<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>PlasticIQ</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog</link>
	<description>Find the best credit card for you!</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:24:30 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Summary of the Costco TrueEarnings Credit Card from American Express</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/costco-trueearnings-credit-card-from-american-express-review/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/costco-trueearnings-credit-card-from-american-express-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cashback Card Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMEX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cashback Credit Card]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gas credit cards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel credit cards]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=678</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Reviewed: 8/27/2010 If you are looking for a Costco credit card, you need look no further. As you may know, Costco only accepts American Express, and the TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express is definitely a super-strong cashback card, clocking in at the #3 rank amongst all tracked cashback credit cards according to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Reviewed: 8/27/2010</p>
<p><a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/amex-costco-true-earnings-american-express.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-679" title="american-express-costco-true-earnings-credit-card" src="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/amex-costco-true-earnings-american-express.jpg" alt="" width="113" height="72" /></a>If you are looking for a Costco credit card, you need look no further.  As you may know, Costco only accepts American Express, and the TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express is definitely a super-strong cashback card, clocking in at the #3 rank amongst all tracked cashback credit cards according to our PlasticIQ Ranking Engine.<span id="more-678"></span></p>
<p>Additionally, the TrueEarnings Costco credit card offers some unusually high bonuses in specific categories, wihch make this card an excellent niche play as well.  More on that below.</p>
<p>The Costco TrueEarnings Credit Card competes in the following categories: cashback, gas, hotel, air travel, and restaurants.</p>
<table title="TrueEarnings Credit Card by Costco and American Express" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>How Does The Costco TrueEarnings Credit Card by American Express Stack up Against the Competition</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Category</th>
<th>Spend/month</th>
<th>Costco TrueEarnings Rank</th>
<th>Card Value*</th>
<th>Top Card</th>
<th>Card Value*</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Cashback</td>
<td>$2,000</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>$1,062</td>
<td><a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape</a></td>
<td>$1,466</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gas</td>
<td>$150</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>$155</td>
<td><a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/penfed-visa-platinum-cashback-rewards-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">PenFed Visa Platinum</a></td>
<td>$268</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hotel</td>
<td>$125</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>$85</td>
<td>Chase Marriott Rewards Visa</td>
<td>$507</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Air</td>
<td>$208</td>
<td>31</td>
<td>$225</td>
<td>Barclays US Airways Premier World MC</td>
<td>$1,014</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>You can read <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/howItWorks.html" target="_blank">&#8220;So Just What Is the PlasticIQ Ranking Engine and How Does it Work&#8221;</a> to get a better understanding of how we derived the above values.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/costco-trueearnings-rank1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-681" title="costco-trueearnings-rank" src="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/costco-trueearnings-rank1.jpg" alt="" width="847" height="588" /></a></p>
<h2>TrueEarnings Costsco Credit Card Rewards</h2>
<p>Here&#8217;s a quick table summarizing some of the key features of the TrueEarnings credit card from Costco and American Express</p>
<table title="Snapshot: BankAmericard Vash Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption> Snapshot: TrueEarnings Costco Credit Card<br />
</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Base Rewards</td>
<td>1% cashback on virtually all purchases, including purchases at Costco.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Special Rewards</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>Additional 2% cashback (on top of base 1%) on all gasoline purchases made with your Costco TrueEarnings credit card. This bonus is valid for up to $3,000 of spend on gasoline purchaes per year; after reaching this cap, all gasoline purchases earn the standard 1% cashback for the remainder of the year.</li>
<li>Additional 2% cashback on all restaurant purchases (no caps).</li>
<li>Additional 1% cashback on all travel related purchases, including: airfare, hotel, rental cars, cruises, and purchases through travel agencies.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Redemption requirements</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>If you redeem $300 or more in one redemption request, you will receive a 25% bonus based on the amount you redeemed. The PlasticIQ ranking engine assumes that this behavior is exhibited.</li>
<li>Rewards redeemable in the form of statement credit, check, deposit to checking or savings account of your choice, or payment of a mortgage loan serviced by Bank of America.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sign up bonus</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards expiration</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards Caps</td>
<td>Additional 2% cashback on gas purchases is limited to $3,000 of gasoline purchases per year.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual Fee</td>
<td>None&#8211;but you are required to join Costco. Their cheapest membership level (Gold Star) is $50 per year.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>International Transaction Fee</td>
<td>2.7% of each transaction after conversion to USD</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Click here for <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www201.americanexpress.com/cards/apply/costco-trueearnings-credit-card-application/31209/10" target="_blank">TrueEarnings Credit Card from Costco and American Express complete terms and conditions</a>.</p>
<p>There are several things worth calling out here. Firstly, the 3% cashback on gasoline purchases is excellent. If the Costco credit card is just for your own spending needs, then you&#8217;d be able to earn the full 3% on about 1,000 gallons of gasoline (assuming a price of $3.00 per gallon). That&#8217;s equivalent to 20 gallons of gas per week. Put another way, assuming you get 20 MPG on your car, you&#8217;d have to be driving more than 20K miles per year to exceed the $3,000 cap. That&#8217;s by no means beyond the realm of possibility, but most people should be at or under this cap. All that said, if you are looking for the ultimate killer gas card, it has to be the <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/penfed-visa-platinum-cashback-rewards-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">PenFed Visa Platinum</a>, with its whopping 5% cashback on gas purchases and no caps.</p>
<p>The second call-out is the 3% cashback at restaurants. It is actually quite rare to find any card offering more than 1% cashback at restaurants, and 3% is truly exceptional. The TrueEarnings Costco credit card deserves a home in your wallet if for no other reason than this.  Note, this isn&#8217;t an exhaustive list, but rather just the ones we deemed most valuable.</p>
<p>Finally, the 2% cashback on travel purchases is also very respectable, and adds to the overall performance of this credit card.</p>
<h2>Other Benefits of the Costco TrueEarnings Credit Card from American Express</h2>
<p>While PlasticIQ focuses mostly on assessing the value of rewards, in an effort to be thorough, we also discuss some of the harder-to-quantify benefits of holding this particular piece of plastic.</p>
<ul>
<li>Fraud Protection: American Express protects you against unauthorized or fraudulent charges to your Costco TrueEarnings credit card.</li>
<li>Extended Warranty: Mirrors and extends for up to 1 additional year the manufacturer&#8217;s warranty for covered products purchased with your TrueEarnings credit card.</li>
<li>Purchase Protection: Protects covered items for up to 90 days from the date of purchase in case of accidental damage or theft.</li>
<li>Travel Accident Insurance:  The TrueEarnings Costco credit card provides up to $100,000 in accidental death and dismemberment insurance.</li>
