Archive for the 'Credit Cards' Category

The Best Reward Credit Cards and 0% Offers For Christmas Shopping

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

Updated List Of The Best Christmas Credit Card Offers With Shopping Rewards and 0% APR Deals Below

Well it’s almost that time of the year again. No, not tax season – I’m talking about Christmas! For many Christians, Christmas is first and foremost a deeply religious holiday tradition that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. For the vast majority of folks though, the Christmas holiday season is all about shopping, buying gifts, and exchanging presents. The incredible compulsion to shop till you drop is so potent and all pervasive because the holiday starts so early and ends so late. Currently, the winter shopping season starts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when retail stores unleash their tidal wave of heavily discounted sales and free giveaways to jump start the holiday shopping race. Black Friday is quickly followed by Cyber Monday, when online shoppers take to the Internet airwaves after their Black Friday shopping binges to seek out the best online shopping deals and offers. Helped along by the shopping demand of other winter holidays like Hanukkah, the cycle of Christmas bargains and shopping deals doesn’t let up until well into the new year. Even then, hardcore shoppers still continue to raid the retail outlets and department stores for leftover holiday closeout sales and bargains.

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of retail store sales, promotional discounts, and limited time offers during the Christmas shopping season, it’s no wonder the amount of money spent on Christmas presents for many far exceeds the seasonal spending rates of other holidays during the rest of the year. Whether it’s the strong social pressure to buy more and more expensive gifts for friends and family, or whether it’s the competitive aspect of obtaining that perfect gift for your child (talking Elmo, Nintendo Wii, or Playstation video game system for example), we all seem to succumb to the inevitable Christmas shopping craze in one way or another.

Take me for example. I’m ordinarily a frugal shopper throughout the year, preferring to stay conservative and disciplined in my purchase habits. However, even I tend to let go a little bit during the Christmas months. That’s why as much as I enjoy the Christmas holiday festivities along with the cheerful sights and sounds, I often secretly dread this time of the year. Despite my better judgment, I know my frugal wits are likely to be laid to waste when all is said and done due to societal gift exchanging pressures. However, it’s important not to get too carried away with our shopping exuberance, lest we risk falling into a serious financial trap when the bills come in. Like an alcoholic hang over, the actual party and festivities may be quite enjoyable, but the post game reality may be too difficult to handle if you’re not smart with your wallet and spending decisions. That’s why it’s more important than ever to hold onto your financial senses and not abandon your frugal, deal hunting ways. During this time of year, online cash back deals, shopping coupon codes, and all sorts of discounts and promos abound – and it’s important to seek them out.

Christmas Shoppers Maximize Their Money With Cash Back Rewards and 0% Credit Card Offers

Like it or not, it’s an undeniable trend that more and more consumers are utilizing the convenience and shopping incentive perks of credit cards to make their Christmas purchases. Frankly, it’s not hard to see why. Credit cards offer a higher degree of ease and convenience compared to cash.  Because of online credit card tracking, it’s much easier to budget, analyze, and control your spending during the holiday season when all of your purchases are charged to your credit card. Due to the extensive fraud and unauthorized purchase protections offered by major credit card issuers, credit card purchases also tend to enjoy greater security oversight and more liberal return policies than ordinary cash purchases.

However, probably the number one reason why holiday shoppers utilize credit cards to do their Christmas shopping is to earn cash back credit card rewards and to take advantage of attractive 0% APR deals that allow them to make interest free credit card purchases for an introductory period of time. While those who struggle with credit card debt ought to stick with cash spending, those who have a good track record of responsible credit card use have the potential to save a sizable amount of money through credit card spending rewards, and enjoy a degree of financial flexibility with interest free shopping. Remember, unlike the use of balance transfers, you must actually charge purchases to your reward credit card to earn incentive rewards, and you must use it to make purchases to take advantage of any introductory 0% APR rates. Never use your credit card to request cash advances. Cash advances are almost never included in any introductory rate promotions so avoid using them.

List Of The Best Credit Card Reward Offers and 0% APR Deals For Christmas Holiday Shopping

Cash Back Reward Credit Card Offers – Whether you opt for cash back cards or credit card point rewards redeemable for gift cards, cash, and airline travel, both offer cardholders the competitive opportunity to spend and save money at the same time. Reward credit cards that offer point rewards for qualified purchases tend to offer a higher reward rate than straight cash back cards, however they often require a bit more micro managing of reward redemptions. For those of you who need to do your shopping now, you may want to take advantage of the $100-$200 gift card promotions offered by a select number of credit card issuers for new applicants – check out my compiled list of credit card sign up bonuses.

