What’s the deal with status symbols these days? While I’d like to think that I’m perfectly immune from the need to walk around and carry lofty symbols of wealth, power, and status on my shoulders, sheepishly, I must admit that I’m not. I don’t occasionally wear designer clothes or don expensive apparel brands solely for the quality threads, or dream of buying a BMW or Mercedes sports sedan for crash test safety reasons alone. After all, there’s something about rarity, uniqueness, and exclusiveness that beckons each of us at some point in our lives. Whether it’s the elite acknowledgment that one gets from being an alumni of a top tier Ivy League university, or whether it’s membership into an ultra exclusive golf club usually reserved only for top celebrities and the rich and famous, I’m sure many of us secretly envy at times, those who are in this special inner circle.

Actually, the notion itself is quite silly really – the idea that simply because you possess something unique that very few other people have, or have VIP membership into some special organization, that you are somehow better off than others or worthy of admiration. But it’s simply human nature I suppose. We all innately appreciate the attention and envy of others, whether we truly want to admit it or not. Don’t believe it? All you have to do is observe the rise and popularity of television shows like MTV’s Super Sweet 16 to see how the desire to be envied and praised is very much part of our society’s psyche and celebrity culture. If it were not for our humanistic lust for all things that glitter and our natural attraction to the glitz and glamor of all that surrounds the rich and powerful, we wouldn’t have such things as paparazzis and celebrity magazines. It’s because we as a society desperately seek to emulate the rich and beautiful that there are such things as status symbol cars and multi-million dollar mega mansions.

Thus there should be little surprise that there are even such things as one-of-a-kind credit cards that only a select few have the luxury of possessing. Whether it makes any real sense for anyone to go gaga over something as mundane as a limited edition credit card is up for debate, but it’s something that’s been glorified in the rising hip-hop culture and permeating our English vernacular, calling attention to itself.

What Is the Black Centurion Card From American Express?

The American Express Black Centurion Card (simply referred to as the Black Card by some) sprung out of an urban rumor in the early 1990’s about a super secret black credit card available only to a select group of rich and powerful celebrities. While the reality was that no such card existed, American Express ultimately played off the whispers and capitalized on the rumors, quietly creating the Amex Black Card. Its exclusivity compounded the rumors over time, leading to more and more outlandish claims about the benefits and perks offered to the holder. Perhaps you’ve seen the almost mythical Black Card touted in hip hop music videos or heard it referenced in other facets of pop culture, but you rarely see it out in the open. The card is definitely not widely available and unless you hang around or work with celebrities, famous people, or wealthy individuals, it’s unlikely you will ever see one in your lifetime.

The Black Centurion credit card from American Express is definitely a rarity in the marketplace and in some circles, is considered an impact statement. First of all, the card is almost entirely black, which instantly gives it a look that’s different from all the credit cards out there, and secondly, it’s not even made of ordinary plastic like most credit cards, but rather of a special aluminum, titanium mix, giving it a different feel altogether. There have been suggestions that the titanium composition of the Black Centurion Card even triggers metal detectors at airports, but obviously this hassle is easily circumvented by transporting the card or wallet via its own plastic container through the X-ray conveyor belt scanner.

While the card imposes a hefty annual fee, for those who can easily afford it, the Black Card offers a juicy wealth of exclusive card benefits, like special concierge services, exclusive travel benefits and perks, enhanced credit card rewards, frequent flier airline miles, cashback credit card bonuses, and the ability to harness almost unlimited spending power. Perhaps I’m blowing the card a bit out of proportion and making the card bigger than what it really is, but the card is definitely not for your ordinary credit card spender – it’s meant for whales and high rollers who spend a lot – in the tune of more than $250,000 a year. But one thing to keep in mind is that due to the status implications the card seems to convey, mere possession and use of the Black Card may cause the cardholder to unnecessarily stand out awkwardly in ordinary situations. Using the Black Card from American Express in an inappropriate situation may be like showing up at a family reunion in your flashy, gas-guzzling red Lamborghini sports car while your relatives and family members quietly chug into the parking lot with their fuel efficient Honda Civics. Of course, not everyone will recognize the Black Card and many may see it as no big deal – just one of many random credit card choices out there.

How Can I Apply For The American Express Black Centurion Credit Card?

If you are wondering to yourself, how does one actually go about requesting official information or submitting an application for the ultra exclusive Black Centurion card, you’re likely going to be out of luck. Membership into the Black Card club is by exclusive invitation only, based on either your celebrity reputation or your proven ability to be a big credit card spender. However, there are affirmative steps you can take to satisfy the qualification requirements to trigger a personal credit card invite. To qualify for such an invitation based on proven financial ability, you’ll not only have to prove yourself to be a high credit card spender, but you’ll also need to have an exceptional FICO credit score and credit report history, along with a hefty personal balance sheet of verifiable monetary assets. Here are the basic requirements to get an American Express Black Centurion Card application invite based on your potential purchasing power:

1) You Must Be An Existing American Express Credit Card Holder – The American Express Black Centurion Card is currently only available to select holders of American Express credit cards. Although it does not matter which Amex card type you have (whether Blue, Blue Cash, Blue Sky, Green, Gold, or Platinum), because of the high spending requirements to qualify, you will want a card with a very high credit limit. As such, those who qualify for the Black Centurion Card tend to be former holders of Amex Platinum cards, which offer the highest credit limits of all Amex card types. If you are not already an existing American Express credit card holder, you will need to apply for one of the following high credit limit cards and start racking up significant purchases in a short period of time:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card – You get 10,000 instant points after your first purchase. Earn rewards with no preset limit.
• American Express Preferred Rewards Green Card – Get 5,000 instant bonus points and earn shopping and travel rewards with every purchase, with no preset limit.
• American Express Platinum Credit Card – Earn 25,000 bonus points after spending at least $1,000 within 3 months. Get access to American Express’ personal concierge service and earn reward points with no pre-set spending limit.
• Business Gold Card From American Express Open – This is probably an ideal way to get a Centurion Black card special invite as you can put all of your business related expenditures and purchases on this one card.
• Business Green Rewards Card From Amex Open – Earn 5,000 instant bonus points with your first purchase. Earn rewards with every purchase with no preset spending limit.

2) You Will Need To Spend At Least $250,000 A Year On Your American Express Credit Card – If this amount is too much for you, you probably shouldn’t even think about trying to obtain a Black Card to begin with. With the hefty start up and annual maintenance fees, this card will only truly benefit those individuals who spend a significant amount of money on entertainment, on airline travel expenses, and on expensive hotel stays. This may seem like an impossible amount, but for those of you who run your own small business or frequently have large amounts of reimbursable business expenses to pay for, the high expenditure requirement is quite do-able. For those who have employees, paying a payroll management company via credit card and having them in turn pay the employees via check is another great way to charge everything onto your American Express card. Especially for those people like myself who use credit card rewards for Google ads and spend significant sums of money on online advertising through Google Adsense and other internet marketing programs, the $250,000 a year spending requirement is not out of the realm of possibility.

A major problem that many wannabe Black Centurion Card seekers have in reaching the $250,000 annual spending limit requirement on their existing Amex cards is that their current monthly credit card limit simply isn’t high enough to allow them to spend that much. To reach $250,000 a year, a cardholder would need to have a credit spending limit of approximately $21,000 a month give or take a few hundred dollars ($250,000 divided by 12 months). The solution to the insufficient credit limit hurdle is quite simple. Simply submit a check or online prepayment amount at the start of each month to American Express to cover your credit card expenditures for the month. For example, even if your actual credit card limit is only $10,000 or less, simply by submitting card payment of something like $11,000 in excess of the limit up to the magical $21,000 requirement will allow you to reach your desired $250,000 for the year. Of course, the assumption is that you will actually spend at least $21,000 minimum per month.

Once you have successfully spent over $250,000 a year on your American Express credit card, you may wish to contact American Express directly if they haven’t already contacted you with a Black Centurion card invitation. While there is a common misconception that you can’t actually solicit Amex for such an invite, truth be told, if you satisfy their financial spending requirements, the company will probably be more than happy to welcome you into their exclusive credit card club.

3) You Must Be Able To Afford The Black Card’s High Annual Credit Card Fees – Once you are approved for the American Express Black Centurion card, you will need to pay the setup charges and subsequent annual maintenance fees. While earlier charter members enjoy substantially lower fees, currently for new members, there is a one time $5,000 initiation fee for the primary card holder and an upfront annual fee of $2,500, for a total of $7,500 due at the end of the first billing cycle. Clearly, the Black Centurion card isn’t for ordinary middle class working folks who don’t have thousands of disposable income dollars to throw around like Monopoly play money.

