The Gas Hog  | May 29,2008

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Buying Guide for Gas Hogs

There’s no doubt that the cost of gas is on everyone’s mind.  Because of this, the demand for gas-rebate credit cards is going through the roof.  Do you love to drive?  Do you have no choice but to make a long commute every day?  If so, you really need to look into getting a gas credit card, so every time you fill up the pump it doesn’t feel like you’re draining your bank account.

Discover® Open Road SM Card

This may be the ultimate gas hog card.  Most gas reward credit cards are gas-only.  There are also car maintenance cards that give you discounts for car maintenance on particular models of cars.  The Discover Open Road Card combines the two: the ability to built up rewards points both from gas and car maintenance purchases.  No doubt if you drive a lot, you’ll be spending a lot for gas as well as putting more wear and tear on your car.  With the Discover Open Road card you can get 5% cash back on both types of purchases.  

Miles by Discover

Discover does it again.  If car maintenance isn’t your main concern, the Miles by Discover Card is a hybrid gas/airline miles card.  When using the card, you’ll get double points back for both airline purchases and gas purchases.  With a 12-month 0% introductory APR and a very-low 10.99% after that, it’s one of the best all-around cards, in the variety of rewards and the APR.  

The Chase PerfectCard

Some gas rebate cards are limited in the number of gas stations where the card is eligible.  This can be inconvenient if you need to hunt around for a specific gas station to use the card.  The Chase PerfectCard can be used at any gas station in the U.S.  Cardholders will get 3% off gas purchases, after the initial 90-day offer of 6% expires.  If you’re about to go on a road trip, this is a great card because the introductory rate is so high for gas station purchases.  

The Business Man  | May 29,2008

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Buying Guide for the Business Man

A credit card is a crucial part of a company’s overall business plan.  There are as many business credit cards as there are cards for everyday consumers.  While business credit cards do on the whole offer a better APR than consumer credit cards, they’re not all equal.  When you factor in the ability to get discounts on important business purchases, a business credit card is a major weapon to have in the financial arsenal.  

Advanta Platinum With Rewards

If travel is part of your business plan, than the Advanta Platinum with Rewards card is a good option. Though it’s not a straight airline-miles card, that’s one of its selling points.  Instead of weighing rewards in any one direction, the rewards points built up with Advanta Platinum card can either be used for travel rewards or for straight 5% cash back on all other business purchases.  This makes it much more flexible than the standard airline business card.  With a very low 7% APR, it is a highly versatile and attractive card.  

Chase Visa® Platinum Business Card

One thing a consumer card cannot offer is a sizable credit limit upfront.  A small business owner needs the leverage of a high credit limit in order to finance business purchases.  This is especially true when a business is just starting out.  The Chase Visa Platinum Credit card offers a credit limit of $35,000.  It also offers special features to help business managers organize finances – whether it’s paying bills online, placing new orders, or financing new projects.  The card also offers accident and travel insurance, as well as discounts for business purchases at a variety of affiliated locations.  

American Express Business Green Rewards Card

For larger business owners, a $35,000 spending limit may not be enough.  The Business Green Rewards card has no set spending limit, meaning the card can grow as your business grows.  The card offers one reward point for every dollar spent, which can be used at a variety of places important to your business: FedEx, Delta, Marriot, office supplies, and more.  

The Punk  | May 29,2008

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Buying Guide for the Punk

You know, punks have to shop too.  In fact, punk rock regalia can be pretty expensive.  Have you seen the price of Doc Martens recently?  Not to mention the cost of concert tickets. Now that punk rock has gone mainstream, it’s not like you’ll only going to be going to the local dive to see a show. 

Punk rockers may also not be too independently wealthy, and having a Mohawk doesn’t necessarily open the door for 60-figure-a-year employment.  Put that all together and a punk rocker needs a good credit card in order to get by. 


IN:LA from American Express

Yeah, Los Angeles is home to Hollywood and palm trees, but it’s also been home to a lot of influential punk rock bands: Black Flag, the Minutemen, X, and others.  So this card is for those punk rockers living the dream in L.A.  Rewards points can be used for shows and other events in Los Angeles.  The card can also be used to build up rewards points in Chicago and New York City (The Ramones, anyone?)

Chase +1SM Student MasterCard®

Some punks might be students.  Because, after all, being a student gives you more freedom to look like whatever you want to look like.  The Chase +1 Student MasterCard is good for young punks for a couple of reasons.  First, it lets you build up points that can be redeemed for music, movies, and other products.  As punk rockers are also usually politically-minded, the rewards points can be used for charities.  Finally, if you’re a Facebook-using punk, the card can be used to redeem points at Facebook/+1 stores. 

Buyright Prepaid Mastercard® Card

Who knows, maybe you’re so punk rock that you eschew the banking system altogether.  If that’s the case, than the Buyright Prepaid MasterCard is for you.  If you don’t have a checking account – either by choice or because of some past financial problems – the Buyright card allows you to direct deposit a portion of your paycheck to pay off the credit card, for no fee.  Check cashing fees can be pretty astronomical, so this is a way to avoid that by depositing your paycheck directly to the card.  It’s kind of like a traveling bank account, without ever have to bother with tellers. 


 

The Frugal  | May 29,2008

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Buying Guide for the Frugal Person

Credit Cards are both good news and bad news for frugal people.  The good news is that you can pay off a purchase in installments, meaning that less will be taken out of a bank account immediately for each purchase.  The bad news is that over time, you could end up spending more via interest rates.  So frugal people need two things from a credit card:

1.    A card with a low interest rate.
2.    A card with a good cash back program to balance out what’s lost in interest.  

These credit cards fit the bill:

Capital One® No Hassle CashSM Rewards (E)

The Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards card has both a good cash back program and a low APR.  The regular rate for the card is a low 13.4%, after the initial 0% rate expires.  The initial rate is actually not determined upfront, so if you qualify, you could get an extended 0% rate.  You can earn 1% cash back on all purchases – with no limit on the amount of points you build up – with an additional 25% annual bonus for the cash you make throughout the year.  This cash back and bonuses can either be cashed out or be used to pay off your existing bill.

The Discover More Card – Clear

Frugal people are obvious bargain hunters.  And there’s no better place to find bargain deals than online.  The Internet is like a haggler’s dream.  For the frugal, there’s a credit card to match the Internet-savvy consumer.  The Discover More Card offers up to 20% cash back bonuses for online purchases. It also offers unlimited rewards on other types of purchases.  With a low 10.99% APR – an incredibly competitive rate – this is just about a perfect card for a frugal online shopper.  

Discover Motiva Card

Another good Discover card for frugal consumers.  With the Discover Motiva card, you’ll get back the cost of a full month’s interest twice a year if you pay your bill on time 6 months in a row.  Also, the card offers a minimum 5% cash back and maximum 20% for select retailers.  For all other retailers, the card offers 1% back. With a low annual APR, this is a good match for those looking for more ways to earn money back from the card and minimize the damage from interest.