In terms of credit card reward earning potential, bear in mind that most credit cards have programs geared towards certain types of purchases (such as grocery, gas, or restaurants) with higher reward percentages for purchase made with those merchants. However, because most purchases via the Internet and or made in malls and department stores do not usually qualify for one of these special higher rebate categories, they generally must settle for the default reward rate – generally around 1%.

Here is my list of the best Christmas shopping reward credit cards (I’ve bolded the percentage rate you will most likely earn for purchases made at online stores and at most brick and mortar department stores and malls):

  1. Blue Cash® From American Express – Get up to 5% cash back for everyday purchases like groceries and gas, and up to 1.25% for everything else when you exceed $6,500 worth of usage. Prior to that you’ll earn 1% cashback.
  2. Starwood Preferred® Guest American Express Card – Get 1 point for every $1 spent, redeemable for versatile hotel and airline travel rewards. Potential to earn up to a potential 1.5% back with bonuses.
  3. Discover More Card – Get 5% cash back bonuses in purchase categories like department stores, travel, home improvement, gas, groceries, and restaurants, 5% to 20% cash back at retailers through Discover’s online shopping site, and 1% unlimited rewards for everything else. With Discover’s special Christmas promotion, you can get $20 back for every $200 that you spend at participating mall locations.
  4. Chase Freedom(SM) – Get 5% bonus cash back in popular, rotating categories like gas, groceries, airlines, home improvement and more. Earn 1% cash back on everything else with no spending tiers.
  5. HSBC Weekend Card – Earn 2% cash back rewards on everything you buy on Saturday and Sunday. During the rest of the week, you get 1% cash back for everything, with unlimited reward earning potential.
  6. HSBC Platinum Mastercard Cash Back Rewards - Earn up to a potential of 2% cash back with a limit of $400 worth of rewards, or 1% unlimited cashback on all purchases depending on qualification level.
  7. Capital One® No Hassle Cash(SM) Rewards Card – Get up to 2% cash back on gas and groceries, and 1% cash back on all other purchases, with no earning limit or expiration.
  8. Fidelity Investment Rewards Visa Signature Card – Enjoy a full 1.5% back on all purchases with no merchant restrictions. Points can be redeemed for cash and deposited into your Fidelity brokerage account.

Credit Cards That Offer 0% APR Rates For Interest Free Purchases (Ideal For Christmas Shopping)

  1. American Express Blue – 0% APR for purchases (up to 12 months)
  2. American Express Blue Cash – 0% APR for purchases (6 months)
  3. American Express Blue Sky – 0% APR for purchases (6 months)
  4. American Express Clear Card – 0% APR for purchases (12 months)
  5. Citi Platinum Select Card – 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and 18 months on balance transfers
  6. Discover More Card - 0% APR for purchases (6 months) and balance transfers (15 months)
  7. Discover Open Road Card - 0% APR for purchases (6 months) and balance transfers (12 months)
  8. Capital One Platinum Card – 0% for purchases and balance transfers (Until August 2011)
  9. Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards Card – 0% for purchases (until August 2011)
  10. Chase Flexible Rewards Platinum Visa – 0% for purchases and balance transfers (both 12 months)
  11. Chase Perfect Card – 0% APR for purchases and balance transfers (both 6 months)
  12. Chase Platinum Visa Card – 0% APR for purchases and balance transfers (both 12 months)
  13. Citi Business Card - 0% APR for purchases (12 months)
  14. Citi Business Card With ThankYou Network – 0% APR rate for all purchases (12 months).  Extra bonus offer of 10,000 ThankYou® Points after $250 in purchases, redeemable for a $100 gift card.
  15. HSBC Weekend Card -  0% promo rate for purchases and balance transfers (both 12 months)
  16. HSBC Platinum Mastercard Cash Back Rewards - 0% interest rate for purchases and balance transfers (both 12 months)

List Of The Best Credit Card Rewards Programs

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

Updated Selection Of The Top Credit Card Rewards For Each Spending Category

The economy may be struggling with higher gas prices and soaring food costs, and families may be reluctantly tightening their financial belts when it comes to spending money on vacations and even cutting back on basic necessities, but according to a Forbes personal finance article, many of us are under-utilizing a potential source of free money. This source of extra funds stems from loyalty programs, commonly in the form of credit card rewards programs that offer everything from frequent flyer miles for free airline tickets, to free gas and grocery discounts, to free gift cards and straight up cash incentives for everyday purchases. In exchange for becoming a loyal user of their reward credit card program, card issuers are very willing to dish out a large variety of attractive rebates and rewards in the form of free dollars, miles, and redeemable reward points.

