Credit-Card Promotions Improving, And Here's The Proof...

Citi® Credit Cards

The Fed lifted the U.S. Prime Rate from 3.25% to 3.5% at the end of last year.

While the U.S. economy is still not as healthy as it should be this far into the post-Great-Recession recovery, the Federal Reserve may still opt to raise short-term rates again as soon as the December 14, 2106 FOMC monetary policy meeting.

And when the Fed demonstrates confidence in the U.S. economy, big banks tend to respond by making their loan products more attractive.  American banks are more profitable when the short-term interest rates controlled by the Federal Reserve rise.

In the credit-card zone, I'm seeing the return of some very consumer-friendly promotions, including extended zero percent introductory APR offers, on both balance transfers and new purchases, and balance transfer offers that don't charge balance transfer fee.

I'm old, and I'm a very responsible borrower, so I always expect the banks and credit unions with which I have an established relationship to offer me nothing but the best. 

According to Equifax®, my FICO® credit score is 814 out of a possible 900.  A brief, FICO credit-score history is a new feature I noticed when I logged into my Citi® credit card account today.

My FICO® Credit Score - Brief History

What My 814 FICO® Score Means To Lenders

FICO® Scores At A Glance

Right now I'm taking advantage of three concurrent Citi promotions with my Citi® Dividend World MasterCard®:

• 0% APR on all new purchases until June 1, 2017.
• 5% cash back on purchases I make at department stores (Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Kohl’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, etc.) and includes the electronics retailer Best Buy, which suits my geeky lifestyle just fine.  This particular promo lasts from October 1 through December 31, 2016.
• And last, but certainly not least, I am currently getting 5% cash back on all online purchases I make with my card, until November 30, 2016.

I understand the timing with the above incentives, with the holiday shopping season in the offing, but I won't be doing much spending.  I'm not rich, and I never spend for the sake of spending. 

Move Free® ULTRA

But I did use my Citi card to purchase some Move Free® ULTRA Triple Action Joint / Cartilage / Bone supplements, which the CVS.com website had discounted at buy one, get one free.  I'm an avid quad skater, and my knees have been complaining so much lately that I had to find a solution.  Move Free ULTRA has lots of very positive reviews online.

I like to use my Citi card every once in a while, just to let the folks and computers at Citi know that I'm interested in keeping the card alive.  The card offers the kind of value I appreciate, so I don't want some algorithm and/or employee to close my card due to inactivity. 

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Chase Makes The Best No Fee Balance Transfer Card Even Better

The Slate from Chase credit card has been tweaked. The card still offers a zero percent introductory rate on new purchases and transferred balances for 15 months, with no balance transfer fee. What's new is that you now have up to 60 days to transfer your balance(s) to the card, and pay no transfer fee. In other words, the fee-free transfer window has been extended.

You can the Slate from Chase credit card here.

Enjoy!

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0% Intro APR Scaled Back on The Chase Ink Classic and Ink Cash Business Credit Cards

Chase has scaled back the zero percent introductory period for the Ink Classic and Ink Cash business credit cards. For both cards, the intro period was 0% on both new purchases and transferred balances for 12 months. It's now 6 months on purchases and balance transfers for both cards.

A bit of a buzzkill, but both cards still offer a lot of value.

For example, Ink Classic offers:

• As a sweet welcoming gift, 10,000 bonus points after your first purchase
  
  
• Spend $5,000 in your first 3 months with Ink Classic and you'll receive an additional 15,000 bonus points
  
  
• No cap on the amount of points you can earn, and your points never expire
  

And Ink Cash offers an extremely competitive cash back rewards program.

Both Ink Cash and Ink Classic have no annual membership fee.

If you have zero interest in carrying a balance, you can always opt for the Ink Bold charge card, a card with which you'd pay your entire balance in full at the end of each statement month. Ink Bold offers:

• Welcoming gift: 20,000 bonus points after your first purchase
  
  
• Spend $10,000 or more in the first 3 months and get an additional 25,000 bonus points
  
  
• No foreign transaction or overlimit fees (flexible spending limit)
  
  
• No annual fee for the first year.
  

We all know that the go-go days of easy credit are long gone. With this in mind, be sure that both your personal and business credit profiles are in tiptop shape before applying for any Chase business credit card or business charge card.

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Discover's Most Popular 0% Card Leaves The Market

Discover's $0 Balance Transfer Fee credit card, which was the most popular 0% credit card on this site last month, is no more. This particular offer ended @ the end of February, 2012. It was an extremely popular offer, garnering lots of interest from credit consumers all over the country.

