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This is my monthly updated list of credit card sign-up bonus. I have a special page for credit card sign-up bonus where you can find a complete list of credit cards which will offer you a certain amount of sign-up bonus. I hope this list will be helpful for those App-O-Rama planners. I think it’s necessary to keep a tidy list of credit cards with some fulfillment requirements. The aim is to keep you updated with sign-up bonus offers. There are two main requirements for a specific credit card entering in this list: minimum $50 sign-up bonus and must be a mainstream brand like American Express, Discover, Citi, Chase, BOA, etc. Thus all the credit cards on this list are available to everyone.

All the credit cards are listed in order of value and I will try my best to keep this list updated in a monthly manner. Basically, I assume 100 points/miles=$1. Because you can always redeem your points or miles for certain gift cards.

Most of us may be not interested in store cards. Because they often don’t provide great sign-up bonuses. Some store cards even only offer cash back or other rewards programs for shopping at their stores. Not at all places! However, since they have their own costumers, credit card issuers are willing to work with they to promote credit cards to their customers. GE Money, one of six major operating divisions of General Electric, is one of the largest issuers of private label (store) credit cards for a number of U.S. retailers including Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, IKEA, and Lowe’s etc. Last June, GE Money teamed up with eBay and introduced the latest credit card product-eBay MasterCard.

Right now, if you apply for a eBay MasterCard and get approved, you can get 15% off (up to $25) on all purchases with eBay MasterCard until September 2, 2008. This new promotion is only valid if you apply and are approved for the eBay MasterCard between August 1, 2008 and September 2, 2008. 15% discount only qualifies on purchases made between August 1, 2008 and September 2, 2008, using eBay MasterCard. Qualifying purchases may be made on eBay, or everywhere else that accept MasterCard. A 15% credit on the qualifying transaction(s) (up to $25.00) will appear on your eBay MasterCard statement in the month following the transaction(s).

This eBay MasterCard will give you 1 reward point for every dollar charged on your eBay MasterCard at eBay. Of course, reward points are also earned with everyday purchases wherever MasterCard is accepted. Then, you can redeem your points for anything on eBay. Sometimes, you can even get promotional offers from eBay.

Other amazing features of this eBay MasterCard are:

• You can choose your card from 3 possible card designs at application.
• You can choose to add your eBay user ID to this card.
• The card also features Safe Shipping, which protects them if their item never arrives.
• The eBay MasterCard will be automatically linked to your PayPal account since you have to log in your PayPal account to submit your application.

The promotion page can be found through this link.

Here is how the application process goes according to GE Money.

When you apply, you will first be considered for an eBay MasterCard, which can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted. If you don’t qualify for an eBay MasterCard, you will then be considered for a PayPal Buyer Credit account, which can be used on eBay and anywhere PayPal is accepted. New PayPal Buyer Credit Accounts and existing eBay MasterCard accounts are not eligible for the 15% back offer.

Personally, I think the credit cards from GE Money is not so attractive to general consumers. There are other retail credit cards out there offering better rewards and sign-up bonuses. For example, the new Amazon.com rewards visa card issued by Chase is offering $30 bonus plus 6% cash back for the first 90 days! The Buy.com platinum visa card is also offering $30 bonus.

Finally, get a store card might be helpful to your credit score. This may bring diversity to your credit report.

The Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express is one of my favorite credit cards. The extended warranty feature and great customer service are the main reason for me to use this card to buy electronic products. The other reason why I like this card is it always offers some great promotions now and then.

Right now, if you are a Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express cardholder, you can earn free 2,000 starpoints from American Express by adding two authorized users in your account and make a purchase. The 2,000 bonus points are very easy to get. You don’t have to provide the social security numbers of the authorized users to get the additional cards. All you need is to fill in your credit card number, card ID, the last four digits of your SSN and the name of the authorized users. American Express won’t run a credit check during this process because you pay the money that charged on the card. Furthermore, the additional cards are free, and have no annual fee. You can apply for two cards for your family members or friends and ask them to make a small purchase to get the bonus points. After that, you can get the credit cards back. I requested two cards through the promotion page. One for my roommate and another for one of my good friends.