While I personally prefer cash back credit card rewards that require little to no redemption maintenance actions, those who want to earn the highest credit card rebates generally go with point rewards or airline mileage offers that provide higher earning opportunities. Of course, with the higher rebate rewards comes the extra work of redeeming and keeping track of bonus points and miles earned. But if you are savvy and don’t mind engaging in a little bit of periodic program micro-managing, you are bound to enjoy quite a bounty of credit card usage incentives.

Oftentimes, card holders are already earning and may already be sitting on a pile of unredeemed rewards that they are neglecting to use. By not taking advantage of already earned points and rewards, consumers are letting these tax-free windfall bonuses slip through their fingers. Make sure you take a good look at the programs you are already a member of. For those of you who are not members of any or wish to know which credit card reward programs are considered by financial experts and noted by authoritative sources like Forbes to be the best credit card offers available based on program flexibility, broad acceptance, and annual fee restrictions, read on. The following list of the best credit card rewards programs were selected by contributors from Forbes based on the following reward categories – airline travel, hotel rewards, restaurant rebates, entertainment rewards, grocery rebates, gas rewards, and your most basic cash back rewards. I offer my own opinionated tidbits as well.

Reviews Of The Top Credit Card Reward Programs Noted By Forbes and Its Credit Card Eggheads

Airlines

1) Miles By Discover – With the Discover Miles card, you get Double Miles on travel and restaurant purchases. One Mile for every dollar on all other purchases. You are free to earn unlimited mileage rewards and enjoy no expiration date limitation. The miles you accrue can be redeemed for free travel including free airline tickets, and for gift card rewards. There is also no annual fee to worry about.

2) Platinum Delta Skymiles® Amex Credit Card – With the popular American Express card for Delta Airlines, you earn 1 mile for every dollar spent on eligible purchases, good for future free flights. However, you get to earn double miles on every qualifying dollar spent at gas stations, supermarkets, drugstores, home improvement stores, and post offices. As an additional incentive, new sign ups get an instant 20,000 bonus miles after their first purchase. The miles earned never expire, and there is no cap limit to the total number of mileage rewards that can be earned. There is a $150 annual fee.

3) JetBlue Card From American Express – With the Jet Blue Airlines credit card, you earn 1 Award Dollar for every one dollar you spend with it. However, you get to earn double Award Dollars on purchases for travel, dining, entertainment, and leisure. With the conversion rate of 200 Award Dollars for 1 TrueBlue Point, and 100 TrueBlue points equating to one free round trip airline flight, cardholders can earn a free flight after spending $10,000 worth of purchases on double point category expenses. As a special signup card offer, new applicants earn an instant 50 TrueBlue points with their first purchase. The annual fee is $40.

4) Chase Travel Plus Visa Card – With the Chase Travel Plus, you can earn 1 mile per dollar spent on all purchases. Your purchase rebate miles can be redeemed for airline tickets, hotel stays, cruises and car rental rewards. You are free to decide on how you’d like to spend your loyalty credit card rewards. Your mileage rewards also enjoy no blackout date restrictions.

5) Capital One No Hassle Miles – With this popular card from Capital One, you earn 1.25 miles for each dollar spent on all purchases. With the mileage reward redemption, there are no blackout dates and no airline seating restrictions. There is no expiration date for the miles earned and no limit on the mileage rewards you can accrue. This Capital One card is a great choice for someone who plans to use the card often.

Hotels

1) Starwood Preferred® Guest (American Express) – The Starwood Preferred card is the Swiss army knife of frequent flyer and hotel loyalty reward cards. You get to earn 1 Starpoint for every dollar spent and double Starpoints at Starwood hotel properties and participating retailers. With the Starwood card, you can earn points for free night stays and upgrades at a huge number of Starwood hotels and international resorts. You can also transfer your Starpoint rewards to select frequent flier programs. The first year’s annual fee is waived, but it’s $45 thereafter. The annual fee after the first year is worth it if you love to travel and do so regularly.

