Money Blue Book

Updated List Of All The Best Credit Card Deals and Offers Available

I use credit cards to pay for everything, and over the years I’ve racked up a tremendous amount of credit card rewards, cash back rebates, and bonus airline miles. I use a personal combination of credit cards to maximize my rewards and free cash rebates for different purchase categories. Certain cards even offer instant $100 gift card rewards for new sign ups that I like to apply for and take advantage of.

You might notice that some of the following offers are business credit card related. Keep in mind that anyone can apply for a business credit card, even ordinary consumers and individuals who don’t actually own a small business. Simply by submitting your social security number (SSN) as your business ID, you can properly apply for a business card as a sole proprietorship.

So aside from a few wads of emergency cash that I always carry around, would you like to know the selection of credit cards that are tucked away in my wallet at all times?

Here Are the Credit Cards I Carry Around and Actively Use:

1. Starwood Preferred® Guest American Express Card – Earn 1 Starwood point for every $1 spent. Without a doubt, the Starwood credit card is the most versatile travel rewards card. Read my (detailed review). Points can be applied towards Starwood network hotels and most frequent flyer programs. You can also earn an extra 25% frequent flyer bonus. Currently offering a wealth of sign up bonuses. See below.
2. American Express Blue Cash® – Get up to 5% cash back at grocery stores, gas stations, and drug stores, and up to 1.5% cash back on everything else. The card offers a tiered rebate program – after total annual purchases exceed $6,500, you get the higher rebate. Until then, you earn 1% back on the special categories and 0.5% on everything else. Read my (detailed card comparison).
3. Bank of America WorldPoints Platinum Plus Credit Card – Get 1% cash back for every net retail purchase dollar spent, redeemable for free travel rewards, free airline tickets, merchandise, gift cards, and cash. For this program, Bank of America is also offering a 0% balance transfer promotion for the duration of 15 billing cycles (essentially 15 months). There is no annual fee.
4. Bank of America Cash Rewards Platinum Plus Mastercard – Earn 1% cash back on all purchases with this Bank of America cash rewards credit card. The cash back reward earning potential is unlimited and there is no cap. Cardholders also get a 0% APR interest offer on balance transfers and direct deposits for the first 15 billing cycles. This is a very popular card option for Bank of America account holders like myself.

Free $200 Gift Card Offer – Credit Card Sign Up Promotions:

1. Citi Premier Pass Elite Card – is offering a $200 store gift card reward after you make $600 of purchases within 3 months. The gift card is redeemable with the 20,000 reward points you’ll receive. With this card you earn 2 points for purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, and for commuter transportation. Plus you also earn 1 reward point for every mile you fly. $75 annual fee applies.

Free $100 Gift Card and Instant Cash Back Offers – Credit Card Sign Up Promotions:

1. Citi Forward Card – is currently offering 6,000 Citi ThankYou bonus points after making at least $50 in card purchases within three months of receiving the new account. If you also agree to ditch paper bills in favor of electronic billing within 3 months of account opening, you’ll also receive 5,000 free additional ThankYou bonus points. The total potential 11,000 Citi ThankYou points that you receive at sign up can be redeemed for a quick $100 gift card with extra reward points to spare. The Citi Forward card itself offers 5% back on purchases at restaurants, book stores, music retailers, and movie theaters. All other purchases net you 1% back, with no annual fee.
2. American Express Starwood Preferred® Guest Card – is currently offering up to 10,000 Starwood points after you make your first purchase. The instant points are redeemable for a $100 gift card to Amazon.com and a wide array of popular retailers. The points can also be redeemed for hotel stays and converted into airline frequent flyer miles for free flights (1.25 miles per point). Plus, you can also earn an additional 15,000 points if you spend $15,000 in 6 months. With the usage reward points you would normally earn with the card and all of the promotional bonuses, you can earn a grand total of 40,000 points, which is redeemable for a free $400 gift card or 50,000 frequent flyer miles (enough for 2 free roundtrip airline tickets).
3. American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card – is currently handing out 10,000 membership reward points for new sign ups. After your first purchase, the points can be instantly redeemed for a $100 gift card at a wide array of popular retailers. You also get access to special Gold Card events such as exclusive concerts and sporting events. With this offer, the first year’s annual fee is waived.
4. Citi Premier Pass Card – is offering the equivalent of a $100 store gift card after you make $300 worth of purchases within the first 3 months. The gift card is redeemable with the 10,000 reward points you’ll receive. With this credit card you earn 1 reward point for every dollar spent and 1 reward point for every 3 miles you fly. You also earn 1 point for every 3 miles flown by anyone else whose tickets you buy with the card. There is no annual fee.
5. Discover Business Card – is currently offering an instant $100 sign up bonus after you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months of receiving this card offer. With the Discover Business card, you or your business can earn up to 5% cash back on qualified purchases that cover business related expenditures as well. The card also offers a 12 month, 0% balance transfer and purchase promotion with a 3% balance transfer fee, capped at $75.
6. Citi Business Card With ThankYou Network – is currently offering 10,000 ThankYou® Points After $250 in purchases, redeemable for a $100 gift card. You can also earn 3% back on eligible business purchases.

Free $50 Gift Card Offers – Credit Card Sign Up Promotions

1. Chase Freedom Credit Card – is currently offering a free $50 bonus reward for new accounts after the first card purchase. The Chase Freedom offers 3% cash back on rotating category purchases such as gas, groceries, drug stores, home improvement, department stores, and more.
2. American Express Preferred Rewards Green Card – is currently handing out 5,000 membership reward points for new sign ups. After your first purchase, the points can be instantly redeemed for a $150 gift card. With this offer you can earn unique travel rewards, and the first year’s annual fee is waived.
3. Bank of America Major League Baseball Extra Bases Card – Along with the $50 gift card bonus, earn points redeemable for baseball merchandise and airline tickets.
4. Bank of America NASCAR Race Points Platinum Plus Visa – An addition to the $50 gift card, earn a point for every dollar spent, redeemable for NASCAR events and merchandise. Top redeemable reward: Become a crew member for a day.
5. Bank of America NFL Extra Points Platinum Plus Visa – Get a free $50 gift card, and earn a point for every dollar spent, redeemable for NFL sporting events and merchandise. Top redeemable reward: Tickets to the Super Bowl.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 7:00 pm and is filed under Credit Cards, Deals and Offers, Make Money, Shopping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.