As a company, Discover totally "gets it." Essentially, Discover does business in accordance with the following guiding premise:

Provide top notch customer service, and include as much value as possible, like the best cashback rewards program in the American market and generous 0% intro APR periods, and consumers will beat a path to our door.

Yep.

The demise of Discover's no fee balance transfer card is a lamentable event, no doubt. It's always sad when a great deal goes away.

But don't fret. There are still some great credit-card offers out there from some of America's most reputable banks.

Chase's new no transfer fee, 0% intro APR card is still available. This latest evolution of the Slate® card offers a zero percent introductory interest rate on both new purchases and balance transfer for 15 months, with no balance transfer fee.

The above Chase Slate card was the third most popular card on the www.BalanceTransfer.cc site during February 2012. The #2 card was Discover's 18 Month Promotional Balance Transfer credit card, which offers a zero percent introductory rate on transferred balances for a very attractive 18 months. Despite the 3% transfer fee, this card is still an excellent value. It includes a zero percent introductory rate on new purchases for 6 months.

Citi® still has serious contenders in the 0% credit card game. There are 4 Citi credit cards that offer a zero percent rate on both introductory transfers and new purchases for 18 months, with a 3% transfer fee. You can review these Citi cards, and all the best 0% credit cards in the current market right here.

I see Discover introducing a new $0 Balance Transfer Fee card in the near future.


We're always on the lookout for the best credit-card deals in the USA. Enjoy...and stay tuned.

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Citi's Best 0% Cards Bumped Down to 18 Month Zero Percent Intro APR Period On Transferred Balances and New Purchases

Citi® bounced back into the 0% credit card game with some great offers recently. The following cards were offering a zero percent introductory interest rate on balance transfers and new purchases for a extremely attractive 21 months. These cards offered so much value that we felt that, despite a 3% transfer fee, they deserved to be list on our no fee balance transfer page.

Today's news: Citi has decided to scale back these offers. All 4 cards now offer zero percent intro APR on new purchases and balance transfers for 18 months, with the same 3% balance transfer fee.

Still a great value? Yes.

These cards are:

• Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
• Citi® Platinum Select® Visa®
• Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard®
• Citi Simplicity® Card

Enjoy...and stay tuned.

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Discover Most Popular 0% Card Gets Another Month

Right now, and by a wide margin, the most popular 0% card we recommend is Discover's No Balance Transfer Fee 0% credit card, that offers a zero percent introductory interest rate on both new purchases and transferred balances for 12 months, with no balance transfer fee.

This hot offer was originally slated to last until the end of January 2012. But Discover has opted to extend the offer. You can now apply for this card until the end of February (February ends on the 29th this year.)

Enjoy....and stay tuned.

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Discover's New No Fee Balance Transfer 0% Credit Card

Great news: Discover has just released a new 0% credit card that features 0% intro APR on both new purchases and transferred balances for 12 months, with no balance transfer fee.

One caveat: if you want to take advantage of this offer, don't delay. It's set to expire at the end of this month (January 31, 2012.) Hopefully, Discover will choose to extend this hot offer beyond January, but there's no way to know for sure.

As we predicted, 0% credit card deals keep getting better as the economy slowly improves. Enjoy....and stay tuned.

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Discover Lowers Balance Transfer Fee from 4% to 3% On Two Very Popular Cards

Right now, the two most popular cards we recommend are both issued by Discover. They are the:

• Discover 18 Month Promotional Balance Transfer card, which offers 0% intro APR on transferred balances for 18 months, and zero intro APR on new purchases for 6 months
  
  
• Discover® More Card - 15 Month Intro Period card, which offers 0% intro APR on transferred balances AND new purchases for 15 months.

Transfer a balance to either card above, and you used to be subject to a 4% balance transfer fee. No longer. The transfer fee has been lowered to 3% for both cards. You have 6 months to take advantage of the 3% transfer fee -- plenty of time. After that, if you want to perform a transfer, the fee is 5%.

Obviously, the lower transfer fee makes these cards more competitive. But I think Discover is going to have to bring back their 24 Month Balance Transfer card, which offered zero intro APR on transferred balances for a full 2 years, if the company wants to stay ahead of Citi® in the balance transfer game (Discover pulled their 24 Month Promotional card from the market back May.)

Right now, Citi has no less than four credit cards that feature zero percent intro APR on both transferred balances AND new purchases for 21 months, with a transfer fee of 3%. Very competitive. These cards are:

• Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
• Citi® Platinum Select® Visa®
• Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard®
• Citi Simplicity® Card

So don't be surprised if Discover reintroduces an ultra-long duration, 0% balance transfer card, or a "no balance transfer fee" 0% card, or a card that combines both competition-trumping benefits, in the near future.