2) Hilton HHonors® Platinum Credit Card – This is a nice Amex card to carry around if you are a frequenter of Hilton family luxury hotels (if you haven’t stayed at one before – let me tell you, they are really high class). With the Hilton credit card reward program, you earn 3 bonus points for each eligible dollar spent. You get more points – 5 points per dollar for money spent at Hilton hotels. There are no hotel blackout date restrictions and no annual fees.

Restaurants

1) True Earnings Costco Card From American Express – Most dining credit cards only cover fast food places, but the True Earnings Costco credit card covers all restaurant purchases. With the True Earnings rebate rewards card, you earn 3% for annual gasoline purchases of up to $3,000 (1% thereafter), 3% for restaurants, 2% for travel, 1% everywhere else, including Costco. There is no annual fee if combined with your paid Costco membership.

Entertainment

1) American Express® Gold Card – With this classy gold card from Amex, you earn 1 point for virtually every dollar spent, with no preset spending restriction or limit. This card was designed for cardholders who desire exclusivity and special access to unique Gold Card events like exclusive tickets for select concerts, entertainment shows, and sporting events (Super Bowl for example). Reward points can be redeemed for various travel, shopping and entertainment rewards. With the special sign up offer, applicants can earn 10,000 Membership Rewards(R) bonus points when you spend $500 in 3 months – redeemable for a $100 gift card. The first year’s annual fee is waived but it’s $125 thereafter.

2) Disney Rewards Visa Card from Chase – With this cute Disney reward credit card (there are multiple designs to choose from), you earn 1% in Disney Dream Reward Dollars for all purchases. With the Disney card, you are also eligible for discounts at Disney resorts and parks like Walt Disney World and Disneyland. This card has no annual fee.

Groceries

1) Capital One No Hassle Points Rewards – With this no hassle (pun very much intended), point based credit card from Capital One, you earn 2 points per dollar spent on purchases at grocery stores, gas stations, and drugstores. You also get 1 point for every dollar spent on everything else. There is no expiration date for your accrued reward points and no limit to the number of points you can earn.Gas

2) The Chase PerfectCard – With this perfect card (another silly pun for me), you earn 6% rebates on gas purchases made at any gas station for the first 90 days. Thereafter, you still get to earn 3% reward rebates for gas. For everything else, you earn 1% back. There is no annual fee.

Cash Back Rewards and Rebates

1) Blue Cash® from American ExpressIf you are a big credit card spender, the Blue Cash credit card was designed for you in mind. With this card, you have the potential to earn up to 5% cash back with unlimited cash reward earning potential. The rebate percentages are based on a tiered system so the more you spend, the more cash back you earn per dollar spent. Best of all, there is no annual fee. If instead of American Express this card was offered by Visa or MasterCard, it would indisputably be the very best credit card rewards program available.

2) Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards – With this Capital One cash back credit card, you earn up to 3% cash back on purchases at gas stations and grocery stores as well as a full 1% cash back on everything else. There is no limit on cash back earnings, and your rebate rewards never expire – hence the “no hassle” moniker.

3) Chase Freedom (SM)Who doesn’t like the ease of a cash back credit card? With this extremely popular Chase credit card offer, you get to earn 5% cash back offers in popular categories like gas, home improvement and department store.  Full 1% Cash Back on everything else – no spending tiers or caps on how much you can earn.  Up to an additional 20% cash back at select merchants when you shop online through Chase.

Where Are The 12 Month 0% No Balance Transfer Fee Credit Card Offers?

Monday, September 29th, 2008

The credit crisis is bumming me out. Because of the current economic recession, an important source of free money and money making opportunities has all but dried up on me and pretty much everyone else in the country. I’m talking about lucrative balance transfer credit cards – namely, the once abundant credit card terms and conditions that offered amazing 0% APR balance transfers for 12 months with no pesky balance transfer fees.

