Since completing their acquisition of Northwest Airlines, Delta has become one of the largest carriers in the world. Behind the scenes, Delta has also developed a unique relationship with their credit card partner, American Express. Through their close ties with one of the world’s largest credit card issuers, Delta offers no fewer than five different SkyMiles credit cards targeted at consumers. Determining which card represents the best deal for Delta travelers takes some analysis.

Features of Delta Skymiles Credit Cards

At the bottom of their list is the Delta SkyMiles Options card. This entry level offering has no annual fee, but returns a single SkyMile per dollar spent on Delta purchases, and an inferior one mile for every two dollars spent on other charges. It offers customers a 20% savings on in-flight food, beverages, and entertainment charges, but no other non-mileage benefits. Continue Reading »

Although I’ve had an American Express Blue Cash card for a number of years, its been collecting dust in my wallet for as long as I can remember. The archaic structure of the old Blue Cash card with its spending tiers and annual reset was just too much to worry about. That all changed the minute American Express unleashed the Blue Cash Preferred Card, which I consider to be the ultimate cash back card.

How Much Can You Save with American Express Blue Cash Preferred

For starters, grocery purchases earn 6% cash back, with no cap on earnings. Since my family spends about $200 a week on groceries, we’ll net just over $620 in this category alone. With the now defunct Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards card, we were earning 2% and were content. Now we’ll bank an extra $400. Continue Reading »

For years, the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from American Express has been held in the highest regard by those in the elite ranks of the road warrior community. It has won the Freddie Award for the Best Affinity Credit Card for three years in a row and it is recommended by all the top loyalty travel writers on the Internet. Once you understand how the Starwood credit card works, it is easy to see why this card is so special.

Overview of the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express

Unlike other American Express credit cards that let you earn points in the Membership Rewards program, with the Starwood Preferred Guest Card you earn at least one StarPoint for every dollar spent.  Purchases made at Starwood hotels earn double points in addition to the points you would normally earn for your stay.  All together, this can total 5 Starpoints for every dollar spent. Continue Reading »

Once a year when the annual fee shows up on my billing statement, I have second thoughts about keeping my American Express card. And then they do something that makes paying that fee worthwhile.

A few days ago, I used American Express purchase protection for the first time. I had just purchased an HTC Touch Pro 2 from a Sprint store and found the phone to be nearly impossible to use. So I went to return the item and was told, to my surprise, that a phone I owned for four days was damaged and could not be returned.

The impolite staff at the Sprint store claimed I had damaged the touch screen. Although this damage was not visible, and the phone was likely damaged when I purchased it, they told me my only option was to file an insurance claim to get a new Touch Pro. In other words, I was stuck with a $300 phone that I had difficulty making calls from.

After leaving the store, I spent a few hours dealing with Sprint customer service. I got nowhere. Then I remembered having read about American Express purchase protection. I had never thought much of this perk as I had never needed it. Now I did. And I have to say, it is easy to use and immensely helpful. Continue Reading »

The best credit card offers in October range from money saving 0% balance transfers that last 18 months to enhanced cash back credit card promotions that offer up to $100 cash back to new card members. Discover is the main driver behind improvements in the quality of credit card deals this month, as they improved 0% APR balance transfer offers and increased their cash back promotions.

Best Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers

Discover leads the pack with an 18 month 0% balance transfer offer (I wrote recently on why I consider this to be the best balance transfer credit card.) The new offer, available on the Discover More Card, matches the 0% APR for 18 months balance transfer deal available on the Citi Platinum Card. Both credit cards charge a 5% balance transfer fee and, while Discover is consistently ranked as a better credit card company, the Citi Platinum Card does offer a longer 0% interest period for new purchases, 12 months versus 6 months.

Consumers who think they will need a 0% APR on purchases may want to choose the Citi Platinum Card, but those who are just looking for a balance transfer will likely be much happier with Discover. For more information on these and other current balance transfer offers, please see the 0% APR balance transfer section where you can compare balance transfer credit cards and apply online.

Best 0% APR Credit Card Offers

The aforementioned Citi Platinum Select card remains the best overall 0% APR credit card offer with its industry leading 0% APR for 18 months on balance transfers and 0% APR for 12 months on purchases. A few other Citi credit cards, as well as one offer from Discover and one offer from Chase, also provide a 0% APR for a 12 months on purchases and balance transfers. However, no major issuer is offering a 0% APR on purchases for more than 12 months. Continue Reading »

In the past, I have generally advised most people to avoid airline credit card deals and stick with no annual fee cash back credit cards. The problem I had, and still have with many airline credit cards, is that they have high annual fees and reward you with difficult to redeem miles. However, there are two airline credit cards that deserve some attention: the Gold Delta Skymiles credit card from American Express and the Continental OnePass Plus card from Chase.

The reason I like these airline credit cards is pretty simple: both the Delta credit card and the Continental credit card permit each person traveling with you to check one bag free. Given standard $25 per bag airline fees, a couple can save $100 on a single trip. A family of four saves $200, assuming everyone takes advantage of the free checked bag. Of these two airline cards, I consider the Gold Delta Skymiles credit card to be the best (and by quite a bit).

The Gold Delta Skymiles Credit Card

The Skymiles credit card stands apart from literally every other airline credit card because you don’t need to collect 25,000 miles to have a shot at getting a free flight. With this card, you can pay with miles. This feature allows you to redeem 10,000 miles for $100 off a flight, which makes your points worth one cent. Above the 10,000 mile minimum, you can redeem in 5,000 mile chunks, with every 5,000 Skymiles reducing your flight cost by $50. Continue Reading »

While consumers don’t have to worry about credit card rate increases, small businesses still need to closely monitor their credit card statements.  Why?  Because small business credit cards aren’t covered by the CARD Act, credit card companies can increase interest rates at any time, for any reason.

I recently found a rate increase notice on page 9 of a 13 page credit card statement from American Express.  Presently, the rate on this particular business card is a very reasonable 12.24%.  On August 1st, the rate increases by nearly 30% to 16.24%.

If I want to opt out of the interest rate increase, I have until August 20th to call in and close my account.  This would allow me to repay my current balance at the lower interest rate.  However, if I want to keep my card open, I must accept a higher interest rate. Continue Reading »