Chase recently upped the ante by introducing a version of its Slate card that features zero percent intro APR on transferred balances for 15 months, with no balance transfer fee. You can find this card at the top of this page.

Despite the increased competition, Discover remains the top choice for visitors who apply for credit accounts via this website. Discover's reputation for offering exceptional customer service ⁽¹⁾ is very appealing to all types of credit consumers. And it doesn't hurt that Discover has (arguably) the best cashback rewards program in the industry.

All of the above cards will be very popular from January through March, as Americans do their best to minimize debt related to holiday shopping. Christmas spending is great for the economy, and it's great for all the kids in your circle of family and friends. But try to take it easy. All things in moderation. The housing sector is still weak, unemployment still elevated and growth remains anemic. If your financial situation is great, then by all means spend away and enjoy all the juicy rewards that credit cards have to offer. If not, then please think twice hard before you upgrade that iPhone or that XBox 360.

As the economy slowly but surely thaws over the next three quarters, credit-card deals will get more and more consumer-friendly...no doubt. Stay tuned, and have yourself a superlative holiday season.

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All Discover Student Credit Cards Now Offering 0% on Purchases for 9 Months

Great news for anyone interested in any Discover Student credit card: All Discover Student cards now feature 0% intro APR on purchases for 9 months. This new introductory APR period makes the Discover line of student credit cards the most competitive in the industry. The next best deal, offered by another large credit-card bank, offers 0% intro APR on purchases for 7 months.

You can find the best Discover Student card offers at the United States Prime Rate website here.

It's encouraging to see that, despite continuing stress in the domestic economy (high unemployment, lackluster growth), 0% credit card offers continue to improve, even for college students. We're hoping to see student credit cards that offer 0% intro APR on new purchases and balance transfers at some point.

Enjoy!

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Discover 24 Month Promotional 0% Balance Transfer Card Is Ratcheted Back to 18 Months

Discover's 24 Month Promotional Balance Transfer card, which offered 0% intro APR on transferred balances for a full 2 years, is no longer available. Not good news, but please don't shoot the messenger!

But today's credit-card news isn't all bad.

Discover has a new promotional, long duration, 0% balance transfer credit card, which offers 0% intro APR on transferred balances for 18 months. This card has no annual fee, but has a 4% balance transfer fee.

Yes, 2 years of freedom from paying interest on credit-card debt is awesome, but, hey, a year and a half of freedom from interest is pretty darn good too.

You can find Discover's new long duration 0% balance transfer card here.

NB: The 18 Month Promotional Balance Transfer card won't be available forever (hence "promotional") so if you plan of taking advantage of this particular offer, procrastination is not recommended.

And, yes, there's even more positive news.

Discover has a new 15 Month Intro APR card, which offers 0% intro APR on both new credit-card purchases and transferred balances, for a full 15 months. You can find this high-value card here.

So, as of May 3, 2011, the two cards described in this blog entry are currently the best 0% credit cards available in the American market. Enjoy!

For more, visit this page.

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24 Month 0% Card from Discover Lives On

First, the bad news: the Discover No Balance Transfer Fee card is no more.
The good news: The Discover 24 Month Balance Transfer card, which offers 0% intro APR on transferred balances for a full 2 years, is still available. The 24 Month card, which was to be discontinued along with No Balance Transfer Fee card, lives on, as Discover decided to keep it alive indefinitely. So, as of March 1, 2011, the best 0% credit card in the American market is Discover's 24 Month Balance Transfer card.

For more, visit this page.

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No Balance Transfer Fee 0% Credit Cards Are Back

It was December 9, 2008 when we reported that the last no fee balance transfer, 0% credit card on offer from a major bank had been discontinued. It was the Bank of America Pet Rewards Visa card. You can read that post here. Back then, banks large and small were imploding all across America, and all types of loans became very hard to find. Credit cards were not spared. Banks were closing accounts, cutting credit limits and saying "no" to even the best borrowers who applied for credit. If you had any credit cards back then, you probably remember how bad it was. If you didn't have a credit card during the peak of the financial crisis, then read this post to get idea of how ugly it was.

Fast forward to today. Small regional banks are still vulnerable, but most of the big players are healthy, thanks to the American taxpayer (massive bailouts), and the Federal Reserve (extremely cheap loans.) In fact, banks are still able to borrow from the Fed @ next to 0%, then lend it right back to the Treasury Department and make more than 3%. Might not sound like much, but when you're talking about 8 and 9 figure sums moving around, the profits can be substantial. For the banks, this is some of the easiest arbitrage on the planet, no doubt.