According to the fine print:

1,000 bonus Starpoints will be awarded to your Starwood Preferred Guest Account 8-12 weeks after the first purchase on an approved Additional Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card submitted with this application. The Additional Cardmember must make their first purchase with the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card within one year of Card approval. Bonus offer applies to first 2 Additional Card added on this application only.

For those don’t have this Starwood Preferred Guest Card right now, I strongly suggest you get one. It’s very flexible to transfer your starpoints to airline miles, gift cards, or other rewards. If you sign up now, you can get 10,000 bonus starpoints which can be redeemed for a $100 Amazon.com gift card or up to 3 free night stays at Starwood Hotels.

If you spend over $15,000 on this card in 6 months, you can earn another 15,000 bonus points! That’s equal to 40,000 starpoints!If you were lucky like me, you might get 20,000 bonus starpoints!

I have many posts on how to get a free trip to Asia, Europe or other places by taking the advantage of Citi thankyou network and American Airline aadvantage program. (post 1, post 2 and post 3) Actually, the free airline ticket is one of the most popular incentives used by credit card companies to attract more applications. With the skyrocket high oil prices, the cost of airfares is going up steadily. This post is trying to list a bunch of credit cards that offer free points, miles or other bonuses that can be used to help you get a free plane ticket. Most of them are airline affinity credit cards, but they include general reward cards as well.

I should also point out that essentially all of them require annual fees but some of them waive the fees for the first year. When you get the promotion points, miles or other bonuses, please close those credit card account immediately. Usually, the rewards account is isolated from the credit card account. So it’s very safe to close the credit card account and sometimes you can even get better offers (A trick credit card companies often imply).

Airline affinity credit cards

Many readers send me emails about “how to use credit cards and get maximum rewards“.  Believe it or not, this is a very difficult question to answer. Different people have different credit cards (or the ability to have different cards), different people have different preference on credit cards rewards (some like cash rewards, some like airline miles, and some like hotel points), and different people have different spending habits. So this is not a “yes or no” question and there is no unambiguous answer to this question. All you have to do is to look through all the major credit card issuers websites and find out those that best fit you. Of course, don’t forget to visit MyCardBlog.com from where you can find some great credit card tips and promotion offers.

Here I briefly introduce how I use my 12 credit cards:

1. Chase Freedom Visa Card. I use this credit card a lot because I can get 3% cash back from 5 categories (I have Chase checking account.) pre-determined by Chase. I use it to pay my cell phone bills from T-Mobile and Cable service fees from Comcast. I also use this card to buy groceries at Meijer, Schnucks, and other places (not include Wal-Mart). I also charge my lunch at subway, chick-fill-a, and other places noted as quick service restaurants. Sometimes I will also use this card at department stores like Macy’s, JCPenny, Sears or other stores. Chase Freedom Card takes about 70% of my monthly expenditures. This card is highly recommended. According to what I know, you can also apply for a second Chase Freedom Card even though you have one Chase Freedom Card on hand.

2. National City Everyday Rewards Visa Card. I have a review on this card. This is my first credit card and I like it very much. I usually use it to pay at the pumps from which I can get 4% cash back. I also use it a lot at some restaurants where I can’t get full 3% cash back from my Chase Freedom Card. Of course, I also use this card to buy movie tickets.

3. Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express. I use this card to buy electronics products from online merchants or local BestBuy, Circuit City, Office Depot, etc. I also use this card to rent cars and book hotels. The reason why I use this card to pay for electronics and car rentals is American Express is the best extra insurance provider and I trust American Express. I can usually get extended warranty for my electronics from this card. By the way, I get 20,000 bonus starpoints from this card and redeemed them as 2 $100 Amazon.com gift cards.