<li>Global Assist Hotline: In cases where you travel more than 100 miles from your home, American Express will provide you with emergency assistance 24/7 round-the-clock, including medical and legal referrals, visa/passport help, cash access, lost luggage and more.</li>
</ul>
<h2>PlasticIQ&#8217;s Final Assessment of the TrueEarnings Credit Card from Costco and American Express</h2>
<p>The TrueEarnings Costco credit card is indeed exceptional, and merits its 3rd place finish across all cashback cards. Certainly, in terms of an all-purpose cashback card, if you can&#8217;t get your hands on the #1 <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape Credit Card</a> or the #2-ranked <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/american-express-blue-cash-card-review/" target="_blank">American Express Blue Cash Credit Card</a>, then the TrueEarnings Costco credit card becomes the logical next choice, and you shouldn&#8217;t feel like you are &#8220;settling&#8221; on this one. It&#8217;s true that Discover Escape easily outperforms TrueEarnings (see the table at the top of this post), but it&#8217;s still a very solid card which packs a powerful punch, especially for gasoline and restaurant purchases. Click here to be taken to the <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www201.americanexpress.com/cards/apply/costco-trueearnings-credit-card-application/31209/10" target="_blank">TrueEarnings Costco credit card application.</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/costco-trueearnings-credit-card-from-american-express-review/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Summary of the BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa Signature</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/review-bank-america-bankamericard-cash-rewards-visa-signature/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/review-bank-america-bankamericard-cash-rewards-visa-signature/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Aug 2010 01:18:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cashback Card Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cashback Credit Card]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=664</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Reviewed: 8/26/2010 Bank of America&#8217;s BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa Signature just sqeaks into the top 5 cash back credit cards&#8211;but there is one catch. In order to achieve this level of performance, you&#8217;ll need to redeem your BankAmericard rewards in increments of $300 or more (that is, receive $300 in rewards payouts) in order [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Reviewed: 8/26/2010</p>
<p><a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bank-of-america-cash-rewards-visa-signature.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-665" title="bank-of-america-bankamericard-cash-rewards-visa-signature" src="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bank-of-america-cash-rewards-visa-signature.jpg" alt="" width="111" height="74" /></a>Bank of America&#8217;s BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa Signature just sqeaks into the top 5 cash back credit cards&#8211;but there is one catch.  In order to achieve this level of performance, you&#8217;ll need to redeem your BankAmericard rewards in increments of $300 or more (that is, receive $300 in rewards payouts) in order to get a 25% boost in your cashback percentage.<span id="more-664"></span> Since you are on the PlasticIQ site, we graciously assume you are trying your best to maximize your rewards, so we assume you&#8217;ll earn the 1.25% cashback.  If that&#8217;s not the case, then the BankAmericard loses a good deal of its lustre (and its rank in the PIQ Ranking Engine!).</p>
<table title="Bank of America BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa Signature Rank" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>How Does The BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa Signature Stack Up Against The Competition</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rank</td>
<td>5 (out of 31 cashback cards tracked by PlasticIQ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards*</td>
<td>$946</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards for top cash-back card* (<a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape</a>)</td>
<td>$1,466</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>*Based on PlasticIQ&#8217;s standard spending profile for 3 years of card usage. Includes impact of various fees, including annual fees and international fees. Also assumes that the cardholder redeems for cashback amounts of $300 or more per redemption, thus qualifying for a 25% cashback bonus.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bankamericard-ranker.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-667" title="bankamericard-ranker" src="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bankamericard-ranker.jpg" alt="" width="876" height="606" /></a></p>
<h2>Bank of America BankAmericard Visa Credit Card Rewards</h2>
<p>Here&#8217;s a quick table summarizing some of the key features of the BankAmericard Visa credit card:</p>
<table title="Snapshot: BankAmericard Vash Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Snapshot: Bank Of America BankAmericard Visa Credit Card</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Base Rewards</td>
<td>1 cent per dollar spent (1% cashback).</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Special Rewards</td>
<td>Earn an additional 2 cents per dollar spent (2% cashback) on all gas, grocery and drug store purchases during your first 6 months after account opening.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Redemption requirements</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>If you redeem $300 or more in one redemption request, you will receive a 25% bonus based on the amount you redeemed. The PlasticIQ ranking engine assumes that this behavior is exhibited.</li>
<li>BankAmericard rewards redeemable in the form of statement credit, check, deposit to checking or savings account of your choice, or payment of a mortgage loan serviced by Bank of America.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sign up bonus</td>
<td>$50 bonus if you spend $50 with your BankAmericard within the first 60 days after account activation.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards expiration</td>
<td>5 years</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards Caps</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual Fee</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>International Transaction Fee</td>
<td>3.0% of each transaction after conversion to USD</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Click here for <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www5.bankofamerica.com/credit-cards/tncview.action?cid=2036098&amp;aolnEnv=disclosures.bankofamerica.com&amp;card_name=BankAmericard%20Cash%20Rewards%20Visa%20Signature%26reg;%20Card" target="_blank">Bank of America BankAmericard Visa Signature complete terms and conditions</a>.</p>
<p>So, as you can see, the base rewards for the Bank of America BankAmericard are very par-for-the-course, at an effective 1% cashback.  The bonus 2% (on top of the base 1%) on 3 key categories (gas, supermarket, drug store) would be very nice indeed, if it didn&#8217;t end in 6 months.  Our philosophy at PlasticIQ is to look for sustainable rewards advantages, and we generally avoid recommending cards with short-lived promotional offers, since the more cards you end up having in your wallet, the more overhead and management you need to deal with.</p>
<p>The real key to victory for the BankAmericard is <strong>to demonstrate the discpline of Bruce Lee</strong> to wait until you have<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-670" title="bruce-lee-discipline" src="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bruce-lee-discipline1.jpg" alt="" width="148" height="160" /> accumulated $300 or more worth of rewards.  By doing this, you will earn a 25% bonus on your cashback rewards (example: your $300 redemption would turn into $375).</p>
<h2>PlasticIQ&#8217;s Final Assessment of the BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card</h2>