Lots of Americans are still very angry about the bailouts, and for good reason. But at least we now have enough large, reputable and healthy banks that they now have the power to compete without worrying about going broke.

A clear sign that banks are strong, confident and ready to compete is the return favorable of credit-card offers, including our favorite type of card: the 0% intro APR, no fee balance transfer credit card. Yummy.

Discover has two new and very attractive offers. The No Balance Transfer Fee card, to which you can transfer a balance with no transfer fees, and pay no interest for 12 months, and the 24 Month Promotional card, which offers 0% intro APR on transferred balance for a full 2 years. You can find these cards here. These are both extremely consumer friendly offers, but there is one caveat: both offers are for a limited time; they'll expire on February 28, 2011. Right now, these two cards are, quite easily, the best 0% credit cards available in the United States. We're hoping that these cards will be so popular that Discover will keep these offers going after February.

So if you were a bit too jolly during the 2010 Christmas shopping season, and you want to avoid paying burdensome finance charges on the debt associated with your Xmas spending spree(s), then don't hesitate to apply for one of these new Discover cards.

PS: if you're approved for the new Discover No Balance Transfer Fee card, you will also be able to take advantage of 0% intro APR on new purchases for 12 full months. With the new 0% intro APR for 24 Months balance transfer card, the new purchase interest-free period is 6 months. Enjoy!

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Plain Vanilla Discover More Card Now The #1 Credit Card @ www.BalanceTransfer.cc

Based solely on the number of applications submitted via this website, the plain vanilla (or "classic") Discover More Card is now the most popular credit card we recommend, knocking the Discover More Black Card to second place. Why are visitors more interested in the plain vanilla card when they could choose the Black Card, or the Discover More $100 CashBack Bonus card? Simple: the classic More Card is now offering the best 0% balance transfer deal: 0% intro APR on transferred balances for 18 months. Here's how these cards look right now, from a 0% intro APR point of view:

Discover More Card (plain vanilla):

• 0% intro APR on transferred balances for 18 months
• 0% intro APR on new purchases for 6 months
  
  

Discover More Black Card:

• 0% intro APR on transferred balances for 12 months
• 0% intro APR on new purchases for 12 months

Discover More Card with $100 CashBack Bonus:

• 0% intro APR on transferred balances for 12 months
• 0% intro APR on new purchases for 6 months

It seems that the 18 month interest-free period being offered by the plain vanilla More Card is just too attractive a deal to pass up. Godspeed to all applicants.

In general, the rate of application approvals is still improving, albeit at a very moderate clip. We'd like to see credit-card banks approve a lot more applications, especially since American credit-card banks are doing OK these days, and because they have the implicit support of the federal government. Banks are healthy, and they should be willing and able to take more risks. Banks have been able to borrow at 0% - 0.25% and lend at much higher rates, like the rates consumers pay on credit cards. And the easy money isn't going to end any time soon. The Fed is going to keep the target fed funds rate at near zero for as long as it takes to get the economy growing fast enough to bring the unemployment rate down, no doubt.

More evidence of improving credit-card units at big banks, from reports of third-quarter performance. From Chase:

"...JPMorgan Chase Reports Third-Quarter 2010 Net Income of $4.4 Billion, or $1.01 Per Share, on Revenue1 of $24.3 Billion...Card Services sales volume up compared with prior year and quarter; 2.7 million new accounts opened during the quarter; net charge-offs and delinquencies continued to improve..."

From Discover Financial Services:

"...Discover card sales volume of $24 billion in the quarter continued to show positive growth trends, increasing 5% from the prior year.

• Net interest margin of 9.16% remained relatively stable as compared to the prior quarter, as the impact of legislative changes was offset by lower interest charge-offs.

• Credit performance continued to improve, with net charge-offs down $102 million from the prior quarter and a net chargeoff rate for the third quarter of 7.18%.

• Loans over 30 days delinquent declined $180 million in the quarter, which led to a $187 million release of loan loss
reserves.

• Payment Services processed record transaction volume in the quarter of $39 billion and showed continued strong results with profit before tax up 36% from the prior year..."

And here's a clutch of clips from a very recent and excellent WSJ article (WSJ is always great, ain't it?) about easing credit-card delinquencies:

"...At American Express, which has an affluent cardholder base, borrowers at least a month behind in their card payments fell to 2.3% in October from 2.5% in September..."