What Are the Best Features and Benefits of The Amex Black Centurion Card, and Are They Worth The Significant Annual Maintenance Fees?

The American Express Black Card is available in both personal and business form, but the vast majority of holders will likely find its benefits and credit card perks to be highly business-oriented, particularly in the area of business client entertainment as well as airline and hotel travel. For those who wish to apply for the business credit card version as an individual, keep in mind that it is perfectly legitimate and acceptable for individuals operating as a sole proprietorship business unto themselves to apply for a business card using their own names as the name of their business. As a small business owner, it’s what I personally do when I apply for business credit cards.

While the detailed specifics and the terms and conditions of your program will vary somewhat depending on whether you carry the personal or business version of the Black Centurion Card, the features and benefits of the Black Card are essentially the same. The Black Centurion offers the card holder exclusive and automatic upgrades with a wide selection of airline carriers, hotel resorts, and cruise ship travel programs. But the greatest and most touted benefit is the Black Centurion Card’s concierge service and personal shopper program, which helps cardholders find anything they desire in the area of fine dining, personal and business shopping, and travel related bookings for things like airline tickets, hotel reservations, and rental car arrangements.

1) Personal Concierge Services – Those who can afford the financial rigors and high expenditure requirements of the Amex Black Card are likely accustomed to personalized service and attention, and the Black Card program is happy to oblige with its personal concierge service for cardholders. Via the services of an outsourced concierge provider called Circles, American Express provides personalized VIP attention for both its Platinum and Centurion Black credit card customers. However, compared to regular Platinum card carriers, Black Centurion members receive more dedicated and prompt attention, and are understandably given access to a more highly trained and qualified staff of concierge representatives.

Having a dedicated and attentive personal concierge allows cardholders to outsource the time and effort of purchasing airline tickets, making hotel arrangements, booking rental cars, planning vacation trips, making dinner reservations, haggling for concert tickets, and researching prices. The actual success rate that the personal concierge agent has in securing exactly what you are looking for is somewhat debatable, but presumably due to the prestige and financial clout of the Black Centurion credit card program, it stands to reason that the company likely has greater access to exclusive deals and arrangements with the top restaurants, concert shows, and sporting venues than ordinary individuals.

The personal concierge service is probably the most commonly used and most invaluable Black Centurion Card benefit for many. While some people point out that the concierge agents are not always the best at locating what the cardholder is seeking, there’s no denying that this is still a very convenient luxury to have at one’s disposal. Not only does the cardholder have access to the personal concierge service, but the cardholder’s family members, personal assistants, and secretaries have access to this card perk as well.

2) Airline Travel Upgrades – If you are a frequent personal or business traveler, you will definitely appreciate the automatic airline upgrades offered by the Black Centurion card. What this means is that if you purchase a regular economy class ticket on one of participating airlines, you are automatically upgraded to elite status – usually this means getting bumped up to business or first class based on seat availability. With business and first class seats usually being triple or quadruple the cost of ordinary coach class seats, it’s not hard to see why this is such a potentially invaluable card benefit. With automatic upgrades into the following elite airline and hotel travel programs, cardholders enjoy such perks as dedicated check-ins, priority boardings, extra airline mileage earning opportunities, and bonus hotel stay earnings:

• Continental OnePass Gold Elite
• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Gold Medallion
• US Airways Dividend Miles Platinum Preferred
• Virgin Atlantic Airways Flying Club Gold
• Priority Pass Membership
• Hilton HHonors Gold

Black Centurion cardholders also get access to Continental Airline €™s President’s Lounge, Delta’s Crown Room Club, and Northwest Airline’s World Club as well as exclusive and complimentary access to Priority Pass’ over 500 VIP airport lounges. Automatic elite car rental upgrades with popular car rental companies like Hertz and Avis are also complimentary and available to cardholders.

The American Express Black Card also provides members with a companion airfare program that offers cardholders free guest airline tickets when the Black Card is used to purchase tickets. Currently, you can request up to 4 complimentary companion airline tickets a year. Of course, there may be a few airfare restrictions and blackout dates.

3) Hotel and Resort Lodging Upgrades – Along with automatic airline travel upgrades to elite status, the Black Card also offers automatic hotel lodging upgrades at all participating hotels and luxury resorts. Through partnerships with over 500 worldwide luxury hotels and resorts, chances are you will likely enjoy elite upgraded status at most premium hotels and resorts like the Starwood Group (Le Meridien, Four Points, Westin, Aloft, Sheraton, Element, St. Regis, and W Hotels), Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Hilton, Leading Hotels of the World, Amanresorts, and Centurion Villas.

Unfortunately, a few of the greatest and most coveted Black Centurion Card perks of past years have since been eliminated from the program. Until a few years ago, Hyatt’s Diamond Elite Status and Starwood’s Preferred Guest Platinum status were automatically offered to cardholders. However, Hyatt Hotel has since left the program and the Starwood Platinum status privilege is no longer offered to card members – a great disappointment and upset to many cardholders as the Starwood frequent guest suite upgrade program was indeed one of the best around. Now, cardholders will no longer qualify for automatic free Starwood Preferred Platinum status, but will receive Starwood Preferred Gold status instead, which offers substantially less upgrade opportunities for members.

4) Retail Shopping and Entertainment Benefits – More likely than not, American Express Black Centurion Card members are likely prolific shoppers, whether for personal reasons, or for business purposes. Coupled with the dedicated and personalized concierge service, card members can solicit the services of personal shoppers and price researchers to help them locate any product or custom merchandise they desire. For those who enjoy frequenting luxury boutiques and high end retailers like Bulgari, Escada, Gucci, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue, personal shoppers are available at such retailers for VIP attention. In some circumstances, entire stores may be reserved for your personal shopping pleasure so you can bypass lines and avoid crowds. For those who desire reservations at exclusive restaurants, tickets for hard to find entertainment shows and sporting events like the Super Bowl, your Black Card concierge is there to help you secure such coveted tickets. American Express has deals and exclusive arrangements with hundreds and thousands of restaurants to reserve tables for card members. With the Black Card, you will have greater access to so-called Gold Card events and premium luxury seating at concerts and events not ordinarily available to the general public.

Members also get automatic subscriptions to “Black Ink” magazine, an ultra exclusive publication that caters to the materialistic fancies of like minded wealthy clientele discussing such indulgences like luxury performance vehicles and exclusive dream vacation destinations. On occasion, as yet another complimentary benefit for coveted Black Card holders, American Express sends out free gift cards worth in excess of $500-$1000 to a variety of exclusive high end retailers. Amex has also been known to send out to Black Card customers, such gifts like expensive digital cameras and high end women’s jewelry.

Is The American Express Black Centurion Credit Card Worth The Hefty $7,500 Initiation Fee (One Time $5,000 Plus The $2,500 Annual Fee)?

First of all, if you are even asking yourself if the Black Card is worth the cost, this card’s likely not for you. Remember, to even qualify for an exclusive invite or to even satisfy the financial requirements to request membership, existing American Express card members need to spend at least $250,000 a year worth of credit card purchases. If your business or personal situation allows this type of high spending, chances are, a comparatively small $7,500 fee is unlikely to even register as a blip on your financial radar. Keep in mind, the American Express Black Centurion card is all about exclusivity and rarity. It’s a coveted financial item and the ultimate status symbol because it is only held by a limited number of wealthy individuals. The card should be regarded as a personal branding tool for those who can indeed afford the cost of carrying it. The automatic travel upgrades and complimentary perks and credit card rewards are certainly appreciated by card carriers, but it’s probably the exclusivity and status symbol of the Black Card that cardholders who can afford it covet the most. For ordinary consumers who do not have thousands and millions of dollars to throw around, the Black Centurion Card is a symbol of great excess waste and unnecessary decadence, but for the higher income types, it’s akin to driving around an expensive luxury sports car – it’s an attention getter for many.

But speaking from a cost benefit analysis perspective, are the benefits of the Black Centurion Card worth the one time $5,000 initial setup fee and the subsequent $2,500 fee year after year? After speaking to a few actual Black Card carriers and picking their brains a bit about what they find so useful and indispensable about the card, I have to conclude that the card is indeed worth the hefty annual fee, but only if you are a heavy business traveler or one who frequently engages in airline travel and hotel stays. The Amex Black Card is primarily business oriented and most of the airline and travel perks are geared towards upgrading existing travel accommodations into more comfortable elite offerings. For busy business types, the airline and hotel upgrades over the course of a year may very well cover the cost of the annual fee alone.