<p>At the risk of repeating myself, to make the BankAmericard worth even considering having in your wallet, you&#8217;ve got to have the discpline to redeem in increments of $300 or more. If you can do that, this card can be OK, although PlasticIQ&#8217;s philosophy is always to go for the best. So, in that spirit, you should certainly be checking out our current #1 and #2 cashback credit cards, the <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape Credit Card</a> and the <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/american-express-blue-cash-card-review/" target="_blank">American Express Blue Cash Credit Card</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/review-bank-america-bankamericard-cash-rewards-visa-signature/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Review of the Discover More Card</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/overview-of-the-discover-more-credit-card/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/overview-of-the-discover-more-credit-card/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:38:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cashback Card Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cashback]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=646</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Reviewed: 8/21/2010 The Discover More card is a poster child for the credit card industry&#8217;s highly complex and, at times, somewhat sneaky marketing. To the casual consumer, one that just reads bolded titles and doesn&#8217;t examine the fine print, the Discover More card could look like a 5% cashback credit card superstar. But alas, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Reviewed: 8/21/2010</p>
<p>The Discover More card is a poster child for the credit card industry&#8217;s highly complex and, at times, somewhat sneaky marketing.  To the casual consumer, one that just reads bolded titles and doesn&#8217;t examine the fine print, the Discover More card could look like a 5% cashback credit card superstar.  But alas, after delicate application of both spending caps and seasonally rotated categories, it falls well short of that aspiration.<span id="more-646"></span> Although it&#8217;s still in the top third of all cashback credit cards, there&#8217;s a sizeable performance gap between the Discover More card and some of the higher-ranked cards, such as the top cashback <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape Card</a>. The Discover More card is very similar in rewards structure to the <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/chase-freedom-rewards-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Chase Freedom Credit Card</a>, although Freedom ranks slightly higher in the Plastic Ranking Engine.</p>
<table title="Discover More Rank" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Comparing the Discover More Card to the top Cashback Card</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rank:</td>
<td>11 (out of 31 cashback cards tracked by PlasticIQ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards*</td>
<td>$849</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards for top cash-back card* (<a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape</a>)</td>
<td>$1,466</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>*Based on PlasticIQ&#8217;s standard spending profile for 3 years of card usage. Includes impact of various fees, including annual fees and international fees.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/discover-more-rank4.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-696" title="discover-more-rank" src="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/discover-more-rank4.jpg" alt="" width="875" height="588" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Reviewing Discover More&#8217;s Complex Rewards Structure</strong></p>
<p>Here are all of the essential rules related to this credit card&#8217;s rewards program:</p>
<ul>
<li>Earn 1% cashback bonus after your annual purchases exceed $3,000.</li>
<li>Purchases that are part of your first $3,000 earn only 0.25%</li>
<li>Warehouse purchases (warehouse clubs, discount stores and their affiliates) always earn only 0.25%.</li>
<li>Earn 5% cashback bonus on pre-determined category purchases (see table below for more details).  According to the terms of the agreement, you must sign up for each 5% program, but when PlasticIQ spoke to a rep, he indicated you are automatically signed up when you are approved for the card, which makes sense.</li>
<li>Category purchases that exceed the cashback cap for that given category will earn cashback at your current earnings rate (1% or 0.25%).</li>
<li>Warehouse purchases and category purchases are not included when determining whether your total annual purchases have exceeded $3,000 and are thus eligible for 1% cashback treatment.</li>
<li>Rewards have no expiration date, but if your account is closed for any reason, or is inactive for 18 consecutive months, or you fail to make the minimum payment due for 2 consecutive months, your cashback points will be forfeited (aw that sucks).</li>
</ul>
<h2>Taking a Closer Look at the Discover More 5% Cashback Categories</h2>
<p>The table below provides the latest bonus category information for 2010.  Pay special attention to the spend limits, as those ultimately dictate the maximum upside of the Discover More credit card.</p>
<table title="Discover More Category Schedule for 2010" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>2010 Category Schedule for the Discover More Credit Card</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Time Period</th>
<th>Category</th>
<th>Spend Amount Limit</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Jan-Mar</td>
<td>Travel (hotel, air, auto rental, cruises</td>
<td>$800</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Apr-Jun</td>
<td>Home improvement, Fashion (department and clothing stores)</td>
<td>$400</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jul-Sep</td>
<td>Gas, Hotels, Movies, Theme Parks</td>
<td>$300</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sep</td>
<td>Grocery and Drug Stores</td>
<td>$200</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oct-Dec</td>
<td>Restaurants and Fashion (department and clothing stores)</td>
<td>$300</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>So the maximum spend that can be applied to your 5% cashback bonus is $2,000 per calendar year, and this assumes you max out all categories. So, 5% of $2,000 is $100 cashback (of course, on top of the base 0.25%/1.0% rewards you earn on non-bonus categories).</p>
<h2>Fees and Other Expenses for the Discover More Credit Card</h2>
<p>The table below highlights some of the more common fees levied against the masses, along with key benefits.  To see the full disclosure on the card, including the most current rates, you can read the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.discovercard.com/more/rates.html" target="_blank">Discover More Rates and Disclosures document</a> on their website.</p>
<table title="Benefits and Fees for the Discover More Credit Card" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Discover More Credit Card Benefits and Fees</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Type of Benefit/Fee</th>
<th>Amount/Description</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Annual Fee</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Foreign Currency Fee</td>
<td>2% of the US dollar amount</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Late Payment Fee</td>
<td>Up to $35</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Returned Payment Fee</td>
<td>Up to $35</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Car rental insurance</td>
<td>The Discover More credit card provides $25K of secondary collision damage insurance when you rent a car with your More card and decline coverage offered by the rental agency.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Flight accident insurnace</td>
<td>When you purchase an airline ticket with your Discover More card, you are eligible for up to $500K of flight accident insurance.  You can <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.discovercard.com/customer-service/travel/assets/More_Motiva_Miles_OpenRoad_Combined-Scheduled_Air_CDWDOC.pdf" target="_blank">read more about this</a> on their website.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>PlasticIQ&#8217;s Takeaway on the Discover More Credit Card</h2>
<p>If you use the Discover More credit card perfectly&#8211;spending $2,000 to max out all of the 5% cashback bonus categories, you&#8217;ll earn $100 in the calendar year&#8211;and with the headache of always keeping on top of which categories are &#8220;in season&#8221; and how much spend you have remaining on them.  All other purchases will either earn you 0.25% or 1%, as discussed above.</p>
<p>Ultimately, Discover More&#8217;s spending caps are its Achilles Heel.  You&#8217;ll have to decide whether the extra monitoring effort justifies the incremental annual $100 cashback you could earn with it.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/overview-of-the-discover-more-credit-card/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Summary of the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Program</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/virgin-atlantic-flying-club-program/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/virgin-atlantic-flying-club-program/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:22:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Airline Rewards Programs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frequent flyer programs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=635</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Reviewed: 8/20/2010 The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is Virgin Atlantic’s frequent flyer program. The lowest level of membership is Flying Club Red, then Silver, and finally, Gold. For those of you who are interested in an analysis of the monetary value of a Flying Club Point, check out PlasticIQ&#8217;s article, How Much Are Virgin [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Reviewed: 8/20/2010</p>
