 point for each $1 of net purchases. You will earn an additional 1 point for each $1 of eligible airfare net purchases made online through the program booking tool. As a one-time bonus Annually, once you exceed $50,000 in net purchases you will receive 10,000 bonus points.

And you can get up to 10 bonus points when you shop the Ultimate Rewards Mall.

There is not pre-set spending limit of this card. The first year annual fee is waived after that there is a $95 annual fee.

You can also switch to the Chase Sapphire Card from other Chase Credit Cards (not partner cards, call1-800-493-3319). But upgrade accounts are not eligible for 25,000 bonus points after first purchase offer.

What you get after first purchase is 25,000 bonus points which can be redeemed for a $250 gift card.

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!

In the most competitive credit card market, there are thousands of credit cards products. It is not an easy job to find out which one is best for you.  From my personal experience, I have tried 13 different credit cards from different credit card issuers with different rewards and APR etc. After using them for more than 1 year, finally I stick to just 3 of them. Yes, it is hard to find out which one best fits yout lifestyle and gives your maximum rewards with convenience. There is one place, however, can help you to save your time and energy to find out the best credit card for you. That is—CreditCard321.com (The Easy Guide to Credit Cards.).

At creditcard321.com. you can pick your credit card by features like 0% APR on purchase or balance transfer. You can easily find the credit card according to the rewards type (air miles, cash back or others) you like. If you like a specific credit card issuer, you can simply go to the credit card issuer section to browse the credit card offered by the specific credit card issuer. Since most credit card issuers decide whether or not to issue you a new credit card based on your own credit performance, you can even choose a credit card by your credit! If you do not have any credit, you can choose secured credit card first to build your credit. It really save you a lot of time. This website contains more than 100 credit card products which cover the most popular credit cards issued by major U. S. credit card issuers. It really is an easy guide to credit cards for you!

Find your credit card at credit card 321 today!

It is very diffcult to get a banking deal recently. Most banks and credit card issuers are changing their marketing strategies in the past few months. More and more banks stopped offering sign up bonuses which is frequently advertised in the market. For any reason you want to open a new checking account and want some sweet bonuses, Bank of America is a good choice now.

Bank of America is offering $75 bonus for opening a new checking account. Although you have other account options, I would suggest the MyAccess Checking Account which does not charge mothly fees. Here is the promotion page. It seems this offer is for those who just moved to a new place. But, since the bank will not verify that, this offer is open to essentially anyone!

How to get the $75 bonus?

• This offer is available only to new customers who open a qualifying personal checking account with a minimum balance of $500
• The new checking account must be open for at least 30 days
• You must make a minimum of one transaction with the newly assigned check card

Fine print: To take advantage of this offer, you must use the Offer Code provided to open your qualifying new Bank of America personal checking account by 08/30/2009. Bank of America may terminate the offer before this date. This offer is available only to new customers who open a new qualifying personal checking account. The new customer will receive the incentive upon verification of qualification in the incentive programs. We will deposit the $75 incentive directly into your new checking account within 90 days of its opening; if unable to do so, a check will be issued.

You have to read the fine print to see whether you are qualified for this promotion. The promotion code is AOU260609 which automatically appears if you apply for a new account online through the link at the promotion page. If you want to open a new account at local branches, you have to provide the code to the bankers.

Good luck!

I was shocked when I heard from my friends that Capital One is offering $200 sign up bonus for new customers. But it is true and I would like to share this news with you guys. I hope you or maybe your friends could take the chance to get $200 bonus from Capital One. As far as I know, this is the best sign up offer right now in this country.

The offer page can be found at the capital one website: http://www.capitalone.com/bank/checking/200.php. The Capital One rewards checking account is a great account for customers. It features:

• Get free checking: no monthly service fee and no minimum balance requirement.
• Get automatic rewards for everyday banking (debit card use, ATM withdrawal, online bill pay).
• Get cash, travel, merchandise rewards. You choose.

To qualify for the $200 bonus, you have to:

• $50 minimum opening deposit required.
• You have to receive a mailer from Capital One about this promotion otherwise you can not get the bonus.
• Establish a direct deposit to your account.
• Present the mailer you received when you open a Capital One Bank branch personal checking account and mention promo code RC2.