The Credit Fix Report

Gold credit cards, as with platinum cards, are a type of premium credit card that is offered by credit card companies to their preferred customers. They will also be offered to hand picked individuals that the credit card company would like to add as customers.

In practice gold cards are very similar to platinum cards and there is actually nothing specific meant by the fact that a card is designated a gold card. It is really just a way for each credit card company to differentiate their own products and the various credit cards that they have on offer to their customers. What one credit card company calls a gold card, may be called a platinum credit card by another company, while at the same time, such a card may be given no special designation by another company. The point to remember in all of this is that every credit card has to be looked at and judged on the terms and rates that it offers and if you are going to sign up for any credit card, then you should take the time to consider what it is you are agreeing to and whether or not the offer is attractive to you. You cannot simply rely on the fact that the company offering the card has decided to call it a gold card or a platinum card as this will not tell you if the deal is a good one or not.

Typically however, most credit card companies will reserve the names of gold card and platinum card for the more attractive of their cards. These cards will be harder for applicants to qualify for. They will generally have a higher spending limit and a better rate of interest. They might also have lower charges for using the card abroad or for cash advances. Many gold or platinum cards will offer an attractive reward scheme or cash back offer and you should look out for other offers that the credit card provider will make in order to make their gold card more attractive to customers.

Some companies will consider that their gold card or platinum card is so attractive that customers will be willing to pay a monthly or annual fee for the card. These cards generally do have good terms and are attractive but you will still have to check carefully before agreeing to pay for the card. In fact, the terms and rates that are offered by most credit card companies these days on their free credit cards will be so good that it will be difficult for credit card companies to persuade customers of the benefits of paying for a premium credit card.

Airline credit cards, primarily aimed at a travelers convenience, are the result of collaboration between credit card companies and different airline companies. These are very popular reward cards and are a step further to frequent flyer cards. Frequent flyer cards can be airline sponsored or bank sponsored. Bank sponsored credit cards allow more flexibility, as the miles earned can be used on many airlines unlike airline sponsored, which focuses on single airline. Apart from numerous incentives, transactions on airline credit card can add substantial savings for the cardholder.

Generally, for every dollar charged on the card, you earn one point which is equivalent to a travel mile. In addition, these cards can be used with a wide range of services like hotels, car rentals, car wash, and shopping malls. Purchases made and hence the accumulated points (once they reach the required level) can be redeemed for free travel miles for the next trip.

Who Should Go For An Airline Credit Card?
Airline credit cards are wise economic decisions only for those who
Have a good or excellent credit history
Do not carry balance , in other words pay your monthly bill without any dues and on time
Charge a lot to the card and use it for everthing
Are flexible when it comes to redeeming the accumulated miles

Choosing the Right Airline Credit Card
A good airline credit card with wide compatibility functions helps to consolidate the benefits of 2 to 3 credit cards into one. The system of operation for these cards is no different from the normal credit cards. Some points to ponder in choosing the right card are

Interest rates
Most of these cards have a high Annual Percentage Rate (APR). Typically, they tend to be 5 6 percent higher than the normal cards.

Annual fees
The annual fee for these cards is a main concern for the cardholders. In many cases, the annual fee paid is not relative to the rewards received. It is better to compare the fee for a number of cards, narrow the choices to the ones with moderate fees, and compare the rewards given on these cards to make the final decision.

Redemption criteria
The redemption criterion is a key factor in determining the right card. You should consider the blackout dates that are applicable for redeeming the frequent flyer miles. There could be an upper limit on the number of miles that can be accumulated and their validity. Some cards will let you convert accumulated points to cash. In addition, there can be more restrictions if the balance in not paid in full or if you are late with the payment.

Balance transfers
Some airline credit cards will allow balance transfer at a lower interest rate. This shifting of balances could help in increasing the flyer miles on the card. With balance transfer, you can achieve the double benefits of accumulating more flyer miles and debt consolidation.

Other lucrative services
There are various other extra travel services offered by these airline credit cards. These include and are not restricted to discount on car rentals, travel insurance on purchases using your card, emergency cash withdrawal from the card while traveling and discounts in certain restaurants and shopping malls.

Airline Miles Credit Card
Another variant to the airline credit card is the airline miles credit card. As the name indicates, these cards accumulate miles per dollar spent. There are varieties of airline miles credit card each offering different terms and conditions on the airline miles per dollar spent. Hence, you need to check for the minimum number of air miles necessary for a free trip and the duration of validity of the accumulated miles.

With increased competition, many airline miles credit cards offer attractive incentives on sign up. These include additional bonus on first purchase, 0 percent APR for certain introductory period and on balance transfers.

Though these are attractive offers, you need to consider the cost of maintaining these cards after the initial offer period. Airline credit cards, especially airlines miles credit cards are a good buy only for those who are regular flyers, as these cards tend to have high interest rate, annual fees, and other fees.

In conclusion, as with any other card, you can reap good benefits only if you take time to read and research the fine print with the various offers. Careful search should give cards that offer low interest rates, no annual fees, more miles on dollar spent, and freedom to travel on any airline with no blackout dates. The best airline credit card is one that gives good value for money, in terms of accumulated miles and rewards.

Wouldn t it be great if you could get some of that money you spend on credit card purchases back every year? Well, you can. A cash back credit card is the way to go for people who want all the benefits of shopping with a credit card, plus the perks of belonging to a credit company that offers a credit card online. The Bank of America credit card that offers the most flexible form of the cash back reward program is the Financial Rewards Visa Platinum.

When shopping for a credit card online, you may be daunted by the enormous list of choices for a cash back credit card. Don t worry. The right card is out there. Many people find that the Financial Rewards Visa Platinum is a great card for their needs because of the many ways they can receive their cash back each year.

Cash back

The Bank of America credit card is secure, as Bank of America is a well established and highly respected institution. When searching through their options for personal use credit cards, be sure to notice the features of the Financial Rewards card. They include the following

An interest free trial period. This means that you will be charged 0 percent annual percentage rate (apr) for the first six months that you have the card. If you purchase the credit card online, you can use the website to read all the fine print of this offer, but basically if you stick to making your payments on time and don t go over your credit limit in the entire six months, you will not be charged interest. This trial period also applies to balances that you transfer from other credit cards. So if you are interested in debt consolidation, you might check out this card as an option. Paying no interest on all that money you owe would be a great help in lowering your balance.

With the Bank of America credit card, you are not charged an annual fee. This is great news for those people who don t pay their full balance each month because the fee would normally be tagged on to the amount they owe, therefore accumulate interest. With no annual fee, you pay less over the long run. And if a cash back credit card is what you re looking for, than shelling out the cash you get back just to pay an annual fee seems to defeat the purpose.

Your cash back amount is determined by how much you spend over the course of a year. The dollars you spend are translated into points. Judging by how many points you have at the end of the year helps Bank of America issue your cash back. You get five free points just for using your card the first time. Thereafter, you get one point for each one hundred dollars you spend.

You can get your cash back in a number of ways. Bank of America can issue you a check for the full amount. You can have the amount applied to your credit card online. Or you can use the money as an incentive with the company to lower your apr.