| Best Credit Card Deals |
| A summary of the best credit card deals for people who don't carry a balance. |
 FeedbackBy Preston Hunt, 27 August 2005 |
I finally broke down under the pressure of receiving dozens of new credit card offers per week and have been signing up for cards like there's no tomorrow.
Here is what I consider to be the cream of the crop for people who don't carry a monthly balance:
Starwood Preferred Guest AmEx
- 2 starpoints per $1 spent
- 5k-10k free starpoints to sign up (check fatwallet.com)
- No blackout dates, rooms start at 2000 starpoints
- Some room upgrades for free (higher floor, newly renovated)
- Other room upgrades for 1000 starpoints
- Late 4pm checkout
- Transfer starpoints to any airline (20k starpoint ==> 25k airline miles)
- Purchase protection plan, 90 days
- Extend warranties up to 5 years
- Return protection up to 90 days
- Rental car insurance up to 30 days
- Complete list of benefits
Citi Platinum Select Mastercard
- 2% cash back on groceries, gas purchases, and drug stores
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Rebate cash available in $50 increments any time throughout the year
- No limit on cash back
- No pre-set spending limit
- Auto rental insurance - up to 31 days
- Lost luggage coverage - up to $3000
- Delayed luggage insurance - $100 per day missing up to 3 days
- Travel accident insurance - up to $1,000,000 for various accidents
- Trip cancellation insurance - up to $1500
- Price protection - refunds up to $250 within 60 days
- Purchase protection - theft or accidental damage up to $500 for 90 days
- I'm sure this card offers a lot of the insurance and travel benefits too, but I don't have them in front of me right now.
- Don't confuse this with a Visa card that's only for students
Citi PremierPass American Express
- I don't recommend this card any more
- Uses ThankYou network (very hard to use rewards system and slow to post reward activity)
- 1 point per dollar spent
- 1 point per mile flown (this may be 1 point per 3 miles flown)
- Retail protection coverage - lost, stolen, damaged (90 days)
- Extended warranty - doubles warranties of 12 months or less
- Lost luggage - up to $3000 per checked bag
- Rental car insurance
- Travel accident and trip cancellation insurance - up to $1 million ($1500 for canceled trip due to injury)
Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Mastercard
- 25,000 free miles to sign up, no annual fee first year
- Earn 1 AAdvantage mile per dollar spent
- Extended warranty +1 additional year
- 90 days purchase protection - breakage, theft, fire
- 60 days price protection - see it cheaper, get a credit
- Auto rental insurance - collision and theft
- $1 million travel accident insurance
- $1500 trip cancellation insurance
Discover
- 5% cash back on "Get More" purchases: restaurants, movie theaters, movie rentals (list changes periodically)
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Many merchants don't take Discover
CapitalOne Credit Cards
- Generally these are not a good deal
United Mileage Plus Visa Signature
- 15,000 United miles for signing up
- 1 mile per dollar spent
- 3 miles per dollar spent on united.com purchases
- Automatic extra 1 year warranty on purchases
- Lost luggage reimbursement up to $3000 (if ticket purchased with card)
- Secondary auto rental insurance (rentals up to 15 days)
- Purchase protection: Reimbursement up to $500 for stolen or damaged items within 90 days of purchase
- $1,000,000 life insurance during travel (if ticket purchased with card)
- Annual fee waived for first year, cancel card when they start charging you
- Watch out! 3.5% fee for foreign purchases
- After the first year, $60 fee -- if you don't pay, then the free version of the card is not nearly as good (only 1 mile earned per $2 spent)
Delta SkyMiles American Express
- 1 mile per dollar spent
- 2 miles per dollar spent at supermarkets, gas stations, drug stores, hardware stores, USPS, cell phone bills, and Delta ticket purchases
- Additional double mile promotions fairly often
- 15,000 bonus miles for signing up
- No annual fee for the first year, cancel after that
- Double miles in any month you spend >$300 for all of 2006
- Many merchants don't take AmEx