<p>The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is Virgin Atlantic’s frequent flyer program.  The lowest level of membership is Flying Club Red, then Silver, and finally, Gold. For those of you who are interested in an analysis of the monetary value of a Flying Club Point, check out PlasticIQ&#8217;s article, <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2009/08/value-of-virgin-atlantic-flying-club-miles/" target="_blank">How Much Are Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles Worth?</a>.<span id="more-635"></span></p>
<h2>Earning Miles with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club</h2>
<p>As a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club member, you earn both miles and tier points on all flights in economy, premium economy, or upper class (the British version of First Class).  When you fly premium economy or upper class, you also earn additional bonus miles (per the table below).  For example, if you flew 3,000 miles from point A to point B round-trip, and you were a Gold member, you would earn 4,500 miles for that route.</p>
<table title="a" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Bonus Miles Earned from Base Miles Flown</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Tier</th>
<th>Bonus on Base Miles Flown</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Red</td>
<td>No bonus</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Silver</td>
<td>25%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gold</td>
<td>50%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Earning Tier Points: The Way to the Top of the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club</h2>
<p>By earning tier points you can advance from lowly Red to Silver to regal Gold within Virgin Atlantic&#8217;s Flying Club.  When you fly with Virgin Atlantic or one of their flying club partners, you not only earn miles, but also tier points.  The table below illustrates.</p>
<table title="Tier Points Earned For Each One-Way Virgin Atlantic Flight" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Tier Points Earned For Each One-Way Virgin Atlantic Flight</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Cabin Type</th>
<th>Tier Points Earned*</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Economy</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Premium Economy</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Upper (First) Class</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>* You earn double the above tier points when you fly from London to Sydney.</p>
<p>There are also more than 10 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club partners, with their own tier points earning schedule, as outlined below.</p>
<table title="Tier Points Earned For Each One-Way Virgin Atlantic Partner Flight" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Tier Points Earned For Each One-Way Virgin Atlantic Partner Flight</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Partner</th>
<th colspan="3">Under 2,000 Miles Flown</th>
<th colspan="3">More than 2,000 Miles Flown</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>Economy</th>
<th>Business</th>
<th>First</th>
<th>Economy</th>
<th>Business</th>
<th>First</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Singapore Air</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ANA</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>V Australia</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Virgin Blue</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>n/a</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>n/a</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>All Other Partners</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Advancing in Virgin Atlantic&#8217;s Flying Club: From Red to Silver to Gold</h2>
<p>If you earn 15 tier points in a rolling 12-13 month time-frame, you move up from Red to Silver.  If you earn a total of 40 tier points in any 12-13 month time-frame, you’ll go from Red to Gold.</p>
<p>Tier points are calculated and totaled from the current day of the current month to the <em>first</em> day of the same month in the previous year (thus the rolling 12-13 month time-frame).  Props to Sir Richard Branson for giving customers the benefit of rounding to the beginning of the year-ago month&#8211;this works in your favor!</p>
<p>When being evaluated for tier upgrades, tier points are considered valid for a full 12-13 months from the date at which they were earned.</p>
<h2>Other Benefits From Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Status</h2>
<p><strong>Red Level Benefits</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Basically just the opportunity to belong to the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program and earn miles.  Basically, being red is totally average and you shouldn&#8217;t consider yourself special in any way.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Silver Level Benefits</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>25% extra base flown miles on every flight flown with VA.</li>
<li>Full use of the premium economy check-in area.</li>
<li>Priority standby: if a flight is already full, you&#8217;ll be bumped to near the top of the queue.</li>
</ul>
<p>For more details, see Virgin Atlantic&#8217;s <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/frequentflyer/membershipbenefits/silverbenefits/index.jsp" target="_blank">Flying Club Silver Benefits</a></p>
<p><strong>Gold Level Benefits (partial list)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>50% extra base flown miles on every flight flown with VA.</li>
<li>Priority boarding (with Upper Class group)</li>
<li>Fast track through immigration and security at London Heathrow.</li>
<li>Allowed 1 extra piece of baggage free of charge.</li>
<li>Access to Virgin Atlantic&#8217;s Clubhouses on departure.</li>
<li>Individual access to Virgin Atlantic&#8217;s Revivals Lounge when flying into LHR on a VS prefix ticket.</li>
<li>You automatically can bump a family member over 18 years of age to Silver Status.</li>
<li>When you renew your Gold Status, you&#8217;ll receive a free companion ticket.  You just need to travel together with that person in the same class.</li>
<li>You&#8217;re guaranteed an economy seat on any Virgin Atlantic full fare flight that&#8217;s booked at least 3 days before departing.</li>
</ul>
<p>For more details, see <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/frequentflyer/membershipbenefits/goldbenefits/index.jsp" target="_blank">Flying Club Gold Benefits.</a></p>
<h2>Renewing Your Flying Club Status</h2>
<p>Once you reach Silver Membership status, fortunately you don’t need to earn another full 15 points the next year, but rather only 10 points will do the trick. For Gold status, instead of 40 points, you’ll need 30.</p>
<p>Your renewal year is referred to as your “Fixed Membership Year”, and is defined as starting from the 1st day after you earn your Silver or Gold status, to the end of the same month of the following year.  Again, kudos to Virgin Atlantic for rounding forward to the end of the month.</p>
<p>If you want more information on this topic, go to the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/frequentflyer/membershipbenefits/tier_points/index.jsp" target="_blank">Virgin Atlantic Tier Points</a> page on their site for more info.</p>
<h2>Earning Miles Through Virgin Atlantic&#8217;s Various Partners</h2>
<p>As mentioned above, you can earn miles simply by flying on Virgin Atlantic, as well as by using the Virgin Atlantic American Express Card.  However, you can also earn miles in the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club by spending money through one of VA&#8217;s partner airlines, or other non-airline partners.</p>
<p>There are roughly 7 classes of parnters through which you can earn Virgin Miles:</p>
<ul>
<li>Shopping partners</li>
<li>Airline partners</li>
<li>Hotel partners</li>
<li>Car rental partners</li>
<li>Virgin Group partners</li>
<li>Financial partners</li>
<li>Local partners</li>
</ul>
<p>While you can conduct a more detailed evaluation of each of these partner channels by visting <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/frequentflyer/earnmiles/flyingclubpartners/index.jsp" target="_blank">Virgin Atlantic&#8217;s Flying Club Partner Section</a>, PlasticIQ has displayed a graphical list of all the airline partners in their program below.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-638" title="virgin-atlantic-airline-partners" src="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/virgin-atlantic-airline-partners1-268x300.jpg" alt="virgin-atlantic-airline-partners" width="268" height="300" /></p>
<h2>Redeeming Your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles</h2>