For those who primarily use the personal concierge services of the card for shopping research and entertainment reservation purposes, the cost benefit of the annual fee is more debatable as the cost is a bit harder to quantify. While American Express tends to provide better customer service for its cardholders than that of other credit card issuers, I think the concierge services is likely only useful in certain circumstances. For example, purchasing airline tickets is a breeze online and I find I can probably do a better job myself with a few keystrokes online than any concierge representative who isn’t as skilled at bargain hunting and deal finding. But for busy business types who have little time for mundane things like shopping research and price comparison, having a personal concierge at one’s beck and call certainly may be worth the cost of card membership.

Source URL: How To Apply For An American Express Black Centurion Card

Copyright Protected © 2008 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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I have a friend who is absolutely nutty about frequent flyer miles. Because he has family and relatives who live all over the place – in New York, Chicago, India, and England to name a few, he travels by airplane quite frequently. It’s not just him either. His new wife and immediate family members always seem to be on the go, and over time they’ve become quite the experts at taking advantage of discount airline tickets and cheap airfare deals. One of their smartest moves was to make sure that they always purchase their airline tickets using an airline miles credit card – to leverage the cumulative cost-saving power of frequent flyer miles. Not only does this have the added benefit of protection against airline bankruptcy risk (a real possibility these days), it also affords them the opportunity to earn substantial amounts of frequent flier miles redeemable for future free flights. By focusing their ordinary credit card purchases to earn airline miles, they’ve been able to fly for free many times – both domestically and internationally. These international airline reservations to fly across the oceanic pond definitely don’t come cheap either – each coach class international flight can cost in excess of $1,000 – so getting some of the airline tickets for free has definitely been a nice bonus.

Despite The Common Annual Fee and High Interest Rates Involved, Frequent Flyers Who Pay Off Their Credit Card Balance Every Month Will Benefit Greatly From Airline Travel Reward Cards

The attractive appeal of airline mile credit cards stem from their ability to earn and save up a substantial amount of frequent flyer miles over time, redeemable for free or heavily discounted airline tickets in the future. However, the use of airline travel reward cards does require a bit of patience since flight miles rewards can’t be redeemed or converted into free or discounted flights until the required redemption amount has been attained. Less patient people like myself usually stick with cash back credit cards or plain old reward credit cards that automatically accrue rebate rewards as you go along. But those who consider themselves frequent flyers, business travelers, or simply individuals who like the idea of saving up for a huge reward prize rather than redeeming for smaller incremental rewards throughout the year – may benefit greatly from frequent flier credit card offers. However, potential card applicants should keep in mind that because of the pricey nature of airline tickets, to earn enough mileage rewards with your travel reward credit card to qualify for a free airline ticket will necessitate quite a bit of spending. If you only use your credit card for a few dollars of purchases here and there every few months, it will likely take you forever to save up the necessary amount to redeem for even a cheap domestic ticket. However, if you are a big credit card spender and use credit cards to do all of your regular purchasing, and don’t mind channeling your credit card reward earning efforts towards accruing frequent flyer miles, you will benefit greatly from the free flight reward potential of airline credit cards.

Redeeming airline miles for free flights is usually a straight forward process with most travel reward and airline specific credit cards. Actual program terms vary, but miles are usually offered at a rate of 1 or 2 point(s) per $1 spent using the card. Most of the time, once you hit a certain total point or miles level (15,000 miles for example), you are permitted to call in a request for a free flight. International flights will obviously demand more mileage than U.S. domestic flights.

A few other important things concerning airline reward credit cards to be aware about is that they tend to charge annual fees of $75-$100 or more, as well as impose slightly higher APR interest rates compared to other types of credit card reward programs. But if you are a responsible credit card user and always pay off your balance on time every month, the interest rate effect will be minimal. The credit card annual fee amount may seem like a lot to the common consumer, but if you are someone who flies frequently several times or more throughout the year, any residual financial pain felt by having to pay an annual fee will be easily offset by the chance to earn free airline flights.

Airline Brand Specific Credit Cards Vs. Non-Airline Specific Travel Rewards Cards

While most airlines carriers impose frequent flyer miles expiration dates, many if not most airline travel credit card programs have no mileage expiration. This is important and useful because it affords cardholders the proper extended time needed to save up for the frequent flyer trip of their choice. No one wants to feel pressured about having to redeem their flight miles for lesser travel rewards at the risk of forfeiture, especially in light of the given fact that sufficient airline miles take longer to accrue. While some card programs impose seat restrictions and flight reservation blackout dates during which cardholders are not permitted to get free flights for certain times of the calendar year, the vast majority of the flight reward programs out there do not impose such restrictions or limitations. All consumers who are interested in applying for an airline travel rewards card offer should most definitely stay away from cards that impose mileage expiration or blackout dates. There’s no point in being restricted like that as there are plenty of more flexible options available.

In my opinion, I think most frequent flyers and travelers should stick to bank sponsored or generic travel reward credit cards. The most significant benefit of choosing a general travel rewards card is that all of the mileage rewards earned can be redeemed and easily converted to be used towards any airline of your choice. Unlike reward programs offered by more restrictive airline credit cards, general travel reward cards impose no such airline carrier restrictions. They simply offer cardholders a lot more choice and seating options than having to stick with just one carrier.

However, if you frequently fly on one specific airline or collection of partner airlines, and foresee yourself doing the bulk of your future traveling with the same carrier, applying for a specific airline credit card may be beneficial. Airline specific cards tend to offer higher mileage reward rates for card purchases, and lower redemption requirements for free flights on their own planes. Specific airline cards also frequently offer cardholders the chance to earn double miles for certain qualified purchases, thus helping speed up the rate at which you can earn travel rewards. Airline credit cards also tend to lavish their customers with more travel perks than that offered by general travel reward programs – such perks often include car rental discounts and other exclusive business lounge type accommodations. Just something to keep in mind.

While the following are credit card offers that earn airline miles for ordinary purchases, those who wish to earn instant airline miles for free flights should take a look at this list (free airline miles credit card sign up offers).

The Best Non-Airline Specific Travel Reward Credit Card Offers – Miles Can Be Redeemed For Free Flights Towards Any Airline Carrier – (All annual fees if any are listed in parenthesis).

1. Chase Sapphire - 10,000 bonus points after the first purchase. You also earn 1 point for every dollar you spend and 2x points on all airfare booked through the Travel Booking Tool. Up to 10 bonus points per dollar when you shop online at the Ultimate Rewards Mall. No annual fee. There are no blackout dates or travel restrictions when you use your points for airline tickets on most major airlines, any class. You can also purchase flights with both point and dollar values so you can choose how many points you want to use and pay for the rest in cash.
2. Miles by Discover Card – Earn Double Miles on travel and restaurant purchases. One Mile for every dollar on all other purchases. Flexible redemption options for travel, gift cards, or cash  (No Annual Fee).
3. Citi Premier Pass Card-Elite Level - Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at gas stations, supermarkets and drugstores, plus earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases. You can also earn 1 point for every mile you fly on any airline and another 1 Thank You point for every mile flown by anyone else whose ticket you bought with your card. Currently you can earn 20,000 instant bonus points after $600 in purchases in 3 months. You can redeem for free airline travel on any airline with no carrier restriction or blackout dates. Points don’t expire as long as you make one purchase every three years. (Annual fee is $75).
4. American Express Preferred Rewards Green Card – Earn 1 point for every dollar purchase you spend on the card. Points can be redeemed for free travel rewards from 21 airlines, hundreds of hotels worldwide, for vacation packages, cruises, and spa retreats. They can also be transferred onto 17 frequent flyer programs (conversion rate of 1 point for 1 airline mile with most programs). The earned points have no expiration and there is no limit to the number of points that can be accrued. Currently you can earn 5,000 Membership Rewards bonus points after your first purchase with the card, redeemable for a $50 gift card. This is a no pre-set spending limit card offer. (No annual fee for the first year – $95 thereafter).
5. Blue Sky From American Express® - Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend. There are no blackout dates, no travel restrictions, no mileage caps, and no expiration dates. You can redeem points to save on any airline, hotel, rental car or cruise – the card program is very flexible. (No annual fee).
6. American Express Starwood Preferred® – Earn 1 Starpoint for every dollar of eligible spending and double Starpoints at participating Starwood properties and retail outlets. This one is actually one of my best airline rewards card due to its flexibility and ability to transfer miles onto frequent flyer programs. Currently you can earn up to 25,000 Starpoints upon card sign up and after a period of usage – enough for 6 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel. Basically, it breaks down as 10,000 Starpoints with your first purchase – enough for up to 3 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel. (No annual fee for the first year – $45 fee thereafter).
7. Capital One® Orbitz Visa Platinum Card and Capital One® Orbitz Visa Signature Card – With either of these high credit limit cards, cardholders can earn 3 points per $1 spent on eligible Orbitz bookings, plus bonus points on eligible bookings, as well as 1 point per $1 spent on regular purchases. The Orbitz card series from Cap One earns more than other travel cards with three times the rewards on eligible Orbitz bookings. Points can be redeemed for travel, cash back, and gift cards. With the Orbitz card, you can potentially fly for free on your next vacation for as few as 15,000 points.
8. Capital One® No Hassle Miles(SM) Ultra For Professionals – Earn 2 miles for each dollar spent on all purchases. No blackout dates or seating restrictions. No expiration date on miles and no limit on the miles that may be earned. (Annual fee: $39).
9. Capital One® No Hassle Miles(SM) Rewards – Earn 1.25 miles for each dollar spent on purchases. No blackout dates or seating restrictions. No expiration date on miles and no limit on the miles you can earn. (No annual fee).