Ever since I first started getting into the world of personal finance blogging and common sense financial planning, balance transfer credit cards have always been one of my favorite consumer financial instruments. Balance transfer credit card arbitrage is actually what got me started with personal finance blogging  to begin with. Over the years, they have served me well, netting me substantial balance transfer arbitrage profit in the way of high yield bank interest income, and cushioning me during difficult financial times by providing me a way to get quick interest free loans as a financially struggling young lawyer. During tough economic times in my life, they helped me bridge temporary budget shortfalls, saving me from having to turn to high interest risky alternatives like payday loans. My early life would actually have been more difficult and harsh had it not been for the safety net benefits and financial assistance provided by 0% balance transfer credit cards. During key moments in my life, these short term interest free credit card loans helped preserve my financial independence and saved me from having to turn to family for monetary handouts.

In The Beginning: The Good Old Days Of Lucrative 0% Deals For Credit Card Balance Transfers With No Balance Transfer Fees

Back in 2000 and shortly after the economic collapse that followed the terrorist attacks of 9-11, the U.S. economy ushered in a Renaissance period of sorts in terms of credit offers. During that period of time, lucrative and juicy pre-approved 0% APR, no interest credit card loan offers were simply everywhere – on college campuses, stuffed in mailboxes, and found everywhere online. Wanting to make sure they didn’t miss out on their share of the very profitable credit card market, the major card issuers promoted all sorts of 0% APR teaser offers to attract new customers. The goal was to tantalize new applicants with introductory offers and ultimately turn them into long term cardholders and spenders. Eventually, this sparked fierce competition among the card issuers as each one introduced its own versions of the classic 0% balance transfer deal. The market competition led to great increases in the length of the promotional 0% period, rising from an initial 6 months to 12 months or longer.

Eventually, some cards even extended the 0% balance transfer periods indefinitely, leading to what ultimately amounted to a 0% balance transfer for life credit card offer. The only thing keeping the balance transfer tidal wave in check was the existence of balance transfer fees, usually set at the customary rate of 3% of the total amount transferred. However, with continued rabid competition, the credit card issuers eventually collectively waived the once pervasive balance transfer fees altogether. The elimination of balance transfer fees resulted in a credit card free for all. With no out of pocket fees or upfront costs to contend with, balance transfer arbitrage seekers eagerly ate up the ever expanding offers.

The tremendous wealth of balance transfer deals led to the rise of skilled balance transfer arbitragers and App-O-Ram’ers – individuals who ravenously sought out 0% balance transfer credit cards to make a quick profit (God bless capitalism at its finest). The credit card arbitragers would rapidly apply for as many 12 month 0% balance transfer cards with no balance transfer fees as possible within a very short period of time (hence the App-O-Rama nickname given to the process). By rapidly applying for a high number of card offers simultaneously, applicants would be able to greatly minimize the sequential credit hits on their FICO credit score, and preserve their ability to take advantage of future 0% balance transfer deals. The most hardcore of balance transfer arbitragers oftentimes would apply for more than 5-10 new credit cards at a time in rapid succession to complete the arbitrage cycle. With the 0% credit card offers in hand, the balance transfer applicants would transfer the credit card balances into high yield bank accounts to earn interest free money (thus enjoying full FDIC insurance coverage while earning stable bank interest income at the same time). Thus for the duration of the balance transfer offer (often at 12 months or longer), the App O Rama had the potential to allow the savvy credit card user to earn quite a bit of money by not doing anything more than taking advantage of free loan money at zero interest – the very definition of arbitrage, which is the process of taking advantage of an inefficient imbalance in market equilibrium.

Today: The Housing Collapse, Subprime Lending, and The Credit Crisis Have Ended The Era Of Easy Balance Transfer Money

One could argue that the period of amazing credit card offers during the early part of this decade was actually a disaster in the making – the unsustainable spark that triggered an out of control credit market that would ultimately consume the entire financial investment banking sector, conclusively wiping out pillars of American investment and banking might such as Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, Countrywide Financial, Washington Mutual, and Wachovia Bank. With the way the credit markets are now, it’s unlikely the glory days of awesome credit card offers will return anytime soon.

With the housing market implosion came credit defaults and ultimately the closing of the credit lending spigot. As the economy and housing market has tanked, personal bankruptcies and defaults on credit card payments have risen sharply, causing credit card issuers to panic, and drastically scale back credit card offerings. Major credit card companies have all pretty much stopped waiving the 3% balance transfer fees imposed on all transferred card balances. Many card issuers have even eliminated the maximum cap on the balance transfer fee levied, rending many balance transfer offers essentially useless for profit seeking arbitragers. With a 3% balance transfer fee with no maximum limit, those who transfer large balances face the prospect of having to pay extremely high fees – making these offers substantially less attractive than they once were.