<p>Your Flying Club Miles can be redeemed for free flights on Virgin Atlantic or on the majority of its partners.  The <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/frequentflyer/spendmiles/spendingcalculator/index.jsp" target="_blank">Virgin Atlantic Spending Calculator</a> shows you the number of required miles for a given round-trip flight.  Each partner has its own <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/frequentflyer/fcpartners/airlines/index.jsp" target="_blank">Partner Redemption Schedule</a> as well.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/virgin-atlantic-flying-club-program/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Review of the American Express Blue Sky Credit Card</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/review-of-the-american-express-blue-sky-credit-card/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/review-of-the-american-express-blue-sky-credit-card/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:59:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cashback Card Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cashback Rewards Programs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMEX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel cards]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=625</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Reviewed: 8/15/2010 The American Express Blue Sky credit card is another one of those cards masquerading as a travel credit card, yet behaving more like a cash back card with some redemption restrictions. Thus, on PIQ&#8217;s Plastic Ranking Engine you will find the AMEX Blue Sky card in both the travel and cash back [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Reviewed: 8/15/2010</p>
<p>The American Express Blue Sky credit card is another one of those cards masquerading as a travel credit card, yet behaving more like a cash back card with some redemption restrictions.  Thus, on PIQ&#8217;s Plastic Ranking Engine you will find the AMEX Blue Sky card in both the travel and cash back categories.<span id="more-625"></span></p>
<p>With an effective cash back rate of 1.33%, the American Express Blue Sky credit card is definitely a cut above the run-of-the-mill 1% cash back cards that abound.</p>
<table title="AMEX Blue Sky Rank" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>How Does The American Express Blue Sky Credit Card Stack Up Against The Competition</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rank</td>
<td>8 (out of 31 cashback cards tracked by PlasticIQ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards*</td>
<td>$914</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards for top cash-back card* (<a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape</a>)</td>
<td>$1,466</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>*Based on PlasticIQ&#8217;s standard spending profile for 3 years of card usage. Includes impact of various fees, including annual fees and international fees.</p>
<h2>American Express Blue Sky Rewards</h2>
<p>Here&#8217;s a quick table summarizing some of the key features of the Amex Blue Sky card:</p>
<table title="Snapshot: American Express Blue Cash Credit Card" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Snapshot: American Express Blue Sky Credit Card</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rewards</td>
<td>1 point per dollar spent; points convert at an effective 1.33% cash back rate.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Redemption requirements</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>Points can only be redeemed in increments of $7,500 for $100 statement credits, and can only be applied to travel-related purchases.</li>
<li>Travel-related purchases include: airlines, auto rentals, cruises, vacation packages, hotels, and online travel agencies.</li>
<li>Redemption requests must be made within 60 days of the closing date shown on the billing statement on which the travel purchase first appears.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sign up bonus</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards expiration</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards Caps</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual Fee</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>International Transaction Fee</td>
<td>2.7% of each transaction after conversion to USD</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Click here for <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www201.americanexpress.com/apply/FmacAction?csi=7/31209/b/4&amp;print=yes&amp;fromTNC=yes&amp;TermsKey=US_en/Acquisition/CCSG/82/00_1000_PAS_NPA_PS_B_LongOffer1_Def" target="_blank">Amex Blue Sky complete terms and conditions</a>.</p>
<h2>Other Benefits of the American Express Blue Sky Card</h2>
<p>While PlasticIQ doesn&#8217;t factor in these hard-to-quantify benefits into its Plastic Ranking Engine, and nor do we evaluate the merits of these benefits (ie limitations and other fine print), we still feel it&#8217;s worth sharing them with our readers to give you a more complete sense of the pros and cons of each card. We&#8217;ve also tried to provide some links if you want to investigate further.</p>
<ul>
<li><em>Travel For Less:</em> You can &#8220;save big&#8221; at many leading travel providers like Marriott and up to 20% off at Hertz with the Amex Blue Sky Travel Savings program.</li>
<li><em>Complimentary hotel breakfasts:</em> At JW Marriott Hotels &amp; Resorts and Renaissance Hotels &amp; Resorts worldwide.  Available on weekend stays if you check in by Thursday and stay through at least the following Monday.  Bookings with your American Express Blue Sky credit card must be made at Marriott.com or by calling Marriott directly.  Rate includes complimentary breakfast in the restaurant for up to 2 adults.  The offer is subject to blackout dates and other restrictions.</li>
<li><em>Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance:</em> You don&#8217;t need to pay for additional car insurance coverage at the rental desk.</li>
<li><em>Access to the Global Assist Hotline:</em> Can help you out in a bind, including emergency services, wiring you money, and more.  Click <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/dom/us/en/feefreeservices/pages/globalassist_allccsg_shareddetails.do?vgnextoid=24c615ab025ed010VgnVCM10000084b3ad94RCRD&amp;vgnextchannel=3c830da9846dd010VgnVCM10000084b3ad94RCRD&amp;name=globalassist_allccsg_shareddetails&amp;type=intbenefitdetail" target="_blank">here</a> to read the full details.</li>
<li><em>Room Guarantee:</em> Even if you arrive late, your room is guaranteed when you book it with your American Express Blue Sky Credit Card.</li>
<li><em>Travel Accident Insurance:</em> Up to $100,000 in coverage at no additional cost as long as you paid for your plane ticket, boat pass, etc with the American Express Blue Sky Card.</li>
<li><em>Purchase Protection:</em> If an eligible purchase (using your Blue Sky Card of course!) is accidentally damaged, stolen or even lost within the first 90 days, American Express will pay for it, up to $1,000 per incident. Rock on!</li>
<li><em>Free Extended Warranty:</em> American Express will double the warranty on eligible items as long as you purchase them with your Blue Sky credit card.</li>
<li><em>Return Protection:</em> When you purchase an item with your Amex Blue Sky Credit Card, you can return the item to Amex (even if the store won&#8217;t let you return it to them) for up to 90 days after the initial purchase, with a $300 limit per item.</li>
</ul>
<h2>PlasticIQ&#8217;s Final Assessment of the American Express Blue Sky Credit Card</h2>
<p>Since the American Express Blue Sky card is really a cash back card with some redemption restrictions, you&#8217;d probably be much better off first applying for the <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/american-express-blue-cash-card-review/" target="_blank">American Express Blue Cash Credit Card</a>&#8211;as the effective cash back rate on that card, in the hands of a skilled practitioner of the art, can exceed 3.0%.  <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">The Discover Escape Card</a> is actually nearly identical to Blue Sky in terms of redemption restrictions, but offers a much more savory 2% cash back rate, and would be a better choice as well.</p>
<p>In short, the Amex Blue Sky card only deserves a place in your portfolio if you can&#8217;t get one of the cash back cards ranked higher on the Plastic Ranking Engine.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/review-of-the-american-express-blue-sky-credit-card/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>5 Reasons Why Gift Cards Suck</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/5-reasons-why-gift-cards-suck/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/5-reasons-why-gift-cards-suck/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:42:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gift cards]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=621</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Reviewed: 8/14/2010 PlasticIQ has some serious issues it would like to levy against these evil denizens of the consumer ecosystem. Since PIQ is in the business of helping people maximize the value of the rewards, of which redemption of points for gift cards is a common option, it’s vital that we educate our readership. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Reviewed: 8/14/2010</p>
