Credit and Bank Deals: Your Source for Top Credit Card and Bank Deals

Here is a list of the credit cards and bank accounts that I still actively use for my finances. I have many other cards and accounts, but they mainly serve as secondary purposes. A big part of the reason why I have so many credit cards is because I take part in the App-O-Rama game. If you don’t already know what that is you can just do a google search and you’ll get a ton of information on it. But to give a quick rundown, its basically using 0% Balance Transfer offers in order to put money into an interest earning savings account. Offers are usually up to a year, so within that year you are accumulating interest on that money without dealing with any risk (if you know what you’re doing). After the offer year is up, you just pay off the card balances with the money that you put into your savings accounts. Check out my accounts below:

CREDIT CARD/BANK NAME	ISSUER	USAGE
Platinum BusinessCard with Unlimited Rewards	Advanta	Credit Limit: $12,500 This card was used in my App-O-Rama. $11,500 was transferred to my savings account using the 0% Balance Transfer offer for a full 15 months. I was able to call Advanta to get the balance transfer fee waived. This is my only Advanta card, so I did not need to reallocate credit lines for this balance.
SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express	American Express	Credit Limit: $6,000 I use this card for all my business purchases. You get 5% cash back on gas, office supplies and wireless bills; and 1% on all other purchases. You also get cash back at variable rates on other business purchases (like at Fedex Kinkos, Hertz car rentals, etc). The card also gave me 0% on purchases for a full 12 months so I only paid my minimum balance each month so that I was able to keep more money in my savings account for that full year.
Chase Freedom(SM) Credit Card	Chase	Credit Limit: $3,000 I use this card for all of my personal purchases excluding gas. It gives you 3% cash back on your top 3 category purchases for any given month, and 1% on all other purchases. This card also gives you a bonus $50 cash back after your first purchase with the card.
Chase Flexible Rewards(SM) Platinum Visa®	Chase	Credit Limit: $32,000 This card was used in my App-O-Rama $30,000 was transferred to my savings account using the 0% Balance Transfer offer for a full 12 months. I did have to pay a $75 balance transfer fee, but this was worth it to put the $30,000 in the interest earning savings account. The credit lines from my other Chase cards were reallocated into this card for such a high credit limit.
Discover® Open Road(SM) Card	Discover	Credit Limit: $3,000. I only use this card for purchasing gas as it gives a full 5% cash back on gas wherever Discover I accepted, and I haven’t had an occurrence where it wasn’t accepted.
BOA Financial Rewards® Platinum Plus®	Bank of America	Credit Limit: $31,200 This card was used in my App-O-Rama $30,000 was transferred to my savings account using the 0% Balance Transfer offer for 6 months. I picked a 6 month offer because this offer did not have a balance transfer fee.
Discover Business Card	Discover	Credit Limit: $18,800 This card was used in my App-O-Rama $18,000 was transferred to my savings account using the 0% Balance Transfer offer for 12 months. I did have to pay a $50 balance transfer fee on this offer though.
Washing Mutual Online Savings Account *Unfortunately, this deal can no longer be had due to Wamu’s downfall	Washington Mutual	Balance for App-O-Rama: $89,500 from Balance Transfers + personal balance from savings = $114,000. Interest rates for this online savings account have fluctuated from 3.3% up to the current 4.0%. As of this writing on this 24th day of September, 2008 I have accumulated $1,524 in interest paid this year.

*Note* Deals/Offers on credit cards are always changing routinely, so keep up to date with the best 0% Balance Transfer offers through my site.

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Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express® VS
Hilton HHonors® Platinum Card from American Express®

Okay, so both of these are great cards. I wouldn’t say one is better than the other in an overall package, but rather one might be better depending on your preferences. So I thought I’d just do a quick comparison.