4. Discover Open Road Card. Sometimes I use this card at gas stations to get 5% cash back (or use National City Everyday Rewards Card). I use this card to buy some parts for my card at Auto zone or other places. I will also pay my oil change service fees with this card. This card is recommended to those with small cars (SUV is not recommended because there is $100 limit from which you can get full 5% cash back.).

5. Chase Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card. I only use this card when I shop around at Amazon.com. Previously this is a black card but it’s redesigned with blue color (see this post). They also add more redemption options.

6. Chase Sony Card. I use this card when there is a special promotion offer targeted to me. Otherwise, I will not use it.

7. Citi Dividend Platinum Select MasterCard. I used to use this card a lot. However, since I had the Chase Freedom Card, I never used it.

8. Household Bank Platinum MasterCard. I used to use this card a lot. But I’m not using it now. 1% and 2% seems no big difference to me.

9. Blue from American Express. I seldom use this card. I’m planning to switch this card to the Blue Cash from American Express.

10. WaMu Visa Platinum Card. Recently, WaMu sent me two same new credit cards and claimed that they have upgraded my card to the premier platinum protect card. I don’t know the difference between platinum protect card and normal platinum card. I don’t know why they sent me two same cards. I never used it. I use this card to monitor my credit score. I just hope they will not send me the third same card in the future.

11. Bank of America Rewards American Express Card. I seldom use this card. The rewards program from Bank of America is not so good.

12. A Credit Card from local credit union. One of my first credit cards. I’m not using this card now.

You might get some ideas on how to use your credit cards now.

The new semester will begin soon. American Express is pushing us to pay our tuitions with their credit cards. American Express is promoting the Back-to-School rewards program through September 31, 2008. Pay your tuitions with any American Express card now through September 30, 2008 and enjoy savings from 15 participating merchants in retail, travel, technology and more, available especially for students and parents during the back-to-school season.

It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some savings when you use your American Express credit card to pay your tuitions.

Here is how to get back-to-school rewards:

1. Visit your school’s website or tuition office and pay tuition using any American Express Card now through September 30, 2008.
2. Go to amexnetwork.com/tuition and click on “I Paid“.
3. Enter your school name, and your payment confirmation number. Instantly receive back-to-school offers and enjoy! (You can see your confirmation number after you submit your payment or you can see it from your credit card statement.)

The 15 offers as listed on American Express’ website are:

Save up to 50% at Sandals Resorts @ AMEX Vacations
Receive a full size 2.5 oz Ultra Facial Moisturizer® @ Kiehls
Save up to 20% off a truck rental @ Budget
Get 20% off your entire full price purchase @ Ann Taylor Loft
Save up to 30% on a Lenovo ThinkPad®
Get $20 off a purchase of $100 or more @ LNT
Get 20% off of single item @ Borders.com
Earn Triple points on JetBlue Airways
30% off on McAfee Internet Security Suite
10% off purchase @ Overstock
15% off on 75$ purchase or more @ Virgin Megastore
Get $25 off a purchase of $50 or more @ Loehmanns
Get $20 off a qualifying purchase of $75 or more @ Officedepot
Get 20% off first online order @ Pizza Hut
Get $100 off ABF U-Pack Moving® Services

Please note that: Tuition may be paid at any college, university, or K-12 school within the United States which accepts American Express Cards. The qualifying tuition must be a single transaction of $200 or more. Tuition includes tuition, room and board.

If you don’t have any American Express card yet, you can try the following easy to get American Express cards: Blue Cash from American Express, Blue from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express, Gold Delta SkyMiles Card from American Express, Preferred Rewards Gold Card and One from American Express.

Following universities are listed on American Express website but I think if your school accepts American Express card, you’re eligible to receive the back-to-school savings.