The Best Airline Specific Reward Credit Card Offers For Those Who Are Frequent Flyers Of Particular Airline Carriers – Remember that these airline miles are usually only good towards their own carrier:

1. Delta Airlines – SkyMiles® Gold Card From American Express - You are permitted a very high annual spending limit of $100,000 for mile earning purposes. Miles do not expire as long as the linked frequent flyer account is active during a 3-year period. Currently after your first purchase you earn an instant 20,000 bonus miles reward. Free Delta flights start at just 10,000 miles. In addition, if you add two additional approved card members to your account at the time of application submission, the program will provide you an extra bonus of 2,500 airline miles. (No annual fee for the first year – $95 fee thereafter).
2. Platinum Delta SkyMiles(R) Credit Card from American Express - Earn 20,000 bonus SkyMiles(R) (including 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles) after first purchase and another 2,500 for adding an Additional Cardmember. Earn one companion Coach Class ticket each year upon renewal. Earn at least 1 mile for every eligible dollar spent. Miles never expire and there is no cap on the miles you can earn. Pay with Miles: Pay for all or part of your flight with miles – and put the rest on your Card. (Annual fee is $150 a year).
3. American Airlines – Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage® World Master Card – Earn 1 AAdvantage ® mile for every $1 spent on purchases. There are no blackout dates for travel on American Airline carriers and your miles never expire. You can redeem miles for travel on American Airlines and for free flights on 25 other airlines as well as rewards for car rental and hotel stays. Currently you can earn 25,000 American Airlines AAdvantage ® instant bonus miles after you make $750 in purchases within 4 months of becoming a card member – enough for a travel award. This is a no pre-set spending limit card offer. (No annual fee for the first year – $85 thereafter).

Source URL: The Best Airline Miles Credit Card Offers For Frequent Flyers

Copyright Protected © 2008 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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How To Get A Refund When Your Airline Or Travel Agency Goes Bankrupt

A few days ago, I read in the news that Aloha Airlines had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Shortly after that, low cost ATA airlines joined the bankruptcy bench as well. Around the same time, I checked my Facebook account and saw that one of my friends was freaking out about the recent ATA bankruptcy filing. Apparently she had purchased several tickets for a trip to Hawaii on ATA airlines and had received e-mail word from the bankrupt company that all flights were now being halted and canceled with no refunds being honored. The total amount in danger was in excess of a $1,000. Thankfully I later found out she had made payment using her trusty credit card instead of using her debit card like she normally did. Because she paid by credit, she was able to dispute the charge and fully recover her money through the credit company by calling on the charge back provision for services un-rendered. Thousands of other customers may not be so lucky and may ultimately lose their money. If my friend had purchased using cash or debit, she would have fallen into a long uncertain line of unsecured creditors hoping for a handout from the bankruptcy court. Even those who had purchased additional travel insurance would have been unable to rely on it as the vast majority of travel and flight insurance policies do not cover air carrier insolvency.

Assuming you made the right decision by purchasing your tickets with a credit card, the minute that you hear news of the demise of your airline or travel agency, you should immediately dispute your credit card charge. By doing so, you have a much higher chance of getting your money back. Don’t pin your hopes on a favorable resolution by calling your travel agent or contacting the airline company directly since they will probably be swamped with angry calls at that time. You are likely to encounter nothing but a newly installed automated refund phone line or website designed to deflect inquiries. Sometimes airlines will offer the ability to transfer your flight to a bigger codeshare partner airline, but that is not always the case. Most online discount travel sites such as Hotwire or Priceline are unlikely to issue refunds in the event your airline goes bankrupt.

To dispute a credit charge, contact your credit card issuer, whether it be Citibank, Chase, or American Express, and request a charge back pursuant to the Fair Credit Billing Act. Under the Act, open-end credit accounts such as credit cards are governed by a strict set of federally mandated dispute settlement procedures. Disputes regarding fraudulent credit card charges, unexplained transactions, and charges for goods and services you didn’t accept or weren’t delivered as agreed are all covered. Here are the steps you will need to take to guarantee your credit card purchase rights:

1. Write to the credit card issuer at the address given for billing inquiries or bill disputes (not the address for sending payment), and be sure to state your name, card account number, and address.
2. State that your airline or travel agency has declared bankruptcy and has ceased operations, that you will not receive the services that you charged to your account, and that you are requesting a billing error credit along with a charge back while the credit company is investigating the matter.
3. Enclose a photocopy of the ticket, itinerary or receipt if possible, and indicate the price of the transportation and the date it was purchased. Remember to keep the original copies. If the transportation was partially used, identify the used and unused segments.
4. You must send the dispute letter by U.S. postal service, preferably by certified mail, with a tracking number and return receipt requested.
5. You must also submit your billing dispute letter so that it reaches your credit card company within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed to you.

Don’t Think That It Can’t Happen To You

The airline travel industry has been rocked by soaring jet fuel prices lately and lingering questions persist about the ability of certain airlines to remain operational. As such, airline companies have struggled to keep a lid on costs while still keeping airline ticket prices competitive. However, there are simply too many airlines out there competing for too few passengers, and the intense competition has caused some companies to drop out or engage in mergers. Even the big airlines are not immune. In the last few years, most of the major airlines have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at some point or another, including U.S. Airways, United Airlines, Air Canada, Northwest Airlines, and Delta Airlines.

When a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, passengers and customers who aren’t protected by third party payment protection lose everything. During a Chapter 11, the airline corporation continues to run its business operation as normal while it undergoes debt and contractual restructuring. However, during this time, it is not bound or required to honor prior purchase obligations under the grant of an automatic stay that prevents creditors from collecting unpaid debts while the bankruptcy protection is in force.

At the end of the restructuring period when the troubled company finally emerges from bankruptcy, which may take months or even years, the bankruptcy court usually gives the company a fresh start by granting a partial or full relief from all outstanding debts. If you were one of those unlucky few who purchased tickets using an unprotected method of payment, then you are out of luck and will likely end up with nothing. Consumers usually fall into the category of unsecured creditors. Under bankruptcy law, unsecured creditors have the lowest priority in terms of prevailing in their claims against the residual assets of a bankrupt company. This is one of the many reasons why I am such a staunch proponent of the use of reward credit cards by responsible consumers.

Source URL: Always Pay By Credit Card To Protect Against Airline Bankruptcy Loss

Copyright Protected © 2008 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Watch Out For Hidden International Credit Card Foreign Currency Exchange Charges

While foreign currency exchange fees are now generally listed and disclosed by credit card companies, card issuers rarely publicize these hidden charges, preferring to leave them in the fine print. While some complain that the majority of these interchange fees are not used to process the actual currency exchange, but rather used to fund credit card reward programs and other direct advertising campaigns, the real concern is the lack of education when it comes to incurring these fees. Frequently, consumers who use their credit cards overseas come home to the unwelcome surprise of costly fees on their billing statement.