<p>PlasticIQ has some serious issues it would like to levy against these evil denizens of the consumer ecosystem.  Since PIQ is in the business of helping people maximize the value of the rewards, of which redemption of points for gift cards is a common option, it’s vital that we educate our readership.<span id="more-621"></span></p>
<p>Here are the 5 pitfalls of gift cards (there are probably a bunch more, but these will do for starters)</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Spillage:</strong> it should come as no surprise that a portion of gift cards are either lost, expire, or simply go unused (or partially unused).  What *might* be a surprise is the magnitude of spillage.  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.towergroup.com/research/news/news.htm?newsId=5500" target="_blank">An analysis by the Tower Group</a> estimates that roughly $5 billion per year in gift card value disappears due to spillage—enough to make even BP green with envy.  We’d rather not have our readership contributing to this travesty.  In its 2008-2009 fiscal year, Best Buy pocketed $38M in spillage.</li>
<li><strong>Fees:</strong> cards that have been inactive for more than a year can be assessed fees, which rapidly eat into the value of the card.  If you had just given your niece cash, you wouldn’t have to worry about this ridiculousness.</li>
<li><strong>Bankruptcy risk:</strong> it’s nothing new, companies go out of business.  An article by the New York Times noted that roughly $100M worth of gift cards was compromised in 2008, when both Sharper Image and Linen ‘n Things  collapsed.</li>
<li><strong>Funds lock-in:</strong> A store gift card obviously requires the bearer to purchase goods and services only at that store.  This can lead to sup-optimal purchases.  For example, if you want a specific TV, and store A has it for $600, but store B, where you have your gift card, has it for $650, you may end up actually buying the more expensive one simply because you have this gift card.</li>
<li><strong>Lameness:</strong> Lastly, gift cards are just a lame gift.  Put some thought into your gifts, and get screwed less in the process.  If you simply are too hopeless, then just send cash.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you do find yourself stuck with a gift card, you have some options.  You can sell or trade it at sites like Plastic Jungle, GiftCardRescue, and Swapagift.  You can also sell them on Ebay.  In my experience, gift cards on Ebay tend to sell for somewhere between 85% to 95% of their face value, depending on the desirability of the card.  This is why PlasticIQ discounts the value of gift cards by 5% when calculating their worth.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/5-reasons-why-gift-cards-suck/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How Much are Bank of America World Points Really Worth?</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/how-much-are-bank-of-america-world-points-really-worth/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/how-much-are-bank-of-america-world-points-really-worth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 01:34:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Rewards Programs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BofA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value of points]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=615</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Reviewed: 8/14/2010 Many of Bank Of America&#8217;s credit cards allow you to earn World Points, which are redeemable for cash, travel, gift cards, merchandise, VIP events, and even charitable donations. PlasticIQ decided to take a deeper look at this program to get a handle on how much a WorldPoint might actually be worth. In [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Reviewed: 8/14/2010</p>
<p>Many of Bank Of America&#8217;s credit cards allow you to earn World Points, which are redeemable for cash, travel, gift cards, merchandise, VIP events, and even charitable donations.  PlasticIQ decided to take a deeper look at this program to get a handle on how much a WorldPoint might actually be worth.<span id="more-615"></span></p>
<p>In this article, PIQ examines 3 specific reward redemption categories:  cash back (always our prefered!), travel (airline), and gift cards.  We figured this would give you at least a decent approximation of the value of the WorldPoints program.</p>
<h2>How Much Are WorldPoints Worth When You Redeem For Cash Back?</h2>
<p>World Points can be redeemed for cash, in the form of direct deposits into your BofA checking or savings account, or via a check.  As the table below illustrates, redemptions made at values below 25,000 World Points offer very sub-par value.  It&#8217;s not until you redeem 25,000 points that you achieve the very standard 1.0% cash back return on your points.</p>
<table title="WorldPoints Cash Back" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption> The Cash Back Value of World Points<br />
</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Cash Redemption Amount</th>
<th>World Points Required</th>
<th>Equivalent Cash Back %</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>2,500</td>
<td>$12.50</td>
<td>0.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5,000</td>
<td>$25.00</td>
<td>0.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7,500</td>
<td>$37.50</td>
<td>0.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10,000</td>
<td>$80.00</td>
<td>0.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>15,000</td>
<td>$120.00</td>
<td>0.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20,000</td>
<td>$160.00</td>
<td>0.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>25,000</td>
<td>$250.00</td>
<td>1.0%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Do Gift Cards From World Points Offer A Better Deal?</h2>
<p>The WorldPoints program offers hundreds of gift cards across multiple categories, including restaurants, retail, entertainment, travel, and cash cards.  As the table below shows, you only get acceptable value (that is, at least 1.0% cash back) on your WorldPoints once you redeem 25,000 or more points.  Bank of America also offers you the ability to exchange your WorldPoints for cash gift cards (visa cards, for example), but the exchange rate on these is even worse.</p>
<p>In general, PlasticIQ strongly eschews gift cards.  Read our post, <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/08/5-reasons-why-gift-cards-suck/" target="_blank">5 Reasons Why Gift Cards Suck</a>, to get a better idea of the pitfalls of these evil plastic twins.</p>
<table title="Cash Value of World Points when Used to Redeem for Gift Cards" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Value of World Points When Redeemed for Gift Cards</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Gift Card Level</th>
<th>World Points Required</th>
<th>Equivalent Cash Back %</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>$25</td>
<td>3,500</td>
<td>0.71%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>$50</td>
<td>6,500</td>
<td>0.77%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>$100</td>
<td>12,000</td>
<td>0.83%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>$250</td>
<td>25,000</td>
<td>1.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>$500 visa cash card</td>
<td>60,000</td>
<td>0.83%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>What about Using Your World Points for Air Travel?</h2>
<p>While WorldPoints can be redeemed for all sorts of travel (airline, auto rental, cruises), PlasticIQ focused on airline travel to derive a general estimate for this category.  While the table below provides the details, in general redeeming WorldPoints for travel appears to be a sub-optimal approach.  We did some quick spot-check examples, and found that in several cases you would be converting at less than a 1.0% cash back equivalent; in other cases, you could get exactly a 1.0% cash back equivalent.  We didn&#8217;t find any examples where you would have exceeded 1.0%.</p>
<table title="Cash Value of World Points when Used to Redeem for Airline Travel" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Value of World Points When Redeemed for Airline Travel</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Airline</th>
<th>Route</th>
<th>WorldPoints Required*</th>
<th>Price through Airline Website</th>
<th>Equivalent Cash Back %</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>AA</td>
<td>SFO-BOS</td>
<td>30,463</td>
<td>$279</td>
<td>0.92%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Delta</td>
<td>SFO-BOS</td>
<td>31,505</td>
<td>$299</td>
<td>0.95%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>United</td>
<td>LAX-ORD</td>
<td>36,940</td>
<td>$369</td>
<td>1.00%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>USAir</td>
<td>LAX-ORD</td>
<td>37,940</td>
<td>$370</td>
<td>0.98%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Singapore Air</td>
<td>LAX-NRT</td>
<td>111,620</td>