"...Discover said charge-offs totaled 6.83% of credit-card loans that have been packaged into bonds, down from 7.15%. The 30-day delinquency rate fell to 4.34% from 4.41%. Its shares rose 2.4% to $19.05. Discover and its bigger rival, American Express, process card transactions in addition to issuing credit cards..."

"...J.P. Morgan Chase said charge-offs fell to 7% from 7.78% and delinquencies fell to 3.81% from 3.82%..."

"...Bank of America has consistently reported a higher write-off rate than other major U.S. card issuers. Delinquencies were lower, at 5.6% compared with 5.71%..."

"...At Capital One, a card-lender-turned-bank, charge-offs in its U.S. credit-card business fell to an annualized 7.26% in October from 8.38% in September, according to a regulatory filing Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The 30-day delinquency rate continued to fall, to 4.45% from 4.53%..."

Based on our own data here @ www.BalanceTransfer.cc, credit-card approvals by all the major credit-card banks peaked during the first quarter of 2007. We're looking forward to the day banks approve applications like they did back then. Americans need access to credit to feel prosperous and spend, and that spending will contribute much to getting this economy back to strong and sustainable growth, which in turn will bring the jobless rate down.

The old "I'll use the equity in my home as an ATM and buy all the stuff I want" paradigm is dead, or at least in a very deep coma. Waiting for it to return...that would be like Waiting for Godot.

Based my own very recent experience, I'd say the American consumer is itching to spend like the good old days of 2007 (ahhhh, the memories!) After enjoying a fabulous Thanksgiving meal, I took a midnight trip to Wal-Mart, in an effort to burn off some calories. It was the first minutes of Black Friday. The store was a war zone. There was special fencing at the entrance, and a very noticeable police presence. And the lines: unbelievable. They stretched back to the opposite end of the store, which translated to a 2+ hour wait, in my estimation. Eveyone looked very stressed, which was very puzzling to me. After all, these shoppers knew what to expect. For me, it was fun to watch the madness.

I do all my Xmas shopping the day after Christmas. Excellent sales, and manageable lines. I'm too old and busy for the Black Friday thing.

Stay tuned for more 0% credit card updates. Thanks for reading.

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Discover More with $75 CashBack Is Now Discover More with $100 Cashback

Some interesting news out of Discover today. The Discover More Card with $75 CashBack is now the Discover More Card with $100 CashBack. Value has truly increased with this reconfigured card. That's because the amount of spending one must do to qualify for the cash bonus hasn't changed, i.e., spend $500 within your first 3 months as a cardholder. This revamped card is available here.

This card also features the same generous cashback rewards that are the hallmark of the Discover More family of credit cards: 5% cashback when spending within certain categories like grocery and drugs stores, dining, hotels, theme parks, travel and more. Cardholders also earn up to 1% cashback on all other purchases.

Cashback rewards don't expire, but:

"... if your account is closed for any reason or inactive for 18 consecutive months or if you fail to make any Minimum Payment Due for two consecutive billing periods, any Cashback Bonus in your Cashback Bonus account will be forfeited..."

So, as long as you don't shelve the card for a year and a half, and as long as you make payments on time, your rewards won't disappear.

Discover may have reconfigured this card to compete with the Chase Freedom Visa® credit card with $100 cash back bonus. This Discover credit card may be more attractive to consumers, however, because with the Chase Freedom $100 cash back bonus card, the cardholder must spend at least $799 within the first 3 months, whereas the Discover card requires only $500-worth of spending within the same period.

Yup: competition in the financial services industry is always a good thing! Amen. Enjoy!

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News from Discover Bodes Well for the Future of 0% Credit Cards

The stock market performed well today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained 1.37% to close @ 10,753.62, while the broader S&P 500 added 1.52% to close @ 1,142.71. Financial stocks contributed to the day's advances, with companies like American Express (+3.6%) and JP Morgan Chase (+2.1%) looking good to investors.

Another shining star in the financial sector was Discover Financial Services, which gained 2.4%. Earlier in the day, the company reported third-quarter net income of $261,000,000, and added:

"...Credit performance continued to improve, with net charge-offs down $102 million from the prior quarter and a net chargeoff rate for the third quarter of 7.18%...'

"...The very positive credit trends that began to manifest themselves earlier this year continued to benefit our results this quarter,'...'The ongoing improvement in the outlook for credit performance of our cardmembers has enabled us to accelerate investments for long-term profitable growth. In addition, Discover card spending continued to grow nicely this quarter and our third-party credit and debit network businesses achieved record transaction volumes..."

