American and International Info Resources

Over the past two years, I’ve seen airline and travel rewards credit cards come and go. With the exception of a few cards, most charged high interest rates and absurd annual fees that offset any “rewards” that might be earned. On top of that, many required spending of $35.000 just to get a “reward”. It was not the best of times for consumers.

Things have changed with the recent introduction of the Blue Sky credit card from American Express. The Blue Sky credit card is by and far the best travel reward credit card to hit the market in years. It not only offers great savings, but the highest rewards percentage of any card.

The Savings: Given that most travel rewards cards charge annual fees of $50-$85, you immediately save a minimum of $50 by using Blue Sky. That’s no small change. Additionally, the low APR is currently 12.24% (as of 1/17/06), about three to four percent less than other travel and airline credit cards, which generally charge 14% to 17%.

Additionally, Blue Sky also offers a 0% introductory APR on purchases for up to 6 months. These factors make the Blue Sky from American Express an incredible value for a rewards credit card.

The Rewards: Like other travel and airline reward cards, you earn 1 point for every dollar spent with Blue Sky. However, 1 point with Blue Sky is worth a lot more than 1 point with any other credit card. Here’s why: it only takes 7500 points to earn $100 towards any travel purchase. That’s the same as earning 1.33% in rewards on every dollar spent.

In addition to this great rewards return percentage, Blue Sky from American Express gives you the freedom to save on any flight, hotel, rental car, or cruise-at any time, without blackout dates or travel restrictions.

Hopefully, the introduction Blue Sky will convince other issuers to follow a new trend and the market will see more low apr, no annual fee travel rewards credit cards. Currently, no other company has stepped up to the plate.

Copyright 2006 Credit Card Depot Inc. Free online reprints of this article are allowed provided the resource box remains intact with a live link back to http://www.credit-card-depot.com.

Jeff Weber is
the President & CEO of Credit Card Depot Inc. His primary website, Credit Card
Depot, features detailed credit card application information and links that has
helped over 10,000 consumers find new credit card over the past two years. You
can find over 80 current credit card applications, including the

Blue Sky from American Express and other

American Express credit cards, at

http://www.credit-card-depot.com.

Regardless if you have good credit or bad credit or even if you are rich or poor, there is a credit card on the marketplace for you. If you have bad credit then you will need to find a company that offers unsecured credit cards.
The secured credit cards are for families and individuals that have money, yet want a credit card to maintain their credit rates on the records. Spending money is not going to build their credit, therefore they will use the cards to build there credit line. Frequently these people will expend a couple of hundred each month and repay the charges off quickly. This is ludicrous since the repayments paid sooner than the date due will not build any credit lines. Rather, the cardholder must show good faith by paying the cards off on the due date.

If you have bad credit, then be aware that providers that offer unsecured credit cards may require a small deposit. The deposit is a security to the lenders that if you fail to make payments, they can use the deposit to meet the debt amount. If you apply for the card and are approved, most likely you will not receive a credit line above the depositing amount. In other words, you credit card may only provide you $500 credit and if you exceed these amount you are at risk of loosing your card.

Most unsecured credit cards offer low fixed interest rates and a credit line, starting at $200 and up, depending on the card provider and the depositing amount. The providers may even offer additional benefits, including cash back or points per purchase made on the credit card. You will need to be very cautious while looking for an unsecured credit card.

The Pesky Sales People
Salespeople will often go out of their way to make a sell. At times, you may receive phone calls, emails, or letters in the mail with special offers on credit cards. The credit lines may range from $200 up to $10, 000 regardless of your credit ratings. Most of the offers tell you to sign up now before the offer expires. BE CAUTIOUS! Most of these offer a ’slicks’ to lower you into a web of debt.
Also, watch out for the advertising slicks that send messages, claiming that you are approved for a Guaranteed Credit Card. Most likely, the slicks have a high-paying approval line of credit to offer.

If you do find a credit card and are approved it will help you when times are tough. One advantage of credit cards is that you can head over to the bank and withdraw $500 when you need quick cash.
The downside is being aware that you will be paying more than $500 back in most instances. On the other hand, you are not going deeper in debt really, (depends on the payday advance amount and fees), but Payday Loan lenders will attach a higher fee than many credit card lenders. For example, you could get a payday loan up to $500 at a Payday Advance store and may pay $82 for the loan borrowed. If you exceed three extensions on Payday Loans then you could pay up to 449.9% interest rates on the loans. Therefore, credit cards are more reliable for offering payday loans.

No matter if, you have good, bad or no credit at all, the unsecured cards are more available to be on your side, than few of the other types of cards offered are. If you have bad credit or no credit, you may want to check out the High-Risk card lenders, since many will work hard to get you a card. The lenders will also go out of their way to find a card that better suits your needs.

Furthermore, if you are searching for an unsecured credit card, or any card for that matter, be sure to stay alert to each detail laid out in the terms and agreements. Some card providers will charge yearly rates, monthly rates, and additional hidden charges. Therefore, reading the fine print before signing a contract is the wisest thing you will ever do!

Please visit http://www.finance-online.net for more information regarding finance and credit cards.

Instant approval credit cards online are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. In a fast-paced society, the speed of an instant approval credit card is sought after by many individuals. But, it is important to understand as much as you can about instant approval credit cards before you choose to apply for one.

What are Instant Approval Credit Cards?