<td>$991</td>
<td>0.89%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>JetBlue</td>
<td>LAX-NYC</td>
<td>30,463</td>
<td>$279</td>
<td>0.92%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>* Includes all taxes.</p>
<h2>The Final Word on World Points</h2>
<p>So after considering different uses for World Points, including redemptions for cash, gift cards, and airline travel, PlasticIQ believes that WorldPoints are worth exactly $0.01 per point, and not 1/100th of a cent more.  For the unitiated, there are lots of traps in the WorldPoints program which can leave you with a value of only $0.008, $0.007 or even $0.005 per point, but if you are patient and wait to redeem your World Points in increments of 25,000 points or more, you should do fine.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/how-much-are-bank-of-america-world-points-really-worth/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Review of the Bank of America Accelerated Rewards American Express Card</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/review-of-the-bank-of-america-accelerated-rewards-american-express-card/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/review-of-the-bank-of-america-accelerated-rewards-american-express-card/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:01:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cashback Card Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMEX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BofA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cashback]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=608</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Reviewed: 8/13/2010 The Bank of America Accelerated Rewards American Express credit card offers a respectable, but by no means jaw-dropping, 1.25 World Points per dollar spent. Since World Points can be redeemed in the form of cash back at a 1:1 rate (as long as you are careful! read on&#8230;), the card operates as [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Reviewed: 8/13/2010</p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-609" title="bofa-accelerated-rewards-amex" src="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bofa-accelerated-rewards-amex.jpg" alt="bofa-accelerated-rewards-amex" width="190" height="152" />The Bank of America Accelerated Rewards American Express credit card offers a respectable, but by no means jaw-dropping, 1.25 World Points per dollar spent.  Since World Points can be redeemed in the form of cash back at a 1:1 rate (as long as you are careful! read on&#8230;), the card operates as the equivalent of a 1.25% cash back card. <span id="more-608"></span>Points can also be redeemed for airfare and other WorldPoints offerings.</p>
<table title="Bank of America Accelerated Rewards Amex Rank" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption> How Does the Bank Of America Accelerated Rewards American Express card Stack Up Against The Competition?<br />
</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rank</td>
<td>6 out of 31 cashback cards tracked by PlasticIQ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards*</td>
<td>$928.40</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards for top cash-back card* (<a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape</a>)</td>
<td>$1,466</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>*Based on PlasticIQ&#8217;s standard spending profile for 3 years of card usage. Includes impact of various fees, including annual fees and international fees.</p>
<h2>The Straight Scoop on the Bank of America Accelerated Rewards Amex Card</h2>
<p>Here&#8217;s a quick table summarizing some of the key features of the BofA Accelerated Rewards Amex Card</p>
<table title="Snapshot: Bank Of America Accelerated Rewards American Express Credit Card" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Snapshot: Bank Of America Accelerated Rewards Amex Credit Card</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rewards</td>
<td>1.25 World Points per $1 of spend; redeemable for cash on 1:1 basis.  Thus, equivalent to 1.25% cash back.  The catch is that in order to get the favorable 1:1 exchange rate, you need to save up 25,000 worldpoints.  If you try to redeem any lesser number of World Points, you will earn less than $0.01 per WorldPoint.  The table below illustrates.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Redemption requirements</td>
<td>Rewards can be redeemed for cash</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sign up bonus</td>
<td>$50 if you spend $50 within the first 60 days of activating the card.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards expiration</td>
<td>5 Years</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards Caps</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual Fee</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>International Transaction Fee</td>
<td>1% of the converted amount.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>You can <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www6.bankofamerica.com/credit-cards/tncview.action?cid=2036039&amp;aolnEnv=disclosures.bankofamerica.com&amp;card_name=Bank%20of%20America%26reg;%20Accelerated%20Rewards%26reg;%20American%20Express%26reg;%20Card" target="_blank">click here</a> to read the full terms and conditions of this card.</p>
<h3>So How Much are Bank Of America World Points Worth?</h3>
<p>WorldPoints can be redeemed for cash, travel, gift cards, and other rewards.  PlasticIQ has done some analysis and determined that, in the hands of a careful strategist, WorldPoints can be worth $0.01 per point, but no more.  Read our article, <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/08/how-much-are-bank-of-america-world-points-really-worth/" target="_blank">How Much Are Bank of America World Points Really Worth?</a>, for more detailed information.</p>
<h3>Beware of This BofA WorldPoint Redemption Trap</h3>
<p>As the table below clearly shows, you had better save up 25,000 World Points before you even think about redeeming them for cash.  Otherwise, you risk being labeled as a Chump by the BofA marketing strategists. I am 100% sure that a multitude of lesser infomed BofA customers regularly redeem their Worldpoints for 50 cents on the dollar. But I know that you, oh reader of PlasticIQ, won&#8217;t make the same mistake!</p>
<table title="Cash Value of World Points at Various Redemption Levels" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>How Much Are WorldPoints Worth At Various Redemption Levels?</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Point Value</th>
<th>Cash Reward</th>
<th>Effective Cash Back pctg</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>2,500</td>
<td>$12.50</td>
<td>0.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5,000</td>
<td>$25.50</td>
<td>0.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7,500</td>
<td>$37.50</td>
<td>0.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10,000</td>
<td>$80.00</td>
<td>0.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>15,000</td>
<td>$120.00</td>
<td>0.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20,000</td>
<td>$160.00</td>
<td>0.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>25,000</td>
<td>$250.00</td>
<td>1.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>35,000</td>
<td>$350.00</td>
<td>1.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>50,000</td>
<td>$500.00</td>
<td>1.0%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Expenses and Fees for the Bank of America Accelerated Rewards American Express Card</h2>
<p>There is no annual fee with this card.  Additionally, since it is an American Express card, there is only a 1% foreign transaction charge, which is very good compared to many cards which charge 2-3% fees.</p>
<h2>PlasticIQ&#8217;s Final Assessment of the BofA Accelerated Rewards Amex Card</h2>