This news is significant because it means that the approval rate for the most popular 0% credit card we recommend here at www.BalanceTransfer.cc, i.e. the Discover More Black Card -- is very likely to increase. Great news for anyone shopping for a consumer-friendly 0% Intro APR credit card.

Another reason stocks did well today: According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Great Recession ended in June of last year, which means talk of a double-dip recession for the United States should abate:

"...The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research met yesterday by conference call. At its meeting, the committee determined that a trough in business activity occurred in the U.S. economy in June 2009. The trough marks the end of the recession that began in December 2007 and the beginning of an expansion. The recession lasted 18 months, which makes it the longest of any recession since World War II. Previously the longest postwar recessions were those of 1973-75 and 1981-82, both of which lasted 16 months.

In determining that a trough occurred in June 2009, the committee did not conclude that economic conditions since that month have been favorable or that the economy has returned to operating at normal capacity. Rather, the committee determined only that the recession ended and a recovery began in that month..."

Of course, we could get another economic downturn in the near term, but if we do, it would be considered a new recession, and not a double-dip for the recent Great Recession.

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Slate: A New 0% Credit Card from Chase

Slate from Chase

The government continues to report positive macroeconomic news. Yesterday, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) released its Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) for October 2009. The PMI came in at 55.7%, better than what Wall Street economists were expecting, and better than the September figure. For the PMI, any figure above 50% is a strong indication that the American manufacturing sector is expanding.

Though an economic recovery appears to be taking hold, too many Americans are still dealing with various forms of oppressive debt, a home mortgage balance that's higher than their home's value, and job insecurity. In fact, earlier today Johnson & Johnson, a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and number 29 on the Fortune 500, announced that the company will be cutting 7,000 jobs (that's between 6% - 7% of its workforce.) National unemployment, already at 9.8%, will almost certainly rise during the fourth quarter and into Q1 2010. A jobless economic recovery? Yes: we're in it right now.

The whole world is relieved that the subprime debt-inspired credit crisis, which precipitated the worst recession since the early 1980's, and which brought the American financial system to its knees, has almost run its course. The liquidity maelstrom of 2008 and 2009 prompted the banks which survived the subprime debacle to cutback on all kinds of loans, including credit cards.

But financial markets are on the mend, as evidenced by low LIBOR rates, a healthy TED spread and the return of generous 0% intro APR credit cards.

Credit cards that offer a 0% intro APR period of at least 12 months all but disappeared from the market last year. But they're back. JPMorgan Chase Bank, commonly known simply as Chase, recently revealed a new credit card called Slate. Here are the vitals on Slate:

• 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 billing cycles
• 0% introductory APR on transferred balances for 12 billing cycles
• Balance transfer fee of 3% of each transaction, with a minimum of $5
• NB: The 0% intro APR is reserved for those who qualify for "Elite" or "Premium" pricing. Those who can only qualify for "Standard" pricing cannot take advantage of any interest-free introductory period with this particular card.
• For those who qualify for Elite pricing, the "goto" rate (also known as the ongoing rate) is 13.24% (the U.S. Prime Rate plus 9.99%); for Premium pricing it's 17.24% (Prime plus 13.99%.) For Standard pricing, the introductory and goto rate is 22.24% (Prime plus 18.99%.)

If you have a good FICO® credit score (above 700), you will probably qualify for either Elite or Premium pricing.

Slate is a very timely credit card: it has arrived in time for the fast approaching Christmas shopping season. With Slate, cardholders can do their holiday shopping and have plenty of time (12 billing cycles) to pay their credit card balance down to zero without having to worry about interest charges.

The goto rate with the Slate card, however, is relatively high when compared to consumer-friendly credit card offers that were available before the global credit crisis (likely a direct result of new rules included in the Credit Card Act of 2009.) For the consummate borrower who qualifies for Elite pricing, the rate charged on any balance remaining after the interest-free, introductory period ends is Prime (currently 3.25%) plus 9.99%, which translates to 13.24%.

But the U.S. Prime Rate is as low as it can possibly go. As the economy heats up, it will certainly rises, and it will likely do so at a relatively fast clip as the Fed works to contain future inflation. There is no way of knowing exactly how high the Prime Rate will be a year from now, but if we plug in the median U.S. Prime Rate -- 8.75% -- then we get a rate of 18.74%, which anyone would agree is not consumer-friendly. In fact, any rate above 15% would be too much of a financial burden for the typical credit card consumer.

That's why we recommend Slate for anyone who can pay their balance down to zero over 12 months or so, which shouldn't be that hard to do (no need to go crazy with the Christmas shopping!)

