If you're interested in the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card, but missed out on the big 50,000 point sign-up bonus that quickly came and went last year, Southwest hasn't left you completely hanging.  There's still a 25,000 point bonus to be had after making your first purchase on the card. This is actually the same deal Southwest and Chase were offering new cardholders back in August of 2011, so it's nothing we haven't seen before.  And as I said when I've previously reviewed this card offer, it certainly isn't a bad deal for a $69 annual fee, but it's not superb either. In addition, based on what we've seen in the past, I think it's fairly safe to say that we'll continue to see sign-up bonuses for the Rapid Rewards Card bounce back and forth between 25,000 and 50,000 points in the coming year. We may even see it bounce back up to 50,000 before the end of 2012, but that's just a guess on my part.

Dear Creditnet: My credit scores are in bad shape and I've been researching ways to start rebuilding my credit so I can eventually get an auto loan at a decent interest rate. It turns out that the credit union I use offers a "credit builder loan" that is supposed to help my credit scores. How does a credit builder loan work, and will it actually improve my FICO scores? It kind of seems like a scam to me because the interest rate is pretty high, but I've used this credit union for a long time and have always been happy with their products and customer service. - Justin T. from MA

Personally, I tend to stick with cards that offer an unlimited amount of rewards at a fixed amount per dollar spent. It's easier to keep track of and I hate worrying about "signing up" for cash back promotions each quarter. That said, Chase's $100 cash back sign-up bonus after spending just $500 during the first 3 months makes the Chase Freedom Visa Card more appealing than it has been at times in the past.  If you're searching for a new cash back credit card and you prefer a card with no annual fee, here's 6 reasons why you may want to consider this latest offer from Chase:

Auto sales were up nearly 30 percent in May over the same month last last year. Meanwhile, the stock market saw its worst month in two years, consumer confidence weakened, and unemployment rates were still pitiful.

Yet, in spite of all the negative news, for some reason Americans ran out and snatched up 1.3 million cars and trucks. Why?

The Discover More Card doesn't offer the best rewards program on the market. It also doesn't offer the longest 0% interest promotional period. So why would anyone want to get it, and what makes it Discover's flagship card? What the Discover More Card consistently offers cardholders is a little bit of everything in one package. No annual fee, 0% interest on both purchases and balance transfers, and a cash back program that provides up to a 5% bonus for certain categories throughout the entire year. In addition, Discover doesn't mess around with the card's benefits very often, so consumers have come to know and understand what they can expect from this card.