The foreign currency transaction fee for credit card purchases is comprised of two parts – the fee percentage charged by the card payment network (such as Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express) and the fee percentage added by the card issuer (such as Citibank, Chase, Bank of America). Visa and MasterCard impose a standard 1% fee on all foreign currency charges to cover the expense of converting your foreign currency purchases back into U.S. dollars. The fee is imposed on the card issuer, but the expense is usually passed onto the consumer. Banks and card issuers that issue Visa and Mastercard also tack on their own additional transaction fee to the total – usually another 2%.

American Express does not have an extra card issuer fee, but it does impose its own foreign currency conversion charge of 2%. Previously, Discover Card was the only major card payment network that levied no foreign purchase transaction fees, however they have now updated their policy and tacked on the nearly ubiquitous charges. But then I challenge you to find a place overseas that actually accepts Discover Card. I think those living abroad probably have never heard of Discover before, likely thinking it’s some off shoot of Visa or Master Card.

Credit Card Issuers That Have No Foreign Currency Transaction Fees

Capital One credit card is one of two major issuers that charges no foreign currency transaction fee for credit card purchases made abroad. While Visa and Mastercard still levy fees on Capital One – the card issuer has made the conscientious decision to waive the fees as a cost of attracting customers. Thus it looks like your best foreign purchase bet would be to apply for a Capital One Visa Or Mastercard to avoid the expensive and cumulative currency exchange transaction fees. I personally have the Capital One No Hassle Miles Card, which I use to earn 1.25 miles on each dollar spent, good for any airline with no seating restrictions, mileage cap, or expiration date on miles earned.

List of Credit Card Foreign Transaction Fees Sorted From Lowest to Highest

Today, most of these foreign transaction fees are laid out in more readable form on your monthly credit card statement. Sometimes they are denoted by a simple asterisk indicating the fee percentage that was levied, while some card issuers will list the actual dollar amount of the transaction fee portion. The transaction fees I’ve provided below include the total combined charges imposed by both the card issuer and the card payment network. Pay attention to some of the hidden special offers out there, especially the ones from more obscure credit unions and brokerage/banks.

Reminder Before Using Your Credit Card To Make Foreign Purchases

Modern credit card programs today implement sophisticated transaction software to detect fraudulent and unauthorized credit card activity. If your card has always been used in the New York tri-state region for example, but suddenly credit charges start streaming in from some place like Thailand or Indonesia, your card issuer may raise an eyebrow and start declining those international charges as part of their anti-fraud measures. A quick e-mail or phone call to your credit card company before you travel should prevent such an inconvenience from happening.

Credit Card Users Who Have Made Credit Purchases Abroad May Be Entitled To A Cash Settlement

If you made a foreign transaction using your Visa, Mastercard, or Diner’s Club credit card at least once between February 1, 1996 and November 8, 2006, you may be entitled to claim money from a legal settlement. In response to an anti-trust class action lawsuit brought against Visa, Mastercard, and Diner’s Club for alleged fraud and conspiracy to fix and conceal foreign currency transaction fees on credit card purchases to the detriment of card issuers and consumers, a legal settlement has been worked out. Under the settlement terms of In re Currency Conversion Fee Antitrust Litigation (MDL 1409), those who fall under the plaintiff class have three ways to participate and claim their settlement money.

While two of the options require that you gather your billing statements and receipts to verify the estimated value of your foreign credit card purchases, the simplest method for most is to file for the Easy Refund option, which is the route I personally took. As noted, this option is recommended if you traveled outside of the U.S. for less than one week or had foreign transactions of less than $2,500 using your eligible cards during the 1996 to 2006 period.

Source URL: List Of Credit Card Foreign Currency Transaction Fees

Copyright Protected © 2008 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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ThankYou Citi Credit Cards Offering At Least 5% Back For Purchases – With Current Thank You Promotions

1. Citi Foward Card – 5% rewards for restaurants, movies, books, and Amazon.com. 1% for everything else. Read my Citi Forward review for more info.
2. Citi Forward Card For Students – Same 5% offer as the Citi Forward Card, except this offer is easier to qualify for if you’re a student.
3. Citi AT&T Business Reward Card – 5% reward back for eligible AT&T product purchases, with 3% back on purchases at gas stations, office supply stores, and on professional services. 1% back for everything else.
4. Citi mtvU Platinum Select for Students – 5% restaurants, movies, and books.
5. Citi Driver’s Edge Platinum Select for Students – 3% rebate for gas, groceries, and drugs.

Pros and Benefits Of Using Citi Thank You Reward Point Credit Cards

While I like cash back credit card offers as much as the next guy, these days, the highest rebate offers are provided by reward cards, not cash back cards. Card reward programs like Citibank’s Thank You Network tend to offer much higher purchase rebate potential than regular cash back cards. Ever since Citibank ended the good ole days of the former 5% cash back Citi Dividend Card, most card companies have followed suit and scaled back their cash rebate offers in favor of reward point cards.

In terms of reward programs, Citi’s Thank You Network is one of the better ones since they offer a pretty wide selection of redeemable rewards. The program offers everything from your standard cash reward to electronic merchandise. Other popular rewards include statement credit, student loan money, gift cards, home appliances, and free airline rewards.

Cons and Drawbacks Of Earning and Redeeming Citi Thank You Points

The biggest downside of earning reward points through programs like Citibank’s ThankYou Network is that they tend to require a more hands on approach to keep tabs on accumulated points. Unlike cash back cards, the points that reward cards earn usually have an expiration date. When it comes to ThankYou points, the expiration date varies and depends on the specific terms of each card. Despite the extra tracking hassle, I don’t really mind the extra management steps needed to earn the higher money back potential.

The other downside of using a card that only provides reward points is the redemption ratio. You have to really pay attention to the conversion ratio when you are redeeming your reward points to make sure you are getting the best deal (this may get a little bit tricky). Let me explain: Firstly, I have to presume the standard base card rebate rate is 1% back, although most Citi ThankYou credit cards do offer 5% back which will allow you to earn points even quicker for certain category of purchases. But with the standard rate, this means for every $100 you spend in real purchases, you should earn the rebate redemption equivalent of $1 in rewards (1% back). Thus you would need to spend at least $1,000 to earn enough to redeem a $10 gift card with a perfect 100% redemption rate of ($100 purchases = 100 ThankYou Points = $1 reward redemption value equivalent).

In general, the more versatile the reward (like cash and statement credit) the worse the redemption ratio. For cash rewards, the current best ThankYou redemption rate is only 16,000 points for a $100 gift card. This comes out to a redemption rate of only 62.5% of what you should potentially get – which is terrible.

For statement credit, the current best ThankYou redemption rate is only 35,000 points for $250 in statement credit. This comes out to a redemption rate of 71.43% – better than the ratio for cash, but still not a perfect 100%, which is what we would strive for if we wanted the perfect 1:1 redemption ratio offered by cash back cards.

How To Get The Most Bang For Your Buck When It Comes To Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points

If you want to get the highest rebate potential, reward point cards that offer Citi ThankYou points is the way to go. But if you want to maximize your reward redemption potential, you must make sure you redeem your points for rewards that offer you the highest 100% redemption rate. You’ll need to actively browse around your ThankYou member account to see which rewards offer the best redemption. Avoid the lower value gift cards as they don’t offer a good exchange.

Just A Few Examples Of ThankYou Rewards That Offer the Top Redemption Rate:

• $100 Marshalls Gift Card for 10,000 points – My favorite deal since I love shopping at Marshalls for clothing. They offer some of the best clothing bargains for deal hunters like me.
• All retail store gift cards $100 or above that allows you to get a $100 gift card for 10,000 points. Store brands offering this deal include Nike, Footlocker, Old Navy, Gap, TJ Maxx, Circuit City, Waldenbooks, Bath and Body Works, Bed Bath and Beyond, Pier 1, Macys, J.C. Penny, Bloomingdales, Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Zales.
• All student loan rebate rewards – all of them offer perfect 1:1 ratios. I personally avoid them however because I am trying to delay paying off my student loans.
• All charitable contributions $50 or above.
• The ThankYou Points Fixed Flight Option also offers a very good reward redemption rate.

Avoid These Rewards Because They Offer Poor Redemption Ratios:

• Gas gift cards – The best point conversion works out to be a $50 Shell gasoline card for 6,000 points, which is still only a 83.33% purchase to points conversion. If you’re happy with that, then go for it. For me, I insist on shooting for 100%.
• All product merchandise – I think the retail value of the items are overinflated. You’re better off buying products online through another internet source.
• Cash rewards and statement credit offer poor redemption rates as I mentioned earlier.