These days, the credit landscape continues to change. So long as we continue to be mired in this catastrophic credit crisis, the existing terms and conditions of current credit card and balance transfer programs are unlikely to greatly improve anytime soon. While the credit crisis has pretty much put a severe damper on balance transfer arbitrage activity, those who seek out 0% credit card offers for financial assistance reasons are still in luck. Because of the extreme profitability of the credit card industry, such offers have not completely disappeared. Major credit card issuers know they must continue to attract new credit card applicants and consumers through the dangling of attractive zero APR carrots. While credit card seekers ought to know that such offers are getting much harder to find, they are still around – you just have to know where to find them. Those who want to maximize their zero balance transfer limits to either make money on balance transfers or use them to pay off high interest credit card debt need to adopt more creative approaches such as using multiple cards or extending periods by applying for new offers as old ones expire to keep the 0% rate going. Of course, this is all highly prerequisite on maintaining a stellar FICO credit score. Anything you can do to raise and boost your FICO score will help you in the long run in terms of qualifying for balance transfer credit card promotions. Be sure to monitor your FICO credit score for free.

Currently, most of the available offers are not as lucrative as they once were, with shorter introductory periods, and the imposition of balance transfer fees, but fortunately many fees are often capped with a maximum limit. For those transferring large 0% credit card balances, paying a fixed maximum amount of $75 or so is likely worth the interest savings. For those searching for balance transfer deals, the following may interest you:

The Best Chase Credit Card Offers and Rewards

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

Updated List and Reviews Of The Top Chase Credit Cards Below!

JP Morgan Chase bank is one of the biggest issuers of credit cards in the United States and is a dominant leader in the multi-billion dollar credit card industry. With its huge network of credit card programs, Chase competes intensely for new customers by offering incentives such as free gift certificates, frequent flyer miles, and cash back rewards. As such, Chase credit cards come in a variety of lifestyle categories and card types such as student cards, cash back cards, travel rewards, and 0% APR credit cards. Thus it’s no wonder the company is one of the most popular providers of credit cards and diversified banking services.

With its extremely broad selection of consumer and business credit card options, the plan of Chase has always been to craft credit card offers that appeal to all types of revolving credit seekers. While some of the other major credit card issuers like American Express choose to limit their program offerings to focus on certain niches like business travelers or small business owners, Chase runs a business model that appeals to a much broader base of credit card users. Today, the Chase credit card company achieves and maintains its vast popularity and dominance through broad diversification of reward programs and strong promotion of its never ending supply of introductory credit card incentives and offers. Through its major acquisition of other major banks and credit card issuers like Washington Mutual, Chase has been able to continuously improve its services and reputation. Through its focus on new card technologies like embedded contact-less blink scanning chips, Chase continues to be in the forefront when it comes to developing new credit card products and services, and finding better ways of handling credit card transactions.

I Use Chase Credit Cards To Maximize My Money Through The Use of Category Specific Credit Card Rewards

As a person who believes in actively finding ways to maximize money through the calculated usage of credit card reward bonuses and manipulation of interest free money via 0% balance transfer offers and high yield savings accounts, I rely on Chase credit cards heavily. Currently, Chase credit cards are one of my biggest and most consistent providers of such lucrative credit card purchase programs and 0% APR deals. With a large selection of flexible credit card plans available, there is a Chase credit card that fits the lifestyle of every prospective applicant. As a credit card arbitrager who maximizes his spending by utilizing different reward credit cards for different types of purchases, I own several Chase credit cards myself. Each one of my Chase credit cards help to streamline and maximum my usage by providing the highest rewards possible for different purchase categories like groceries, gas, airline travel, and even interest free spending. As is always the case with credit card spending, it’s important for readers to remember that credit card usage should never increase your spending beyond your ordinary responsible usage. These lucrative Chase credit card offers are meant to enhance your money management, not lead you down the path of reckless spending and out of control credit card debt. So long as you are capable of prudent credit card management, I recommend their use.