From the issuer:

Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express®

• Earn 10,000 Starpoints^® with your first purchase¹ — enough for up to 3 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel
• Plus– earn an additional 15,000 Starpoints when you spend $15,000 in 6 months
• Use Starpoints for free nights and upgrades at over 825 participating Starwood hotels and resorts in 95 countries
• Transfer Starpoints — almost always on a 1:1 basis — to the frequent flyer programs of over 30 major airlines
• Earn one Starpoint for every dollar of eligible spending⁵ and double Starpoints at participating Starwood properties and retail outlets
• First year fee-free and only $45 thereafter

If you were wondering, participating hotels include the Four Points^® by Sheraton, Sheraton^®, W^® Hotels & Resorts, Le Meridien^®, The Luxury Collection^®, Westin^® and St. Regis^®
All the good ole fancy spots!

This card also lets you do a balance transfer WITHOUT a BT fee with a 2.9% APR for 6 months.

Apply here:

Hilton HHonors® Platinum Card from American Express®

• Earn 10,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points with your first purchase
• Earn an additional 10,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points - that’s 2,500 Hilton HHonors bonus points for each of your first four stays at any Hilton Family Hotel
• Earn 30,000 HHonors bonus points when you spend $5,000 in your first 5 months of Cardmembership –that’s 15,000 bonus points in addition to the 15,000 points you would earn for your Card spending
• Get 5 Hilton HHonors^® bonus points for each eligible dollar spent on stays at over 2,800 Hilton Family hotels worldwide and for eligible purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, dining establishments, the U.S. Postal Service, and for wireless phone bills
• Get 3 HHonors bonus points for every eligible dollar you spend on purchases
• No annual fee

This card offers the same 2.9% 6 month APR without a fee as the Starwood card, but participating Hilton hotels number over 2,700 worldwide as opposed to 825+ for Starwood qualifiers. Plus, there’s no annual fee here!

Apply here:

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Here’s another Bank of America card that would be good to use for its 0% introductory APR on Balance Transfers and Cash Advance Checks (so you can put it in your savings). However, there’s the 3% Balance Transfer fee that you have to take into consideration. So, depending on your available credit limit you’ll have to do the calculation to see if its worth it to you.

Elite Rewards World MasterCard Credit Card
	Earn Double Points for purchases at participating merchants. 0% Introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on balance transfers and cash advance checks for your first 12 billing cycles Earn 1 point for $1 in net retail purchase(s). Get 500 Bonus Points after your first qualifying retail purchase(s). No Annual Fee. Fly on major U.S. airlines with no blackout dates. Avis car rental discounts and special offers. Gift cards from top retailers and restaurants. *See website for complete terms and conditions of card usage and application disclosure.	APR: 0% for 12 billing cycles Ongoing: 7.9%/13.99% Issuer: FIA Card Services, NA.

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Total Rewards Credit Card
	Earn 1 Reward Credit for every $1 you charge in net retail purchases anywhere-at the grocery store, mall gas station, online, even when you pay recurring monthly bills. These Reward Credits will be added to your Total Rewards account balance, which can also earned by your gaming play at any Harrah’s Operating Company casino. 0% Introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on balance transfers and cash advance checks for your first twelve billing cycles. *See website for complete terms and conditions of card usage and application disclosure.	APR: 0% for 12 billing cycles Ongoing: 7.9%/13.99% Issuer: FIA Card Services, NA.

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Here is a special offer for a $100 bonus for the Discover More card. You need to get approved for the card by 4/6/08 and spend $500 within 3 months after approval. Enter this bonus code during your application: DAFM.

Another bonus code: DAGZ. This is reported to to valid for the same offer, but you must be approved by 4/27/08. You also get an offer for a 3.9% on balance transfers until 2010!

Balance Transfer Card: Discover® More Card

• 0% Intro APR* on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months
• More ways to earn more cash—than anyone else.*
• 5% Cashback Bonus® in popular categories like travel, home, gas, restaurants, movies and more
• 5% Cashback Bonus and more at top retailers through our exclusive online shopping site
• Up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases automatically
• Unlimited cash rewards
• Increase, even double, your rewards when you redeem for gift cards from our 70 Cashback Bonus Partners

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With this card, you get 10,000 points after your first purchase. You can exchange the points for $100 Dell.com gift card or $100 The Home Depot gift card or $100 gift card to many other stores.