Source URL: Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points For Great Gift Card Rewards

Copyright Protected © 2008 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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One of the simplest ways to save money on airline tickets is to take advantage of free frequent flyer mile offers – namely the credit card bonus rewards and free miles that many airline miles credit card issuers promote to attract new customers. Most of the time, the instant bonus miles are enough for a free domestic roundtrip flight or at least enough to tip you over the mileage limit if you are just short. For those interested in earning free frequent flier miles with each card purchase, please view my list of the best airline miles credit cards.

Over the years, I’ve taken advantage of free frequent flyer mile bonuses and airline credit cards to earn free flights and air travel tickets. A while back I needed to book a flight but was just shy of the free flight limit. Rather than going ahead and paying the $200-$300 for the ticket, I decided to apply for the airline’s own branded credit card to take advantage of the free mileage offers. While some of these airline credit cards have an annual fee, their introductory sign-up terms usually waive the fee for the first year. If you aren’t looking to get a free domestic ticket but instead are trying to save up for an expensive international flight, be sure to keep track of your frequent flyer miles expiration dates.

Here, I’ve gathered a list of all the airline mile credit card offers available out there, along with their current free airline mileage promotions. I’ve also included the miles needed to redeem an economy class domestic ticket for each particular airline program.

Earn Free Frequent Flyer Miles Upon Sign Up – Travel Rewards Earned Are Good For Any Airline

1. Chase Sapphire - 10,000 bonus points after the first purchase. You also earn 1 point for every dollar you spend and 2x points on all airfare booked through the Travel Booking Tool. Up to 10 bonus points per dollar when you shop online at the Ultimate Rewards Mall. No annual fee. There are no blackout dates or travel restrictions when you use your points for airline tickets on most major airlines, any class. You can also purchase flights with both point and dollar values so you can choose how many points you want to use and pay for the rest in cash.
2. American Express Starwood Preferred® – Earn 10,000 miles good towards the frequent flyer programs of over 30 major airlines. With the extra 6 month spending incentives, you can potentially earn up to 50,000 bonus miles in 6 months. The $45 annual fee is waived for the first year. I personally think it’s the most versatile and best travel credit card available.
3. Discover Card Miles Card – 12,000 miles for any airline. No annual fee.
4. Citi Premier Pass Elite Level Card – 20,000 bonus points after $600 in purchases made within 3 months of account opening. There is a $75 annual fee.

Earn Free Miles For Specific Airline Frequent Flyer Reward Programs Upon Sign Up (Sorted By Airline)

1. Alaska Airlines – Visa Signature Card – 20,000 free Bonus Miles. Free award travel begins at just 20,000 miles. You can earn and redeem miles for 10 airline partners that include (Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta, Horizon Air, Northwest, and Quantas). There is a $75 annual fee.
2. American Airlines – Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage® World MasterCard – 25,000 AAdvantage ® bonus miles after you make $750 in purchases within 4 months. 25,000 miles is required for an economy domestic ticket on American Airlines. The $85 annual fee is waived the first year.
3. American Airlines – Citi Gold AAdvantage® World MasterCard – 15,000 AAdvantage ® bonus miles after you make $750 in purchases within 4 months. 25,000 miles is needed to redeem for an economy domestic ticket on American Airlines. The $50 annual is waived the first year.
4. American Airlines – CitiBusiness AAdvantage® – 25,000 AAdvantage ® free bonus miles after you make $750 in purchases. With this Citi Business card offer designed for those who travel regularly on American Airlines and would like to earn free travel for business-related expenses, cardholders can earn 1 mile rewards for every $1 spent, and enjoy mileage points that never expire.
5. Delta Airlines – Amex Delta Reserve Card – Earn up to 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles with your first purchase. Spend $30,000 in a calendar year and you can earn a boost of 15,000 MQM’s and 15,000 bonus miles. With the card, travelers enjoy complimentary Crown Room Club Access and free annual domestic companion certificates, which can be used for first class airfares or coach class tickets.
6. Delta Air – Amex SkyMiles® Platinum Card – Earn 20,000 bonus Delta SkyMiles after your first purchase with American Express along with 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles for Elite travel status. Miles never expire and there is no mileage limit. The annual fee is $150 unless you are also a basic card member of a domestic American Express consumer card account that has an annual fee greater than or equal to $55, in which case the annual fee is $95.
7. Delta Air – Amex SkyMiles® Gold Card – Earn 20,000 Delta SkyMiles after your first purchase with American Express. 25,000 miles is required for a free economy ticket through Delta and its partner airlines that include Air France, Continental, Northwest, and Korean Air. The $95 annual fee is waived the first year.
8. Hawaiian Airlines – Visa Platinum – 10,000 Bonus miles. There is a $50 annual fee.
9. JetBlue – Credit Card from American Express – 50 TrueBlue points with your first purchase. 100 TrueBlue points is needed for a free domestic ticket. There is a $40 annual fee.
10. Northwest Airlines – WorldPerks Visa Signature Card – 15,000 WorldPerks miles with your first purchase. 25,000 miles is needed for a free domestic ticket on Northwest Airlines or any other WorldPerks partner airline. There is a $55 annual fee.
11. Northwest Airlines – WorldPerks Visa Platinum Card – 10,000 WorldPerks miles with your first purchase. There is also a $55 annual fee.
12. Southwest Airlines – Rapid Rewards Signature Visa Card - Earn up to 16 Rapid Rewards credits (8 free bonus credits after your first purchase and another 8 for eligible balance transfers) – Enough for a free round trip flight. There is a $59 annual fee.
13. Southwest Airlines – Rapid Rewards Visa Signature Business Card – Earn up to 16 Rapid Rewards credits – Enough for a free round trip reward. There is also a $59 annual fee.
14. United Airlines – Mileage Plus Signature Visa Card – 21,000 United bonus miles with your first purchase. 50,000 miles is needed for a domestic ticket on United Airlines. There is a $60 annual fee.
15. United Airlines – Mileage Plus Platinum Business Card – 20,000 United miles after your first purchase. The $75 annual fee is waived the first year.
16. Virgin Atlantic Airlines – Virgin Amex Black Card From Bank of America – 20,000 instant Virgin Atlantic Flyer Club miles after your first purchase with the Black American Express card from BoA. Get 7,500 anniversary Flyer Club miles after spending $15,000 in the first year, and earn another free 7,500 Flyer Club miles after spending $25,000 in net purchases. Earn free frequent flyer miles with every purchase with no limit to the number of miles you can earn.
17. Virgin Atlantic Airlines – Virgin Amex White Card From Bank of America – 12,500 instant Virgin Atlantic Flyer Club miles after your first purchase. Get 2,500 anniversary Flyer Club miles after spending $5,000 in the first year, and earn another free 5,000 Flyer Club miles after spending $15,000 in net purchases. You also get free mileage rewards for all purchases.

Source URL: Airline Credit Card Promotions That Offer Free Frequent Flyer Miles

Copyright Protected © 2008 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Joining hotel reward clubs and programs is one of the easiest way to effortlessly accumulate loyalty points for complimentary stays in the future. Many programs even offer frequent flyer miles as a reward option in addition to hotel points. The overwhelming majority of programs are free to join with easy online enrollment and management. Each hotel reward program covers a family line ranging from low cost budget chains to more expensive luxury brands. Many programs also offer upgrade opportunities and additional perks like complimentary newspapers, drinks, and meals. Just register via the program’s website and report your assigned membership number everytime you book a hotel stay. Even if you forget to use your membership card at the time of reservation, you can always go back later to report the missing hotel stay. I’ve done it a few times myself.

Here Are The Most Popular Hotel Reward Programs (Sorted Alphabetically):

1) Best Western Gold Crown Club International – Offers over 4,200 locations. Members earn 10 base points per $1 spent on the room rate, or 250 airline miles per stay. One free night’s stay starts at 8,000 points minimum. Extra bonus earning opportunities are available for frequent guests.

2) Choice Privileges – Offers over 5,000 locations worldwide. Participating hotel brand names include: Clarion, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Econo Lodge, MainStay Suites, Quality Inn, and Sleep Inn. Members earn 10 points per $1 spent, or 250 airline miles per stay, with more for certain brands. One free night’s stay starts at 5,000 points minimum. Extra bonus earning opportunities are also available for frequent guests.

Other ways to earn points include using the Choice Privileges Visa Platinum credit card. The card currently offers 8,000 instant bonus points after your first purchase. With the card, you can earn an additional 15 points per $1 spent at qualified hotel locations and 2 points for every other dollar charged.

