airline rewards credit card

While economists tend to focus their attention on the latest stock market trends and fiscal policy, there are new consumer trends developing that hit much closer to home.  For example, the decisions Americans have been making about how often they reach for their credit cards has changed dramatically over the past few years. Indeed, consumers have adopted new spending habits that speak volumes about the lasting impact of the economic recession.

Here’s a quick glance at an interesting trend we've noticed and what it might say about the rest of the economy as a whole.

Chase pulled the plug last month on its popular 50,000 bonus point Southwest Premier card offer. However, As of Monday August 8th 2011, its replacement hit the market—the 25,000 point Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus credit card. This is a pretty standard offer from Southwest, so I wouldn't say it's anything to get too excited about. If you don't need the card right away so you can redeem the 25,000 points, you may want to try waiting for a better promotion to hit the market in the coming months. It could very well happen towards the end of the year or in early 2012.

(Update: This offer is no longer available. Check out the current listings of available Citibank credit cards on Creditnet.com.)

I've been reviewing (and personally using) the Citi ThankYou Premier Card since 2008 when it was originally called the Citi PremierPass Elite Card.  I loved it back then, and I still "like" it a lot today. While there's no doubt Citi has watered down this card offer quite a bit over the years, the fact is it continues to rank among the top tier of travel rewards credit cards. Feel free to read my previous review for all the details about why the "Citi ThankYou Premier Card Still Makes Me Smile".

The U.S. Mint has closed a loophole that allowed owners of credit cards with airline miles to rack up free fares— without spending any money. Credit card users across the country are smacking their heads and asking themselves why they didn’t think of that earlier. In an effort to spread $1 coins into circulation, the U.S. Mint had been offering what it thought was a zero-sum deal to consumers: the ability for citizens to purchase large quantities of $1 coins at face value.  In other words, you charge $5,000 on your credit card, and a few days later $5,000-worth of $1 coins would arrive on your doorstep.