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American Express® Serve announces new limited time offer: You could earn $50 when you use direct deposit

Submitted on Wed, 2013-06-19 11:02 | by Jason Bushey

Yesterday, American Express® Serve announced a new limited time offer of $50 when new customers sign up for direct deposit and receive two deposits of $250 or more by August 31st, 2013.

This is already easily our favorite prepaid card, and works as an excellent alternative to traditional bank accounts given the cardholder perks associated with carrying an American Express card. But a $50 credit that's pretty easy to obtain once you enroll with your employer to receive direct deposit? That's just icing on the cake. 

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American Express® Serve - Get American Express Serve and you could get $50 when you use Direct Deposit. Must enroll in Direct Deposit by 8/31/13.*

New members that sign up for American Express® Serve can get $50 when they enroll in direct deposit and receive two deposits into their account of $250 or more by August 31st, 2013. Sign up today to take advantage of this limited-time offer using the "Apply" button to the left, or read our full review of this Editor's Choice prepaid card from American Express.

Best Cash Back Credit Card Offers for July, 2013

Submitted on Mon, 2013-06-17 09:50 | by Jason Bushey

The longest day of the year might feel like today, Monday, but it's actually this Friday, June 21st. Yup - June is somehow already half over, meaning July is just a couple of weeks off and - with it - the beginning of Quarter 3.

Q3 kick-off is a holiday in credit card circles. (Yes, those exist.) Why? Because the beginning of the new quarter means the start of new rotating cash back categories going live! Discover, Chase and Citi all have featured cards whose quarterly rotating categories are set to go live on July 1st.

With two weeks to prepare, consider and compare cash back offers, we decided today was as good as any to break down our favorite cash back credit card offers for July, 2013.

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Discover it® - 5 percent cash back at gas stations starting July 1st

Beginning July 1st, Discover it® cardholders can earn a 5 percent cashback bonus on up to $1,500 in purchases made at gas stations with free and easy sign-up. The offer extends through September 30th, and can take a little of the sting out of exorbitant gas prices you're likely to find on the road this summer. Cardholders will continue to earn 1 percent on all other purchases.

According to GasBuddy.com, the average gallon of gas currently costs $3.66. Considering that an average mid-sized car has a 14-gallon tank, you can expect to pay $51.24 (on average) for a full tank of gas. But if you pay with your Discover it® card in quarter 3, you'll save 5 percent on that same tank (again, up to $1,500 and if you've enrolled), which is equal to $2.56 in savings and over 18 cents per gallon.

Get the full cash back details when you click the "Apply" button to the left.

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Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express - 6 percent cash back at US supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers year-round (though purchase-capped) bonus cash back on two categories Americans pay for most each summer - gas and groceries. This card includes 6 percent cash back on up to $6,000 in purchases made at US supermarkets each year, and unlimited 3 percent cash back at US gas stations and select US department stores. 

If you'd like to skip the $75 annual fee attached to this card, then we suggest checking out the similar Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

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Citi ThankYou® Preferred Rewards Card - 15,000 points - $150 gift cards

Finally, the Citi ThankYou® Preferred Rewards Card includes a nice introductory offer - Earn 15,000 bonus ThankYou Points after $1000 in card purchases within 3 months of account opening – which is enough for $150 in gift cards or other great rewards! The ongoing rewards program is pretty simple, and includes 1 ThankYou Point for every $1 you spend on purchases. Like the aforementioned Discover card, there's no annual fee to pay.

INFOGRAPHIC - The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN - Earn Points Faster

Submitted on Tue, 2013-06-11 13:54 | by Jason Bushey

The infographic below comes from American Express, and explains how business consumers can earn points faster one step at a time with the The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN.

At Creditnet, we normally like to make our own infographics, but this one was too useful and fun to pass up on. Follow below to determine if this card is a right fit for you and your business, and simply click the image to apply online if you like what you see.

Ask Creditnet: Should I Ever Apply for a Credit Card Cash Advance?

Submitted on Mon, 2013-06-10 11:13 | by Jason Bushey

Dear Creditnet: I've been tempted to use the cash advance option on my credit card more than once, but have always found the necessary cash to scrape by when it came down to it. Can you explain how cash advances work, and should I ever apply for one if my cash situation gets especially tight? Thanks in advance. - Chris from Austin, TX

Best Credit Cards With Low Interest Rates - 12% And Under

Submitted on Fri, 2013-06-07 10:17 | by Jason Bushey

Low interest credit cards keep the dangers of snowballing debt low, even for those consumers that carry a higher balance. Look - anytime you can avoid carrying a balance, you should. No matter how low an interest rate is, any interest paid still hurts your overall bottom line. That said, sometimes carrying a balance is unavoidable - be it because of emergencies or otherwise - and in those instances, having a low ongoing interest is crucial to your ability to pay down your debt.

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Simmons First Visa® Platinum

The Simmons First Visa® Platinum features a variable APR as low as 7.25 percent. There's also no annual fee and no balance transfer fee if you apply online. This card is simple to maintain and makes carrying a balance as inexpensive as possible.  Excellent credit is required for approval, and overall this is the lowest ongoing APR credit card available on Creditnet.com.

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IberiaBank Visa® Classic

Like the above Simmons First credit card, this Visa card from IberiaBank has an ongoing APR variable that starts as low as 7.25 percent. This is another offer for good-to-excellent credit consumers, and there's no annual fee to pay. Cardholders can transfer their balance to a 1.99 percent APR for 6 months so long as they initiate the transfer within 3 months of account opening for a 2 percent fee. This is another excellent low interest credit card to consider if your main focus is a lowered APR.