The first year’s annual fee is waived. Card details are below:

• You can earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points after your first purchase with the Card -redeemable for a $100 gift card²
• The Membership Rewards program^§ —Whatever you want to do, this is the rewards program that can help make it happen. Exciting travel, entertainment, shopping, and dining experiences are waiting for you
• Gold Card Events—exclusive access to tickets for select concerts, shows, major sporting events, and more in cities nationwide³
• Global Assist® Hotline⁴ and many more benefits included
• Purchase Protection Plan⁵, and many more benefits included
• No pre-set Spending Limit^†

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Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express® VS
Hilton HHonors® Platinum Card from American Express®

Okay, so both of these are great cards. I wouldn’t say one is better than the other in an overall package, but rather one might be better depending on your preferences. So I thought I’d just do a quick comparison.

From the issuer:

Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express®

• Earn 10,000 Starpoints^® with your first purchase¹ — enough for up to 3 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel
• Plus– earn an additional 15,000 Starpoints when you spend $15,000 in 6 months
• Use Starpoints for free nights and upgrades at over 825 participating Starwood hotels and resorts in 95 countries
• Transfer Starpoints — almost always on a 1:1 basis — to the frequent flyer programs of over 30 major airlines
• Earn one Starpoint for every dollar of eligible spending⁵ and double Starpoints at participating Starwood properties and retail outlets
• First year fee-free and only $45 thereafter

If you were wondering, participating hotels include the Four Points^® by Sheraton, Sheraton^®, W^® Hotels & Resorts, Le Meridien^®, The Luxury Collection^®, Westin^® and St. Regis^®
All the good ole fancy spots!

This card also lets you do a balance transfer WITHOUT a BT fee with a 2.9% APR for 6 months.

Note: You can exchange 10,000 sign-up Starpoints for:

• $100 Amazon.com gift certificate or
• 5 free weekend nights (2000 points per night) in Starwood category 1 hotels or
• 3 weekday nights (3000 points per night) in Starwood category 1 hotels.

Apply here:

Hilton HHonors® Platinum Card from American Express®

• Earn 10,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points with your first purchase
• Earn an additional 10,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points - that’s 2,500 Hilton HHonors bonus points for each of your first four stays at any Hilton Family Hotel
• Earn 30,000 HHonors bonus points when you spend $5,000 in your first 5 months of Cardmembership –that’s 15,000 bonus points in addition to the 15,000 points you would earn for your Card spending
• Get 5 Hilton HHonors^® bonus points for each eligible dollar spent on stays at over 2,800 Hilton Family hotels worldwide and for eligible purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, dining establishments, the U.S. Postal Service, and for wireless phone bills
• Get 3 HHonors bonus points for every eligible dollar you spend on purchases
• No annual fee

This card offers the same 2.9% 6 month APR without a fee as the Starwood card, but participating Hilton hotels number over 2,700 worldwide as opposed to 825+ for Starwood qualifiers. Plus, there’s no annual fee here!

Apply here:

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You get 12,000 miles if you make one purchase every month during the first year. You can exchange

1) 10,000 miles for $100 travel credit.

or

2) If you spend $50 (= earn additional 100 double miles), you can exchange 12,100 miles for a $50 gift certificate and a $25 cash credit.

or

3) If you spend $1200 to get additional 2,400 double miles, you can exchange 14,400 miles for a $100 gift card.

Terms:

Terms of 12,000 BONUS MILES OFFER: Earn, 1,000 bonus Miles each calendar month you make a purchase for 12 months from the date your account is opened, with a cap of 12,000 bonus Miles. Bonus Miles will be applied within 8 weeks. We are not responsible for merchant delays in processing transactions. This promotional offer is in addition to the Standard Miles earned on purchases.

There is also the introductory 0% APR is for purchases AND balance transfers!

• A Miles card with no annual fee!
• Double Miles on food and travel, up to $3,000 each year
• 1 Mile for every $1 you spend
• Unlimited Miles while your account is active
• 0% Intro APR*

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The Discover Business Miles Credit Card

Take a look at this great business Discover card for earning miles:

0% Intro APR on Card Purchases and Balance Transfers
12,000 Bonus Miles
No annual fee
Earn Double Miles on travel and gas
Travel with no restrictions – book any airline, any date, any seat

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