Arizona State University
Baylor University
Baruch College
Binghamton University
Columbia University
Dallas Community College
Georgia Washington University
Georgia State University
Houston Community College
Hunter College
James Madison University
La Salle University
Maricopa Community Colleges
Michigan State University
Mississippi State University
New York University
Pennslyvania State University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rutgers University
Saint Mary’s College
San Jacinto College
Santa Clara University
Southern Methodist University
Stanford University
Syracuse University
Temple University
Texas A & M University
Texas Tech University
The College of New Jersey
Tulane University
University of California, Merced
University of Cincinnati
University of Dayton
University of Massachusetts
University of Minnesota
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Richmond
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Tulsa
University of Utah
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Xavier University

Today I got a mail offer from Chase for my Chase Freedom Card. This seems to be a targeted offer to select Chase Freedom Card members. I have a post about earning 5X Sony Rewards Points from July to September and this offer seems to be related to the the previously mentioned offer.

Details about the offer:

Your Chase Freedom credit card purchases just got a lot more rewarding. And all you have to do is use your card! Simply spend $100 each month in the travel and entertainment category between July 1, 2008 and September 30, 2008, and we will give you a $25 gas gift card!

Turn your purchases into free gas. Simply call 1-888-828-2104 or log on to www.chaserewards.com/rewards3 by August 31, 2008 to enroll. Then all you have to do is spend $100 each month on eligible airline, hotel, auto rental and fine dining purchases between July 1, 2008 and September 30, 2008.

If you travel a lot, it seems a good offer. Because you can easily spend more than $100 on travel and entertainment category. As I pointed out in my previous post, Chase is offer bonus points for many Chase branded credit cards. As you may find there, the Chase Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card, Chase AARP Visa Card, Chase Disney Rewards Visa Card, Chase Freedom Card are offering bonus points for using the card during July, August and September.

The Chase Freedom Card is a really good credit card for everyday use. You can get 3% cash back from 3 categories. If you have a Chase checking account, you can actually get 3% cash back from 5 categories. If you accumulate $200 cash rewards in your account, you can actually get a $250 cash rewards check!

Chase Sony Card is one of my favorite credit card on hand. This cash back program is not so good but this card always offers card members some great promotion deals. For example, back to this March, this card offered 10,000 bonus points for spending over $500 on this card before April 1, 2008. For the 10,000 Sony rewards points, you can redeem 2 $50 gas cards or other gift cards. Or you can redeem them for a  Sony walkman video MP3 player.

My latest post indicated that Sony card is offering 5X rewards points opportunity for targeted card members. Today I received a mail offer from Chase Sony Card. This time the promotion is titles “10 BELOW”.

What’s “10 BELOW”?

“10 BELOW” is the new Sony Card member benefit that empowers Sony Card members to set your own redemption price on any Sony product based on the price you find at any Sony authorized retailers. Once you determine what product and price you want to redeem your points for, you will also get an additional 10% savings on that Sony product. Of course, this program is free to any Sony Card members.

Here is how it works:

1. Enroll in 10 BELOW, please go to www.sony.com/sonycard/10below.
2. Use your Sony card as you normally would on both Sony Products and everyday purchases.
3. After you enroll in 10 BELOW, accrue an additional 5,000 Sony rewards points by December 31, 2008, and you are ready to go 10 BELOW.
4. Once you accrue 5,000 Sony rewards points, you will receive an email from Sony Card that will provide simple steps to set your point redemption price and go 10 BELOW. (Including instructions and a claim form for you to fill up and submit to Sony Rewards.)
5. Once you have made your decision, let us know the product and requested price visa the 10 BELOW program and you will get an additional 10% off.

Note: Your claim form and proof of claimed price must be received by Sony Rewards within 60 days from the date you receive your eligiblity notice, after which your eligibility for 10 BELOW discount price will expire.

A proof of the claimed price can be a copy of print ad, print-out of dealer web page, etc.

If you can achieve the 5,000 points requirement before November, you can make your Thanksgiving even hotter.

Don’t forget to take the chance to get 5X Sony rewards points to accumulate your Sony points even faster!