Cardometry

January 11, 2017January 27, 2017

An Ongoing List of Ways to Meet Credit Card Minimum Spend

We all know credit card issuers offer some amazing credit card sign-up bonuses. But there’s always a catch – you have to spend a ton of money in a short period of time to get said bonus.

Generally, the best bonuses require you to spend $1,000 or more in the first three months from the date you are approved for the card in question. For some people, this is an easy feat, one they can do in their sleep, literally.

For others, it’s next to impossible because of limited capital, a small credit line, and so forth.

A common spending requirement at the moment is to spend $4,000 in 3 months to earn the mega-bonus on the new Chase Sapphire Reserve card. It sounds like a tough task, but we’ll show you some simple ways to get it done with time to spare.

Before you get started, remember this. The most effective way to meet minimum spend is to throw every single purchase you make on one card until the requirement is met. Then you can go back to earning your point multiples in different categories as you see fit.

Here is a list of the many, many ways you can meet minimum spend to earn that tasty bonus, again and again.

More Than 40 Ways to Meet Minimum Spend

1. Pay your health insurance premiums with a credit card
2. Pay medical bills with a credit card
3. Pay your car insurance premium with a credit card
4. Pay your wireless bill in advance (hint: many months in advance)
5. Pay any other bill you know you’ll continue to pay in advance (cable, utilities, insurance, etc.)
6. Pay your taxes with a credit card (IRS approved!)
7. Pay your estimated taxes with a credit card
8. Pay your rent/mortgage with a credit card through a service like Plastiq (fees apply)
9. Buy gift cards (Amazon, Uber, Starbucks, Grocery store cards, etc. things you will 100% use, eventually)
10. Buy prepaid cards like PayPal My Cash cards, Visa and Amex gift cards, etc.
11. Buy airline tickets, hotel reservations, other vacation expenditures months in advance
12. Align a new credit card application with a large purchase, such as new household appliances, TV, computer, A/C unit, washer/dryer, etc.
13. Buy something for a trusted family member or friend and have them send you the money for it (make sure they actually pay you back!!)
14. Put all your monthly bills on your new credit card
15. Pay other people’s bills with a credit card (again, a very, very trusted person and have them reimburse you with cash)
16. Buy/lease a car and throw the down payment on plastic
17. Pay your car payment with a credit card (Mercedes allows this with a fee)
18. Pay your car registration with a credit card
19. Open a bank account that allows initial funding from a credit card
20. Contribute to a 529 account with GiftToCollege.com
21. Pay for tuition with a credit card
22. Pay your student loans with a credit card
23. Put all your wedding expenses on the new card if getting married
24. Put all honeymoon expenses on the new card
25. Buy an engagement ring with a credit card
26. Set all your Uber, Lyft, etc. accounts to your new credit card
27. Prepay for monthly services annually upfront (12-month discount)
28. Prepay for business services such as domain names, monthly subscriptions, web hosting, etc.
29. Buy inventory, furniture, office supplies, etc. for your business
30. Buy products and resell them online for a small profit (or loss)
31. Apply for a new card before the holidays and buy all gifts with it
32. Apply for a new card before having a child and buy all furniture, car seats, strollers, accessories with the card
33. Apply for a new card after you buy a new home/condo (lots of expenses will come up, trust us)
34. Apply for a new card after you rent a new apartment (gotta furnish it)
35. Fund Kiva loans with a credit card and give back to small businesses worldwide
36. Add an authorized user or two to help chip away at the minimum spend
37. Get an expensive haircut (you deserve it)
38. Get your dog a haircut (he/she looks terrible)
39. Buy new clothes
40. Buy yourself a massage
41. Buy your significant other some flowers
42. Eat out (cover the entire bill and have people Venmo you their share)
43. Go out for drinks (cover bill have everyone Venmo you)
44. Book a hotel/vacation/etc. and have everyone pay you back with cash
45. Do anything where you pay with your credit card and everyone pays you back with cash
46. Pay dental bills (should be enough to cover the entire spend with those insane prices!)

That’s all we can think of at the moment. If you have other bright ideas we haven’t touched upon, please feel free to add them in the comment section. We’re all ears.

By the way, there are other, more unsavory methods out there to meet minimum spend, which we won’t mention because it’s best to keep things above board and stay out of trouble. You never want to bite the hand that feeds…

Also, be careful when using services like PayPal, Bluebird, and Serve, to name a few. They’ve been known to shut down users for engaging in manufactured spending, so sometimes it’s just more trouble than it’s worth, especially if you care about losing said account(s).

Oh, and when buying stuff online to meet your spend, use a rebate portal like CashbackMonitor.com to earn even more points/rewards/cash back in the process.

Remember, when meeting minimum spend, be sure you can actually pay off the entire balance in full every month, otherwise you lose. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Pay it all off, earn your rewards, and move on.

If you can’t pay it all off, don’t even bother. It’s not worth paying finance charges in exchange for credit card points, unless you’re truly nuts. Go with a 0% APR credit card instead since that’s probably what you need.

Pro tip: It’s actually not that expensive to “pay” to meet your minimum spend. Some payment processors charge as little as 2% (or less) of the transaction amount, so if you needed to spend $4,000, that’d only be $80. Sometimes it’s better to pay the fee than go on a mindless shopping spree like Brewster’s Millions.

January 11, 2017March 7, 2017

Amazon and Chase Launch New 5% Cash Back Credit Card

If you’re an avid Amazon.com shopper, we’ve got some great news for you. This morning Chase launched the new Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, which they say is the only card that offers 5% cash back on all Amazon.com purchases.

On top of that, it comes with a 2-1 rewards structure, whereby you earn 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1% on every other qualifying purchase made with the card.