As always, your comments are welcome and appreciated.

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Discover Releases A Biodegradable Version of The Discover More Card

While campaigning for the White House, Senator Barack Obama promised America that he would create 5 million "green jobs" over the next ten years. Following through, President Obama tagged $60 billion of stimulus cash for investment in clean energy and technologies. For some perspective: the Obama administration has committed more money to foster America's green economy than the gross domestic product of Luxembourg.

Complaints about all the planned green spending have been few.

It's clear that green movement is no passing fad, so many companies are trying to figure out how to capitalize on America's burgeoning love for and commitment to all things green. Discover Financial Services' (DFS) answer: a new version of the popular Discover More card that's biodegradable.

The Biodegradable Discover More Card is made from a special PVC plastic that's designed to safely breakdown when exposed to conditions similar to those found in landfills.

Card features and benefits include:

• 0% introductory APR on new purchases and balance transfers for 6 months.
  
  
• After the introductory honeymoon is over, the new purchases APR is 10.99% - 18.99%, depending on the cardholder's credit quality. For transferred balances, the "goto" rate is 10.99%.
  
  
• 5% Cashback Bonus® in categories like travel, home improvement stores, department stores, gas, restaurants, pet stores and many more
  
  
• Up to 1% unlimited Cashback Bonus® on all other purchases
  
  
• 5% to 20% Cashback Bonus® through our exclusive online shopping site
  
  
• No annual fee
  

For each transferred balance, the fee is 3%, with no minimum and no maximum.

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Mourning the Demise of Three American Express Credit Cards

As a credit card bank, we like American Express a lot. Why? Because the company consistently offers excellent customer service, and their cards typically have very consumer-friendly terms and conditions associated with them (this report says it all.)

So we are sorry to report that three popular American Express cards are no longer available. The cards are:

• Blue from American Express®
  
  
• Blue Cash® from American Express
  
  
• Blue Sky from American Express®

These cards were great, because they each offered 0% intro APR on new purchases for 12 months, and each featured a generous rewards program. Introductory balance transfers were not free (2.99% for 12 months) but, on the plus side, you didn't have to pay a balance transfer transaction fee.

These cards may return, but there's no way of knowing if or when.

There are still two Amex cards to which you can transfer a credit card balance and pay no balance transfer fee. These are:

• The TrueEarnings® Credit Card from Costco and American Express, which offers:

• An introductory balance transfer APR of 1.99% for the first 6 months of Cardmembership, as long as the transferred balances post to your account during the first 30 days of Cardmembership and
  
  
• 0% Introductory APR for Purchases for the first 3 months of Cardmembership.
  
  
• Click here
  

• The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, which offers:

• An introductory balance transfer APR of 2.9% for the first 6 months of Cardmembership, as long as the transferred balances post to your account during the first 30 days of Cardmembership and
  
  
• 2.9% Introductory APR for Purchases for the first 3 months of Cardmembership.
  
  
• Click here

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No Balance Transfer Fee Credit Cards Still Obtainable Despite Credit Crunch

Credit Cards

The credit crunch that's been causing problems in American credit markets has been affecting all classes of Americans, from billionaire Wall Street insiders trying to finance huge corporate takeover deals to middle-class consumers looking for attractive deals on loans and credit cards. With the housing market still languishing and many seasoned economists declaring that the American economy is already in a recession, it seems that 2008 is not going to be a good year for many Americans, from a money and finance perspective. The Federal Reserve has been responding to turmoil in domestic financial markets and the slumping economy by cutting short-term interest rates, but there is no way to tell when or if these Fed actions will jump start the economy. Slowly but progressively, banks have been approving fewer and fewer credit card applications since the subprime debacle began at the end of last summer. Thankfully, however, applicants with strong credit profiles can still get approved for high quality credit products. Moreover, in the American market today, financially secure individuals can still find 0% introductory annual percentage rate (APR) balance transfer credit cards that don't charge a balance transfer fee, even with certain small business credit cards.

On the consumer side, feeless, 0% balance transfer deals are still being offered by some of America's most reputable financial institutions, including the Bank of America® (BofA), American Express® and the Pulaski Bank &and Trust Company. Web surfers looking for business credit cards which combine 0% intro APR on transferred balances with no balance transfer fee can choose from a healthy selection on offer from Citi®.