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Barclaycard® Ring MasterCard®

One of our favorite low interest credit cards is the Barclaycard® Ring MasterCard® - it's also one of the most interesting, hands-on cards in the industry. No other card lets you vote on the new features you hope to see on your card, which is precisely what this card offers. Cardholders also "share in the profits" of the card, which according to Barclaycard is based on the estimated financial performance of the Ring card community. It doesn't hurt that the APR for this card is 8 percent flat. If you're looking to take part in a new and unique credit card experience while carrying a low APR, this is an excellent card to consider.

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Discover it®

Then there's Discover it®, which combines one of the lowest starting regular APR variables of any cash back card (10.99% - 22.99% (V)*) with an exemplary fee structure. There's no annual fee to carry this card, Discover won't increase your APR for paying late, and they'll even waive the first late payment fee (it's $35 thereafter). Not that you should ever pay late, but if one payment slips your mind it's nice to know Discover has your back. This is another good-to-excellent credit offer, and the ongoing APR is just one of a dozen reasons to carry this card.

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Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card - 0% Interest for 18 Months!

Finally, one of the most trusted credit card issuers in the biz -Citibank - offers this low-APR, no annual fee credit card for excellent credit consumers. This card not only offers one of the longest 0 percent APR introductory periods applied to purchases and balance transfers at 18 months, but the ongoing APR once that intro period expires starts at a 11.99 percent variable. Like all of the cards listed here, the variable APR an individual is approved of varies based on creditworthiness. However, this is an excellent card to carry for consumers most interested in keeping interest rates low.

Should Young Adults Be Scared Off by Credit Cards?

Submitted on Tue, 2013-06-04 10:24 | by Jason Bushey

There's been a lot of news of late about the growing skepticism young adults have for credit cards. (Some of it even written by yours truly.) Many financial experts are celebrating the seemingly newfound reluctance for young Americans to run up a tab on their card; the median credit card debt for younger households that carry a balance shrank from $2,500 in 2002 to $1,700 in 2010, according to the Pew Research center. Those are obviously some positive numbers, but they also don't tell the whole story.

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Best Credit Card for College Students - Discover it® for Students

Students approved for this card earn access to one of the best online marketplaces of any credit card issuer, there's no annual fee and students can earn a 5 percent cash back bonus on up to $1,500 in purchases in categories that rotate each quarter. Click the "Apply" button to the left for full details, terms and conditions, and find out why this is Creditnet's favorite student credit card offer available.

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Best Secured Card for Credit Newbies - First Progress Platinum Prestige Secured MasterCard®

This secured credit card for young adults with no or limited credit is a proven credit-builder. This card reports to all three major credit bureaus, the ongoing interest rate is one of the lowest available at 11.99 percent and the annual fee to carry this card is a modest $44. Apply today and start building your credit with the First Progress Platinum Prestige Secured MasterCard®.

Best Cash Back Credit Card Offers for June, 2013

Submitted on Thu, 2013-05-30 09:28 | by Jason Bushey

With so many rotating credit card offers available to consumers, every now and then the experts at Creditnet like to take stock of the best of the best. With the beginning of a new month mere days away, we thought today was as good a day as any to evaluate the best cash back offers for June.

Without further ado, here are June's best cash back credit offers organized by category...

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June's Best Bonus Cash Back Offer - Discover it®

Through June, Discover it® cardholders earn 5 percent cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases made on home improvement. However, cardholders that sign up this month will be eligible to enroll in the upcoming summer bonus cash back offer, which begins July 1st and includes 5 percent cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases at gas stations through September 30th. Save on your summer road trip when you sign up for this excellent gas rebate credit card from Discover.

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June's Best Credit Card for Grocery Purchases - Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

No credit card in June offers more cash back for grocery purchases than this cash back offer from American Express. Members earn 6 percent cash back at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases. SIX PERCENT. They'll even reward you with another 3 percent cash back at US gas stations and select major department stores. There's an annual fee to carry this card ($75), but members can earn 150 Reward Dollars after they make $1,000 in purchases in the first three months of cardmembership.

Is Bad Credit Keeping You From Your Dream Job?

Submitted on Tue, 2013-05-28 09:15 | by Jason Bushey

We all know carrying a bad credit score can limit your chances of loan and credit card approval while jacking up your interest rates. But did you know having bad credit could also be keeping you from getting hired for your dream job?

A recent article from the New York Times is the latest to identify bad credit as one of the factors employers consider when determining which candidate is right for an open position. This isn't a new phenomenon by any stretch, but rather a factor made more apparent after the Great Recession helped to wreak havoc on millions of Americans' credit. 

3 Inexpensive Ways to Have Fun This Memorial Day

Submitted on Fri, 2013-05-24 08:30 | by Jason Bushey

Memorial Day weekend is upon us! And while the weather isn't cooperating in some parts of the country, there's no reason to let a little rain (or in some cases snow...yeesh) get you down.

For readers hoping to have some good fun on a budget this holiday weekend, here's three inexpensive ways to have a good time this Memorial Weekend:

1.) Holiday BBQ

How well do you know credit? Take the VantageScore Credit Quiz and find out!

Submitted on Wed, 2013-05-22 11:07 | by Jason Bushey

I was on CBS News this morning when an article by Kathy Kristof caught my eye. The subject was "What hurts your credit?" and, as she states right there in the title, "many have no clue."

In the article, Kristof lists off a number of different statistics relating to credit score knowledge, comparing male and female answers throughout. While neither gender came out very favorably, I was shocked by some of the metrics noted and decided to check out the source myself - the VantageScore Credit Quiz.

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