That means for every $100 you spend at Amazon, you get $5 cash back, which is a good deal if you already do most (or all) of your shopping with the mega e-tailer.

Non-Prime Members Earn 3% Cash Back at Amazon

If you happen to be a non-Prime Amazon member, you’ll only earn 3% cash back at Amazon with this credit card, but Chase has introduced some new added benefits.

You will no longer pay foreign transaction fees when using the card abroad, and cardmembers will receive a new metal card to show off to their friends.

The non-Prime version also comes with 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1% elsewhere. So, for every $100 spent at Amazon, you get $3 back. Do the math to determine if Prime is worth it to you based on how often you shop at Amazon.

If you are already an existing Amazon Rewards Visa Signature cardmember with an Amazon Prime account, you will receive a new card soon. But in the meantime, the new benefits will kick in right away.

Note that there’s no promotional APR with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. At the time of this writing, both purchase and balance transfer APR were a variable 14.49% to 22.49%.

In other words, you’ll want to pay off your balance in full each month to avoid costly finance charges.

How to Earn 5% Cash Back at Amazon without This Card

There’s actually a well-known (in some circles) trick to earn 5% cash back at Amazon currently, without the need for this new credit card.

If you have an old Chase Ink Plus card that earns 5% back at office supply stores, you can simply purchase Amazon gift cards at places like Staples or Office Depot and apply them to your account.

You will earn 5% back on these purchases up to $50,000 per year, so there’s not necessarily a need for this card if you’ve already got that one.

However, there’s a chance Amazon will change the Chase Ink benefits in the near future, so this new card could soon become the only game in town to earn 5% back at Amazon.

Pro tip: Also look out for the rotating 5% cash back Amazon.com category that is often featured with both the Chase Freedom Card and the Discover it Card. It’s limited to $1,500 in spending, but it’s yet another way to earn 5% cash back at Amazon.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card Highlights:

$70 Amazon gift card upon approval
5% cash back on all Amazon.com purchases
2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores
1% cash back on other qualifying purchases
No foreign transaction fees
No annual fee
No limit on rewards you can earn
Rewards don’t expire, can be used to purchase Amazon products
Can also redeem for cash back, gift cards, and travel

(photo: Joe Le Merou)

January 10, 2017March 7, 2017

A Dynamic List of the Longest 0% APR Credit Cards Currently Available

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Credit cards offer a variety of benefits. Sometimes you might be interested in the best sign-up bonus, while other times you might seek out the lowest interest rate possible to offset some large purchases.

Clearly the lowest interest rate available is zero, and credit card issuers are more than happy to offer you this rate on a temporary basis, typically for the first 12 or 18 months as a new cardmember. Then it shoots up to the standard rate, which is always markedly higher.

It’s important to note that these 0% introductory APR periods can range from as little as six months to 24 months or longer, so it’s prudent to check out all available offers to maximize the opportunity.

Note that this list is dynamic and will change as availability changes. Credit card offers certainly come and go frequently so be sure to perform a thorough search both here and elsewhere to ensure you don’t miss a better offer.

We will do our best to keep this list updated frequently so that the very best (and longest) 0% APR offers can always be found here.

Also, note that credit card issuers may distinguish 0% APR between purchases and balance transfers. Some offer 0% APR for both transactions, while others may limit it to just one of the two, such as a 0% APR balance transfer.

Depending on what you need, that will be specified below for your convenience.

The Longest 0% APR Credit Cards

Santander Bank Sphere Card – 0% APR on balance transfers for 24 months, 0% APR on purchases for 12 months

Citi Diamond Preferred Card – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 21 months

Citi Simplicity Card – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 21 months

Discover it Card – 0% APR on balance transfers for 21 months, 0% APR on purchases for 6 months (NEW!)

BankAmericard Credit Card – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 18 months

Citi Double Cash Card – 0% APR on balance transfers for 18 months, no intro APR for purchases

Chase Slate – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months (no balance transfer fee!)

BB&T Bright Card – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months

Chase Freedom – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months

Chase Freedom Unlimited – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months

PNC Core Visa – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months

SunTrust Cash Rewards Credit Card – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months

U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months

Wells Fargo Platinum Visa – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months

Wells Fargo Propel Amex – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months

Barclaycard CashForward World Mastercard – 0% APR on balance transfers for 15 months, no intro APR on purchases

Upromise MasterCard – 0% APR on balance transfers for 15 months, no intro APR on purchases

Discover it Chrome – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 14 months

NHL Discover it Card – 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 14 months

Discover it Miles – 0% APR on purchases for 14 months, no intro APR on balance transfers

These are the standouts (based on length of intro APR) among the 0% APR credit cards you can currently apply for.

*None of these credit cards charge an annual fee, which is another plus.

However, all of them charge a balance transfer fee except for the Chase Slate card, so if you’re looking for a no fee balance transfer, Slate is probably your card of choice.

Note that there are countless other credit card offers that come with 0% APR for 12 months or less, so they are not listed above. In short, they aren’t noteworthy so they aren’t included in the “best of” list above.

Most card issuers offer 0% APR for 12 months by default, so it will never be listed here unless it comes with some other special bonus or a lack of a balance transfer fee.

As previously mentioned, be sure to check the terms of each card carefully as they can and will change over time. Additionally, be sure to differentiate between purchase APR and balance transfer APR. Sometimes it’s the same and sometimes it’s not.

Pro tip: Don’t use the same credit card to transfer a balance and to make new purchases. It could get messy if the APRs are different. Generally, it’s best to reserve one credit card for balance transfers and another for new purchases to keep them separate and more easy to track.