"We've been getting emails from consumers who have been writing us about manifestations of the liquidity crunch that have been causing considerable pain for both American banks and individuals trying to find favorable credit deals. Cardholders have been complaining most about seemingly random credit line decreases, ever for customers with perfect or near-perfect credit. A cardholder who has an excellent credit history but who also has a high debt-to-credit ratio may be targeted by their bank for a credit limit decrease or an interest rate increase, since banks are worried about consumers who may be relying too heavily on revolving credit. It's never a good idea to have a high balance on a credit card. Consumers should use credit cards to take advantage of rewards programs and zero APR offers, and for emergencies. The consumer who tends to carry a balance from month to month may be headed from trouble in this economy," said Brown.

"The only positive consequence of this sagging economy is that the Fed has been responding to it by lowering short-term interest rates. These moves by the Federal Reserve have made obtaining and paying off loans and credit cards easier," Brown added.

Since mid-September of 2007, the U.S. Prime Rate has been lowered from 8.25% to the current 5.25%, thanks to interest-rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Since most variable-rate credit cards -- and many other types of loans -- are indexed to Prime, most consumers and business owners who have been making payments on these loans and credit cards have been enjoying reduced APR's. Any consumer with a variable-rate credit card indexed to Prime who hasn't seen a decrease in their APR over the last 6 months should contact their bank and ask for a lower rate, Brown advises.

Some credit cards and loans are indexed to the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Since LIBOR tracks very closely with America's benchmark, short-term interest rate -- the Fed Funds Target Rate -- individuals and business owners with loans or credit cards indexed to LIBOR should be enjoying lower payments as well.

The Federal Reserve is expected to cut short-term rates again when the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets for its next monetary policy meeting on April 30, 2008.

0% intro APR credit card offers are ever-evolving. Brown urges consumers to visit the blogs at the  FedPrimeRate.com website to stay informed about the latest news and tips from the credit card industry and to read reviews of newly released credit cards. Brown welcomes any and all questions and comments, which can be emailed from either site's email form.

"The banks make a lot of money with credit cards, so they still want to fill consumers' wallets with their plastic despite ongoing troubles in the credit markets. Individuals who are interested in getting the best possible deal with a consumer card, business card or any other type of loan should be sure to keep their credit score high, pay all their bills on time and try to keep their debt-to-credit ratio at around 30%. Consumers who plan on spending money on a major purchase should try their best to pay cash. If an all-cash payment isn't possible, consumers should apply as much cash as possible to the purchase, and put the rest on a credit card that has a high credit limit, a zero or low APR and a generous rewards program," Brown concluded.

Source

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0% Intro APR Balance Transfer Credit Cards from American Express -- and You Won't Have to Pay A Balance Transfer Fee

American Express Credit Cards

Here at www.FedPrimeRate.com, we are constantly on the lookout for the best 0% credit card deals. We live and breath credit card balance transfers, for the simple reason that 0% introductory annual percentage rate (APR) credit cards are, quite easily, the most consumer-friendly financial tools available today.

Allow me to present the anatomy of the perfect 0% intro APR credit card offer -- in my humble opinion, of course. Here are the attributes:

• 0% Intro APR on both transferred balances and new credit card purchases for at least 6 months
  
• No balance transfer fee for the initial balance transfer(s).
  
• No annual membership fee
  
• A competitive "go to" rate (FYI: the go to rate is the credit card's annual percentage rate that kicks in once the interest-free period ends.)
  

Right now, the best 0% credit card is the Discover Platinum card, a card that -- believe it or not -- meets all of the above-listed requirements! Citibank (Citi) also has 2 excellent credit cards that meet all of the above, except that they don't offer a 0% intro APR on new credit card purchases.

American Express® Now Has Three, 0% Credit Cards That Are..."Perfect"

Some exciting news for credit card balance transfer fans all across the country: American Express has a new set of consumer credit cards that qualify as "perfect 0% credit cards" -- perfect by my definition anyway -- and these cards offer rewards to boot. They are the American Express INSIDE Rewards cards. Details below:

• IN:LA Card from American Express
  
  
  • 0% Intro APR on transferred balances AND new credit card purchases for 6 months
    
  • no balance transfer fee for the initial balance transfer(s).
    
  • no annual membership fee
    
  • competitive "go to" rate (factors including your credit rating will determine how low your go to APR will be)
• IN:CHICAGO Card from American Express
  
  
  • same benefits as the IN:LA card above
• IN:NYC Card from American Express
  
  
  • same benefits as the IN:LA card above

Of course, it's always important to remember that the terms, conditions, features and benefits of the credit cards we recommend at this website and blog are not set in stone, and therefore can change at any time. So if you plan on taking advantage of any credit card offer recommended here, try not to procrastinate.

Looks like the competition among the major credit card companies is heating up. Let's hope the trend continues!

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