<p>While earning 1.25 points per dollar spent isn&#8217;t too shabby when those points can be converted directly into cash at a 1:1 exchange rate (pursuant to the tactics above), there are certainly more powerful cash back cards available, if your credit is strong enough.  Two such examples include the <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape Card</a> and the <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/american-express-blue-cash-card-review/" target="_blank">American Express Blue Cash card</a>.  The BofA Accelerated Rewards Amex probably doesn&#8217;t deserve a place in your portfolio unless those other cards won&#8217;t let you take them home.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/review-of-the-bank-of-america-accelerated-rewards-american-express-card/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Review of the Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards Card</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/capital-one-no-hassle-cash-rewards-card-review/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/capital-one-no-hassle-cash-rewards-card-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:37:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cashback Rewards Programs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cashback]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=598</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Reviewed: 8/5/2010 The Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards credit card is a fairly straightforward cashback credit card. It&#8217;s not an all-star card, but neither is it a laggard&#8211;somewhat North of middle-of-the-pack. One callout is that Capital One tends to tailor their offers based on your credit worthiness. In the case of the No [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Reviewed: 8/5/2010</p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-604" title="capital-one-no-hassle-cash" src="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/capital-one-no-hassle-cash1.jpg" alt="capital-one-no-hassle-cash" width="99" height="65" />The Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards credit card is a fairly straightforward cashback credit card.  It&#8217;s not an all-star card, but neither is it a laggard&#8211;somewhat North of middle-of-the-pack.  One callout is that Capital One tends to tailor their offers based on your credit worthiness.<span id="more-598"></span> In the case of the No Hassle Cash Rewards card, both the purchase APR and the annual fee vary depending on your credit score.  We call out those differences below.</p>
<table title="CapitalOne No Hassle Cash Rewards Rank" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption> How Does the Capital One No Hassle Rewards Card Stack Up Against The Competition<br />
</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rank</td>
<td>7 out of 31 cashback cards tracked by PlasticIQ (excellent credit)<br />
11/12 out of 31 cashback cards (for average/limited credit history)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards*</td>
<td>$887 (excellent credit)<br />
$770 (average credit/limited history)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Value of rewards for top cash-back card* (<a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/discover-escape-credit-card-review/" target="_blank">Discover Escape</a>)</td>
<td>$1,466</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>*Based on PlasticIQ&#8217;s standard spending profile for 3 years of card usage. Includes impact of various fees, including annual fees and international fees.</p>
<h2>Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards</h2>
<p>Here&#8217;s a quick table summarizing some of the key features of the No Hassle Rewards card:</p>
<table title="Snapshot: CapitalOne No Hassle Cash Rewards Credit Card" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Snapshot: Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards Card</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rewards</td>
<td>1% standard cashback; 2% cashback for supermarket and gas station purchases</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Redemption requirements</td>
<td>Rewards can be redeemed for cash at any time in any amount</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sign up bonus</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards expiration</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rewards Caps</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual Fee</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>None with excellent credit</li>
<li>$39 with average credit or limited credit history</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>International Transaction Fee</td>
<td>CapitalOne terms indicate they do not charge a foreign transaction fee, but PIQ is investigating whether they apply a worse-than-market exchange rate conversion.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards Expenses and Fees</h2>
<p>If your credit is average or you lack sufficient credit history (<a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/08/how-does-capital-one-determine-your-credit-level/" target="_blank">explanation of how CapitalOne determines your credit level</a>) then the annual fee is $39.  If your credit is excellent, there is no annual fee.  Based on their own credit grading schema, CapitalOne doesn&#8217;t appear to offer this card for those with good credit (don’t ask me why!).</p>
<p>There seems to be a lot of “noise” and controversy in the blogosphere about Capital One’s international transaction fees.  According to a Q&amp;A on their own site, they do not charge international transaction fees (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.capitalone.com/creditcards/help/after-applying.php#7_pg_sl" target="_blank">click here to see the post</a>). For an interesting discussion and comments section relating to this issue, check out a post on MyMoneyBlog titled <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mymoneyblog.com/capital-one-great-for-international-travel.html" target="_blank">Capital One: Great for International Travel</a>.</p>
<p>If you do decide to use the Capital One card for travel overseas, make sure you keep an eye on what sort of exchange rate you are getting.  It would be an interesting experiment to purchase an identical object (say, a pack of gum) at nearly the same time with this card and a card from another issuer, and see how the exchange rates compare.</p>
<h2>PlasticIQ&#8217;s Final Assessment of the No Hassle Cash Rewards Card</h2>
<p>The 2% cashback at supermarkets and gas stations isn&#8217;t bad at all, and if the international exchange rate issue turns out not to be an issue, then there might be a role for this card in your portfolio.  If you can score the <a href="http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/2010/07/american-express-blue-cash-card-review/" target="_blank">American Express Blue Cash card</a>, though, you&#8217;d probably only want to use this for travel overseas.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/capital-one-no-hassle-cash-rewards-card-review/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How Does Capital One Determine Your Credit Level?</title>
		<link>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/how-does-capital-one-determine-your-credit-level/</link>
		<comments>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/how-does-capital-one-determine-your-credit-level/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Aug 2010 22:28:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/?p=584</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Updated: 8/8/2010 Capital One has a table on their website with guidelines for how they determine an individual’s credit worthiness—-which in turn impacts which card offers you are eligible for. Normally, PlasticIQ would just link to the table on the Capital One site and be done with it, but as it’s a non-linkable pop-up, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Updated: 8/8/2010</p>
<p>Capital One has a table on their website with guidelines for how they determine an individual’s credit worthiness—-which in turn impacts which card offers you are eligible for. <span id="more-584"></span>Normally, PlasticIQ would just link to the table on the Capital One site and be done with it, but as it’s a non-linkable pop-up, for your convenience we’ve summed up the table below.  Note that CapitalOne doesn&#8217;t provide specific credit score ranges, but they may still use these in their final assessment.</p>
<table title="CapitalOne Credit Level Guidelines" border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>CapitalOne Credit Level Guidelines</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Credit Level
</th>
<th>Guidelines
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Excellent</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>Have had loan or credit card for at least 5 years</li>
<li>Credit card with limit of $10K or more</li>
<li>Never more than 60 days late on credit card, medical bill, or loan payment</li>
<li>Never declared bankruptcy</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Good</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>Have had loan or credit card for at least 3 years</li>
<li>Credit card with limit of $5K or more</li>
<li>Never more than 60 days late on credit card, medical bill, or loan payment</li>
<li>Never declared bankruptcy</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Average</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>Have or have had a credit card or US loan</li>
<li>Credit limit of less than $5K</li>
<li>May have been late on more than one credit card, medical bill, or loan payment in last 6 months</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Limited Credit History</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>Have valid credit score with at least one of the major credit bureaus</li>
<li>Have had credit card for &lt; 3 years or never had one</li>
<li>Have limited credit history: examples include being a student, new to the country, etc.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Capital One also notes that the above are not the only factors used in determined your eligibility for specific credit card offers.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.plasticiq.com/blog/how-does-capital-one-determine-your-credit-level/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
