Your Credit Cards Guide

Dear Eva, My credit score is low (580) thanks to a tough couple of years as a single mom, but my husband’s credit score is so much better (780). I’ve always wanted to take advantage of the kind of rewards deals that you write about, but I haven’t been able to because of my credit. Is there a way I can use my husband’s credit instead to apply for a rewards card? Would we even be approved? We’ve only been married for a year and so this would be the first time we applied for a card together. Lisa

Hi Lisa, Congratulations on your recent marriage! I’m glad your financial fortunes are taking a different turn. Making ends meet as a single mom is tough indeed.

Regarding your question, yes, technically you and your husband can apply for a credit card together. But you will want to weigh your options carefully before you do to make sure you really want to go down that road.

Let’s deal with the technical side of things first. There are two

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You may already own a Visa or MasterCard but chances are you are still interested in AMEX credit card account info. The American Express credit card is one of the most popular credit cards and is very different from other cards on the market today.

Neither MasterCard nor Visa issue credit themselves. They use banks to issue the cards for them, provide the actual credit and charge the interest rate. Those popular credit logos represent methods of payment only and the payment and other terms on these accounts can vary widely.

American Express credit card has its own payment system and issues cards directly to consumers. AmEx (also used as AMEX) runs the credit show for their cards. When you see their logo you know what the payment system is and everything you need to know about that account.

AMEX is constantly expanding its reach and its network.

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Reuters Linda Stern has a nice report on the huge ramp up of credit card rewards programs in the run-up to this years holiday season. Of course, the current rush to get customers to spend more heavily on their credit cards started months ago and weve been tracking its progress along the way on this blog as well.

In her piece Stern does a nice job of documenting the accelerating pace of beefing up credit rewards programs, while asserting that, as weve also been saying, it is not the imminent holiday season thats causing it. In fact, she begins by quoting an expert stating that the recently enacted Durbin Amendment, which limited the amount of the fees issuers can charge merchants for accepting debit cards for payment, has much more to do with it. I agree.

Stern gives us a preview of a list of best cards for holiday shopping, compiled by lowcards.com, a website providing credit card information.

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As of November 6^th, all Discover cards have no foreign transaction fees! This is excellent news if you already have a Discover credit card, of course, but should you consider getting one because of the change? The answer depends on your travel habits. As you might expect, Discover’s new pricing structure has the biggest effect on their two airline miles credit cards: the Miles and the Escape. While we do have a few words of caution, we’re super excited to see these cards become a more competitive choice for international travelers. The rewards are decent and easy to redeem. And if you’re looking for the most bang for your buck in terms of reward redemption, Discover provides plenty of good options.

Discover Escape beats Discover Miles

The Discover Miles card and the Discover Escape card are similar in many respects. Both offer a 0% introductory purchase and transfer APR for the first six months, and if you transfer your balance before February 2012, your B/T fee will be only 3%. (Mind

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Confused with too many things on your platter? Well, this is the situation for many when they have to make a decision on which retirement plan they have to choose. The things to be kept in mind before choosing a retirement plan is that whether you decide to pay your taxes now or together as an amount in the future. This is the main point which confuses many when they have to choose between the Traditional IRA and Roth IRA. To know more about the differences and the advantages of the plans, it is good to visit the following site roth-ira.org and to read about the plans in detail as given below.

Both the traditional IRA and Roth IRA allow a maximum annual contribution of $5000, under the age of 50, and $6,000 above the age of 50. Read more…

One of the nation’s largest credit card lenders recently announced that it was launching a slew of accounts designed specifically to help military members and their families.

Chase Card Services recently unveiled five new credit cards targeted at helping military families increase their spending flexibility, the company announced. These accounts – the Military Star Rewards; Air Force Club; Army Morale, Welfare, Recreation; Navy Morale, Welfare, Recreation; and Marine Corps Community Service cards – come with a slew of benefits, including no annual fee, unlimited cash back rewards and no fees charged for making purchases in a foreign currency. All the cards are issued by MasterCard.

“Chase is proud to support our men and women in uniform around the globe,” said Emelie Smith Calbick, general manager for Chase Card Services.

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