Instant approval credit cards are those that can be approved within a matter of seconds. To qualify for one of these instant approval credit cards, online applications are completed on a secure website. Using the information gained from the application, the credit card company can determine instantly if you qualify for a credit card.

Am I Guaranteed to Get an Instant Approval Credit Card?

No. Instant approval credit cards are not secured credit cards. Therefore, they still need to look at your credit history in order to determine whether or not you qualify for a credit card. If you have a poor credit history, you may be turned down for an instant approval credit card. Whether or not you receive credit approval depends on the guidelines followed by the credit card company and your personal credit history.

Can I Still Be Approved, Even if it’s Not Instant?

Yes. Instant approval credit cards sometimes need more information than what can be gained instantly in order to decide if they will approve your application. In this case, they will send you a notification letting you know that your application is being reviewed further. In this case, you will generally still know whether or not you have been approved for the credit card within a week or two, which is still much faster than non-instant approval credit cards.

Can I Start Spending Immediately?

No. Although instant approval credit cards can tell you within seconds whether or not you have been approved for an instant approval credit card online, you will have to wait to physically receive the credit card before you can start using it. Usually, your instant approval credit card will arrive to you within a couple of weeks, which is still much faster than traditional credit card application that typically take six to eight weeks.

Are There Any Differences in the Way Instant Approval Credit Cards Look?

No. Instant approval credit cards look the same as any other credit card. No one but you will know it was an instant approval credit card.

Are There Any Drawbacks to Instant Approval Credit Cards?

Maybe. Some instant approval credit cards do assess a processing fee for the convenience of receiving instant approval. If this concerns you, shop around for an instant approval credit card that does not assess these fees. There are plenty of options available. Furthermore, you might want to reconsider applying for an instant approval credit card if you do not have a need to get the card right away. If you can wait to receive the card, it better to apply for a traditional credit card in order to avoid paying unnecessary fees.

Do Instant Approval Credit Cards Have the Same Benefits as Other Credit Cards?

Yes. No two credit cards, whether they are instant approval credit cards or traditional credit cards, are the same. Therefore, they do not always include benefits such as travel insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty coverage. Nonetheless, there are plenty of instant approval credit cards available with desirable benefits such as those found on traditional credit cards.

Can I Participate in a Special Rewards Program with Instant Approval Credit Cards?

Yes. There are instant approval credit cards available that offer special cash back and rewards programs to cardholders. If you are interested in participating in one of these programs, browse through the many instant approval credit cards available in order to find one that best suits your lifestyle and needs.

For more on instant approval credit cards, Robert Alan recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com.

The airline credit card came into existence when credit card companies realized the profitability of teaming up with airline companies to provide better incentives and opportunities for consumers to encourage spending. Luckily for the credit card companies, the concept of frequent flier program was just getting popular at that time. Travelers used to fancy going in one particular airline because of loyalty or habit. So the airline company for more customer patronage, introduced mileage points on every flight that a customer would take. Once certain levels of points were achieved, passenger could redeem those free points to several destinations.

Taking a cue from the success of airplane companies, credit card issuers stared with the concept of frequent flier reward programs that gave the customer the benefit to convert their reward points into frequent flier air-miles at the rate of one mile for every dollar or two charged to their credit card. Customers loved this concept and they began to use their credit card with more regularity so that they could accumulate the frequent flier miles faster. Credit cards companies stretched the rewards beyond travel destinations. They gave the customer an opportunity to redeem points accumulated, for free hotel accommodations and car rentals besides air tickets.

No doubt, airline credit cards are a boon for someone who travels by air frequently or has a jet-set lifestyle. Here are 5 important guidelines or tips that can help you make an ideal choice for the best airline credit card:

1. Acceptance of the card: Your airline credit card has to be accepted almost universally at all retailers and shopping destinations. You get frequent flier miles only on the purchases that you make. The faster you make purchases, the quicker you can accumulate points. You have to make sure that your card is accepted at mostly all the shopping establishments without any hassle.

2. Black out dates: This is an important point which most customers overlook. There are certain days during vacations or popular holidays where travel destinations and hotels do not encourage redemption of frequent flier points or miles as they already have a steady demand. Check with your airline credit card company what the blackout dates are when you cannot redeem your frequent flier miles.

3. Terms and conditions: Check with the airline credit card company what is the policy of frequent flier points with regards to a balance transfer or getting an upgraded airline credit card. In that case, do you lose the existing frequent flier miles or they are carried over? Does the airline credit card company offer you to transfer balances at a lower interest rate? Does the move increase the frequent flier points on the card? Find out if you can consolidate your payments onto your airline credit card and also if accounts to increased frequent flier miles as well.

4. Extra privileges: Find out if you get travel insurance with the airline credit card. Most airline credit cards also give you discounts on hotel and car rentals for usage of the card. You can also find out if your card provides you with emergency cash if you are caught in an accident or if your vehicle breaks down in the middle of the road.

5. Fees: Cards with privileges like the airline credit cards and travel rewards credit cards carry a heavy annual fee. This is to compensate for the amount of benefits and incentives they give to the customer. Credit card companies also have to make money, don’t they? However as a customer, you have to compare the cost of annual fee with the rewards that you are getting. Go for the credit card which charges you a lesser annual fee with a decent amount of rewards and benefits. You can choose an airline credit card with a large annual fee but with excellent rewards and discounts that are worth the price.

Daniel Cohen recommends Find Credit Cards for comparing the best airline credit cards.