For those individual consumers interested in applying for Chase business credit cards and taking advantage of their attractive programs, please note that it’s perfectly permissible to do so. Individuals are legally allowed to apply for business credit card offers as sole proprietor businesses simply by providing their names and using their Social Security Numbers as their business identification.

After sorting through all the available Chase credit card offers in the market and reviewing the opinions of readers, here is my compiled list and recommended review of the best Chase credit card options available. Feel free to agree or disagree by posting comments or suggestions.

List Of The Top Recommended Chase Credit Cards and Reward Offers

1) Chase Freedom (SM) – Excellent high purchase reward credit card:

  • 5% cash back offers in popular categories like gas, home improvement and department stores
  • Full 1% Cash Back on everything else – no spending tiers or caps on how much you can earn
  • There is no annual fee.

2) Chase Platinum MasterCard – 0% APR for both balance transfers and purchases (12 months):

  • Enjoy a 0% introductory APR interest offer for up to 12 months on all purchases and balance transfers.
  • The Chase Platinum is a highly recommended credit card choice for those seeking a card primarily for balance transfers and 0% credit card purchases as opposed to credit card rewards.
  • There is no annual fee.

3) Chase Flexible Rewards Platinum Visa – 0% APR for both balance transfers and purchases (12 months), with flexible shopping and spending rewards:

  • Earn 1 point for every $1spent on card purchases.
  • The toughest decision for cardholders is deciding how to make use of their accrued reward points. Versatile reward points earned may be redeemed for free airline tickets, complimentary hotel stays, and car rental perks. Travel rewards can be earned with as little as 25,000 reward points.
  • Save money with a 0% introductory interest offer for up to 12 months on all purchases and balance transfers.
  • There is no annual fee.

4) Chase Platinum Visa Card – 0% APR for both balance transfers and purchases (12 months):

  • Like its Platinum Mastercard buddy, the Chase Platinum Visa is a recommended no-nonsense credit card choice for cardholders seeking primarily a promotional 0% balance transfer card with the ability to make introductory interest free purchases, both for a period of one whole year.
  • There is no annual fee.

5) Chase Perfect MasterCard – Excellent gas credit card to earn purchase rewards:

  • Enjoy a high 6% reward on all gas purchases made at any gas station for the first 90 days, with all spending rewards automatically and conveniently credited towards future purchases. Thereafter, you get 3% back on all gas and fuel purchases.
  • Earn a 1% rebate on all other credit card expenditures.
  • Enjoy an introductory 0% APR offer for up to 6 months for both balance transfers and purchases.
  • There is no annual fee.

6) Chase Business Cash Rewards – 0% APR balance transfer and interest free purchase card (12 months), with excellent rewards:

  • Earn up to a tiered 5% cash back for all business purchases with flexible, unlimited reward earning potential.
  • With no merchant or category spending restrictions or limits, you can earn reward points by shopping wherever you want, for whatever you want, with the convenience of Chase business credit card tools at your disposal.
  • Save money with a promotional 0% APR offer on both balance transfers and purchases for up to 12 months.
  • There is no annual fee.

7) Chase BP Visa Rewards – Highly recommended gas reward credit card:

  • Enjoy a double 10% rebate rate at all BP gas stations for the first 60 days, along with 4% back on all eligible traveling and dining spending, and 2% rebate on everything else.
  • Thereafter, earn a remarkably high and permanent 5% rebate at all BP gas fill up locations, 2% rebate on all eligible travel and dining purchases, and 1% on everything else.
  • Accrued spending points can be quickly redeemed for gift cards and other juicy rewards.
  • There is no annual fee.

8) Ink CashSM Business Card - 0% APR for both balance transfers and purchases (6 months), with excellent cashback rewards:

  • Earn up to 3% cash back for purchases at gas stations, restaurants, office supply stores, and home improvement stores.
  • 1% cash back on everything else – unlimited.
  • Rewards can be redeemed for checks in increments of $50.
  • There is no annual fee.

9) Ink BoldSM with Ultimate RewardsSM – Business rewards charge card:

    • No Interest Charges – so you pay your balance in full each month
    • Flexible Spend Capacity designed to adjust with your business needs
    • Automatic Enrollment in Ultimate Rewards
    • No Dollar Goes Unrewarded – there are no caps and points never expire
    • Premium Travel Benefits including complimentary Airport Lounge Access and more