3) GoldPoints Plus – Offers over 950 locations worldwide. Participating hotel brands include: Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza, and the Radisson. Members earn 15-20 points per $1 spent. One free night’s stay starts at 15,000 points minimum. Extra bonus earning opportunities are available for frequent guests.

4) Hilton HHonors – Offers over 2,800 locations worldwide. Participating hotel brands include: Double Tree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, and the Waldorf Astoria. Members earn a base double dipping rate of 10 points and 1 airline mile per $1 spent. One free night’s stay starts at 7,500 points. One great benefit is that points and airline miles can be exchanged for one or the other. Extra bonus earning opportunities are available for frequent guests as well.

Earn even more points with the Hilton HHonors Platinum Amex card, where you can earn up to 50,000 HHonors bonus points after you get the card, as well as earn 5 points per dollar charged at a participating hotels, gas stations, supermarkets, and drugstores, as well as 3 reward points for every other dollar charged. With the Hilton HHonors Visa from Citibank you can earn 6 points when spent at a participating Hilton hotel, 3 points for purchases at supermarkets, gas stations, and drug stores, and 2 points for everything else.

5) Hyatt Gold Passport – Offers over 470 locations. Participating hotel brands include: Hyatt, AmeriSuites, and Hawthorn Suites. Members earn 5 points per $1 spent at the Hyatt, or 3 points per $1 at AmeriSuites and Hawthorn Suites. One free night’s stay starts at 5,000 points minimum at the Hyatt, and 3,000 points at AmeriSuites and Hawthorn Suites. Extra bonus earning opportunities are available for frequent guests.

6) LaQuinta Rewards – Offers over 600 locations. Members earn 10 base points per $1 spent. One free night’s stay starts at 6,000 points minimum. Extra bonus earning opportunities are available for frequent guests.

7) Marriott Rewards – Offers over 2,700 locations. Participating hotel brands include: Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Courtyard, and Residence Inn. Earnings vary depending on hotel brand ranging from 5 to 10 points per $1 spent. One free night’s stay starts at 7,500 points minimum but varies depending on length of stay.

8) Priority Club – Offers over 3,700 participating hotel locations. Participating hotel brands include: Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, InterContinental, and Crowne Plaza. Members earn 10 points per $1 spent on the room rate. One free night’s stay requires at least 10,000 points minimum. Extra bonus earning opportunities are also available for frequent guests.

9) Red Roof Inn RediCard – Offers over 335 locations. Members earn 10 points per $1 spent on the room rate. One free night’s stay requires 5,000 points. Pretty straight forward.

10) Starwood Preferred Guest Program – Offers over 825 hotel and resort locations worldwide. Participating hotel brands include: Sheraton, Westin, Four Points, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, and Le Meridien. Members earn 2 points per $1 spent. One free night’s stay starts at 2,000 points minimum. Extra bonus earning opportunities are available for frequent guests.

You can also earn additional bonus Starwood points with the Amex Starwood Preferred Guest Card simply by signing up and taking advantage of the automatic reward program. With the Starwood Preferred card, you can earn up to 25,000 Starpoints®  – enough for up to 6 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel, and you can also earn 3 reward points per dollar spent at Starwood properties, and 1 point per dollar spent elsewhere.

11) TripRewards – This is the largest program by far, comprised mostly of budget and lower priced accommodations. It offers over 6,000 locations. Participating hotel brands include: Baymont Inns & Suites, Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Ramada, AmeriHost Inn, Super 8, Travelodge, Knights Inn, and Wingate Inn. Members earn 10 points or 2 airline miles per $1 spent on the room rate. One free night’s stay starts at 6,000 points minimum, although there are other redemption options available such as gift cards. You can also earn additional bonus points using the Wyndham Rewards MasterCard, which gives you 13 points per dollar charged at a participating hotel and 2 points per dollar spent elsewhere.

Source URL: Join and Participate In Hotel Rewards Programs To Earn Free Hotel Stays

Copyright Protected © 2008 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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When it comes to picking the best travel website to do your airfare or hotel research, there are so many to choose from it can be overwhelming. Many popular news sites like CNN have provided their own top travel website lists, but I think they list way too many. I love lists but I’m not a fan of long lists containing too many choices. Too many choices means I need to take extra time to sort the diamonds from the rough. Just give me the best choice I always say. So that’s what I’ll do.

Bottom line, after comparing ease of use and prices among the numerous travel websites, my overall favorite is SideStep. The site consistently gave me the most competitive search results. I use it in conjunction with my other two favorites, Expedia and Travelocity. These three sites will give you the best search and pricing results.

Compare Prices Using Sidestep With Expedia and Travelocity

SideStep is what they call a meta search engine because it aggregates and consolidates search results from a wide variety of travel sites. The service pulls airfare and hotel information from more than 150,000 hotels and 600 airlines to give you pricing information based on your search criteria. You can also search for car rentals and cruises as well using their service. When you have chosen your travel itinerary, note that you don’t buy or make your reservation directly with them. Instead, Sidestep forwards you to the airline or hotel’s website where you make your purchase directly at the source at the offered price. Sidestep is just the free search engine that matches you with the offers.

Sidestep does have a limitation. Although it’s search engine can search the majority of the travel related information available on the web, it can only search sites that it’s been given permission to scour. Currently, a few popular sites like Expedia and Travelocity have not given such permission, so you will have to search those sites manually.

Sidestep tends to find slightly cheaper and better deals, but the benefit of purchasing through Expedia and Travelocity is that if you visit those two sites via a shopping portal like Ebates you can get 1% cash back or more. You should be able to nail down the very best travel offers by using these three sites, but primarily with Sidestep.

Use the Sidestep Toolbar To Ensure You Get The Best Deals

Sidestep offers a very useful downloadable toolbar that sits silently on your browser. Whenever you visit a competing travel site, the toolbar will offer you the option of searching the Sidestep database to compare the competing website’s prices to Sidesteps’. This ensures that you always get the best deals. Currently it’s only available with Internet Explorer unfortunately. It would be nice if the toolbar was compatible with my preferred browser, Firefox.

Source URL: My Favorite Travel Websites To Search For Airfare and Hotels

Copyright Protected © 2007 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Here Are the Expiration Policies For Some of the Biggest Airlines:

1. AirTran: Points in A+ Rewards expire after 12 months.
2. American Airlines: AAdvantage ® miles expire after 36 months of inactivity.
3. Continental Airlines: OnePass miles do not expire. There is a written policy that says they do, but the airline does not enforce the policy.
4. Delta Airlines: Delta SkyMiles expire after 2 years of inactivity.
5. JetBlue: TrueBlue points expire one full year from the date that they are earned.
6. Northwest Airlines: Northwest WorldPerks miles expire if none are earned for 3 calendar years.
7. Southwest Airlines: Rapid Rewards points expire after 2 years.
8. United Airlines: Mileage Plus miles expire after 36 months of inactivity. Starting December 31, 2007, miles will expire after 18 months of inactivity.
9. U.S. Airways: Dividend Miles expire after 18 months of inactivity.

How You Can Easily Prevent Mileage Expiration

The way to prevent your miles from lapsing due to inactivity is to simply generate miles-earning activity for each airline that you have an account with. Other using than using a specialized miles-generating credit card rewards like the Starwood Preferred, another relatively easy way is by making a purchase at the airline’s own shopping portal, where you earn miles for each purchase. This will allow you to earn a few miles, enough to reset the inactivity clock. Most of the popular stores such as iTunes, Best Buy, and Circuit City can be found at each airline’s shopping website.

Links to the Major Airlines’ Shopping Websites:

• American Airlines: AAdvantage ® eShopping
• Continental Airlines: ShopOnePass
• Delta Airlines: Delta SkyMile Shopping
• Northwest Airlines: WorldPerks Mall
• United Airlines: Mileage Plus Mall
• U.S. Airways: Dividend Miles Shopping Mall

Make Sure Your Purchases Count To Reset the Account Activity Clock

1. To ensure that you receive mileage credit for the purchase made through the airline’s shopping portal, make sure your shopping cart is empty before doing the click through. For example, don’t visit Best Buy, add something to your cart and then revisit Best Buy by clicking through the airline’s shopping portal website. You may not receive mileage credit for the items already in your cart. Visit the store through the airline’s website first before making purchases to receive proper mileage credit.
2. There is no minimum mileage you need to earn to reset the inactivity clock. If you can make a quick purchase for a $1 item that allows you to accrue a few miles towards your frequent flyer plan, that is sufficient to reset and prevent expiration.
3. One way to track your miles and monitor your most recent activity in each of your frequent flyer accounts is by using USA Today’s downloadable MileTracker application.

Source URL: Prevent Your Frequent Flyer Miles From Expiring

Copyright Protected © 2007 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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I’m not going out of my way to participate in the promotion. It’s just something extra for something I was planning on doing anyway.

Earn Bonus Points, Enough For a $25 Gift Card

This fall, Trip Rewards is offering a bonus points promotion, for the redemption equivalent of a $25 gift card. Complete two separate stays at a participating hotel from now until December 27 and you’ll earn enough points to redeem for a free $25 gift card. Remember, it’s two separate stays so consecutive nights still count as one stay, regardless of check in and check out. You will still earn the usual 10 Trip Rewards points for every $1 spent at a participating hotel.

The terms and conditions indicate that the bonus points awarded will be equal to 5,500 less the number of regular Trip Rewards points you earn for your stays, but will be at least 3,500 points. To participate you have to register for TripRewards if you haven’t already done so, and select the TripRewards points option.

Earn 500 Bonus Air Miles or Rail Points

The other promotional option lets you earn 500 bonus air miles or rail points if you stay twice at a TripRewards participating hotel from now until December 28. This is on top of the 2 miles per $1 you will still earn. To participate you have to register with TripRewards and select to earn air miles or rail points in your membership profile.

Source URL: TripRewards Fall Promotion – $25 Gift Card or 500 Bonus Miles

Copyright Protected © 2007 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Once you register with them and complete a profile, you are paid mileage points for every ad you view. You can earn 10-20 miles for each 30 second video, and even more points for longer ads. The ads are provided to you based on your previously completed profile in which you indicated your interests. I recommend having as many interests as possible. I actually enjoy the process because it’s relatively painless and fairly quick. Earned mileage points are automatically deposited every quarter into the participating frequent flyer program of your choice.

Earning and Using the Miles

In general, a free domestic flight through most frequent flyer programs will run about 25,000 miles. If you regularly view the ads, you could reasonably earn a free domestic flight within a year. However, I only plan on using the program to help me get over the free ticket hump for my various frequent flyer plans. I could try to accumulate from scratch but than it would take much longer than I’d personally like.

Now the bad news. Currently, points earned through E-Miles are only good for Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, and US Airways. If your preferred plan is through another carrier, you’re out of luck for now. Hopefully the company will add more airlines soon.

Fortunately for me though, Continental and Northwest are my biggies. I should be able to rack up free flights in no time. I hope you can get something out of it as well.

Don’t forget the Starwoods Preferred Guest American Express Card. It’s my recommended travel rewards card for earning frequent flyer miles and for topping off your assorted frequent flyer plans.

Source URL: Earn Frequent Flyer Miles With E-Miles

Copyright Protected © 2007 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Review – The Starwoods Preferred Guest American Express Card

I’m a big fan of credit card reward plans that offer versatility such as Citibank’s Thank You Network, which I use to earn points redeemable for gift cards and free flights. However, my favorite stand alone travel rewards card is the Starwoods Preferred Guest American Express Card. It has been referred to as the swiss army knife of travel rewards cards and deservedly so. Not only can you redeem your rewards for the frequent flyer miles of over 30 airlines (view points to miles conversion list), you can also earn reward points for stays at any of the 800+ Starwoods hotel properties. For every $1 you spend using the card, you earn 1 Starwood point, and ultimately 1 mile on any participating airline. The conversion rate from points into miles is generally 1:1, with a few limited exceptions such as United Airlines, which converts at a ratio of 2:1 (making it a bit less desirable for those who want to ride on United).

Card Users Can Earn An Extra Free 25% Frequent Flyer Mile Bonus

The Starwood Amex card is great because it offers you an impressive 25% points to miles bonus on top of the normal conversion rate. When you convert 20,000 points into miles, Starwood adds an extra 5,000 bonus miles to your transfer, which is often enough for a domestic flight. If you maintain this conversion rate, for every dollar spent on the card, you can earn the equivalent of 1.25 miles. This is 25% better than what you’ll get with other airline credit cards.

The Card Offers Great Frequent Flyer Flexibility And The Ability To Top Off Your Miles

One of my biggest gripes with airline frequent flyer programs is that it is difficult if not impossible to transfer one airline’s points to another airline’s program for use in purchasing a free ticket. So what you end up with is a bunch of frequent flyer programs, each with its own set of miles, but none of them individually eligible for a free flight. This is where the Starwood Amex card really shines and shows why it is such a versatile card when it comes to converting points into frequent flyer miles. Not only do you have a variety of airline frequent flyer programs to choose from, you can essentially use your miles to fill and top off each program so that each can qualify for free flights. Also, some airline frequent flyer points expire after a period of inactivity. You can prevent this by transferring Starwood points into those programs, thereby generating the necessary account activity to prevent points expiration.

Low Annual Fee

The Starwood Amex card does have a low nominal annual fee. The good news is that it is relatively low at $45 a year. I find that the card easily pays for itself in the long run due to all of the frequently flyer miles you ultimately rack up.

You Can Earn Double Points for Hotel Stays

While not as popular as redeeming for frequent flyer miles, you also earn double points for every stay at a Starwoods hotel, which includes the Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, and W Hotels. All room taxes are covered and there are no blackout dates. If available, rooms can be reserved for as low as 2000 Starwood points a night, despite what the regular price is.

Current Starwood Card Promotions and Offers

• The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Card is currently running a deal where you can earn 10,000 Starwood points after your first purchase, enough for up to 3 nights at a Starwoods hotel. Also remember that the first year’s annual $45 fee is waived.
• There is also the Starwood Amex Business Card, which is offering an additional 10,000 Starwood points. If you applied for both, you could be on your way to rack up some serious points for free flights and hotel stays in no time.

Source URL: Amex Starwood Preferred – The Best Travel Rewards Credit Card

Copyright Protected © 2007 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Great Exchange Rate for Travel Rewards

One of my favorite redemption choice is Thank You Point’s Variable and Fixed Flight Option. With the Variable Travel Option you can redeem your Thank You Points for the equivalent of whatever the value of the flight cost is. However, you’ll likely get the best deal by choosing the Fixed Flight Option. Below are the current point values needed for redemption (as of January 1, 2008, however since point levels are subject to change please contact a ThankYou Network Travel Specialist for the most current point pricing.

Coach:

Business Class:

This is a much better deal than simply redeeming frequent flyer miles, because for only 20,000 Thank You Points, you can fly anywhere within the United States. I’ve been researching airfare prices to Asia, and with the Fixed Flight Option, I can fly there for a flat price of 80,000 Thank You Points. You’re probably wondering if there are lots of restrictions. According to them:

Fixed flight option reservations must originate in the 48 continental United States, unless otherwise specified. There are no seat limits, blackout dates, advance booking and Saturday night stay requirements.

Plus, you will also get to earn frequent flyer miles for your trip as well! With the flight price savings you’ll get by using the Fixed Flight Option, and combined with the additional savings you could get by using a cash back credit card to make the purchase, your total savings could be in excess of 12% easily. This would offer you a much better redemption rate than if you redeemed your points for something like gift cards or statement credit. If you’re interested, you can find more information about the Fixed Flight Option on their website. Eligible ThankYou members who would like to redeem for Fixed Flight Option airline tickets or cruise rewards should contact 1-800-THANKYOU (1-800-842-6596).

Source URL: Redeeming Citi Thank You Points for Free Flights

Copyright Protected © 2007 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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New Fidelity Account Promotions – Earn Free Frequent Flyer Miles For United Or American Airlines

Currently, Fidelity has several promotions for new customers, including offers for up to 25,000 United Airlines or American Airlines frequent flier miles for opening an account with new equity. The equity can be cash, stock, bond certificates, or transfers of the same from another broker. The Fidelity account must remain open for at least six months. The miles earned is determined by the amount of the initial deposit, which must be made within 90 days of account opening. Please carefully read all of the terms and conditions before proceeding.

United Airlines Mileage Plus Offer – Expires December 31, 2008.

American Airlines AAdvantage Offer – Expires May 31, 2009.

Another Amazing Fidelity Sign-Up Cash Bonus Offer

Fidelity also has another offer for $100 for adding $10,000 in cash or assets to a new or existing account. I had an old pre-existing Fidelity Investment account and still qualified for the easy 100 bucks!

Source URL: Fidelity Brokerage – Frequent Flier Miles and Cash Offers For New Customers

Copyright Protected © 2007 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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