caption Credit-card super users are sweating over reports of cardholders having their accounts closed by JPMorgan Chase. source Chase; iStock; Samantha Lee/Business Insider Members of online communities of credit-card super users have been freaking out over the past year over stories from some JPMorgan Chase cardholders that the bank shut down their credit-card accounts. Since the credit-card rewards arms race ramped up a couple of years ago following the Chase Sapphire Reserve launch, credit-card enthusiasts who make a hobby of accumulating points for free travel and other perks have swelled in numbers. Like card sharks in a casino, these customers tend to be very savvy, know all the rules and angles, and can eat away at a bank’s credit-card profits. Chase has gained widespread attention for its lavish rewards program, but profitability in its card division has fallen as it spends billions on rising rewards costs. The shutdown cases are … [Read more...] about Credit-card super users are searching for answers amid a string of shutdowns from Chase, as billions in costs on lavish rewards pile up
Best travelers credit card
As competition heats up, Canadians have options for finding the best rewards credit card
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By Ian Bickis The Canadian Press Mon., June 11, 2018 CALGARY—Credit card rewards can deliver great payoffs, but sifting through the points systems, introductory offers, shifting loyalty programs and fine print can make deciding what to put in your wallet a daunting task. Fortunately, you can at least narrow down the options in a few steps, said Janine White, vice-president of marketplaces at RateSupermarket.ca, a comparison website. The first step is an honest assessment of whether you’re having trouble paying off your bill every month, since cardholders who carry a balance should skip the rewards cards and find a low-interest option. If you’ve got a handle on your finances, a good next step is to decide if you want a points-based card or straight cashback. More and more people are choosing the simplicity of cashback, said Mary-Anne Huestis, co-owner of financial research firm MarketSense Inc. Article Continued Below “Cashback is a … [Read more...] about As competition heats up, Canadians have options for finding the best rewards credit card
For years, Chase and Citi credit cards offered a generous, under-the-radar benefit that protected customers. And then the bots arrived.
source Matt Cardy/Getty Images For years, credit cards from JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and others have offered price protection, a benefit that refunds customers up to $500 if they buy an item and subsequently spot it cheaper somewhere else. Filing a claim was a laborious task, so few people ever did. Apps like Earny have emerged that use bots to automate the price-protection process, connecting with users’ email accounts to monitor purchases and hunt down refunds. Insiders say the rise of these tools and services has led to exponential growth in price-protection claims: “Nobody foresaw the onslaught of claims right now.” Citi recently revealed it would cut back on its price-protection offering, while Chase is planning to eliminate it entirely. Discover, which doesn’t work with apps like Earny, has cut other benefits but is keeping price … [Read more...] about For years, Chase and Citi credit cards offered a generous, under-the-radar benefit that protected customers. And then the bots arrived.
Americans don’t spend enough on their credit cards to get the travel rewards they expected — here’s how to make sure you don’t miss out
caption Who doesn’t like free money? source David Silverman/Getty Travel credit cards are used by more than two-thirds of Americans. The average value of a travel credit card in the first year is $900, according to a new report from NerdWallet. After the first year, the average cardholder earns about $230 in rewards annually. Getting away can be expensive, but there are ways to stretch your budget. Almost 70% of Americans use travel credit cards to offset the cost of travel, according to a new report from NerdWallet. Travel credit cards, including those offered from big banks, airlines, and hotel chains alike, offer major travel perks in the form of points or miles – and it’s basically free money. The 32% of Americans who don’t use a credit card that offers travel rewards are leaving hundreds of dollars on the table – a collective $22 billion annually. According to … [Read more...] about Americans don’t spend enough on their credit cards to get the travel rewards they expected — here’s how to make sure you don’t miss out
There are 3 things you need to know before traveling to Cuba — and it will make or break your trip
Traveling to Cuba isn’t like traveling to other countries. While every country is unique, Cuba has an idiosyncratic culture influenced by decades of US embargo (known locally as El Bloqueo) and rule by the Communist Party. Tourists have been visiting the country for years, but it is only recently that Americans have joined the fray thanks to the reopening of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba in 2014. With Trump threatening to undo the Obama-initiated re-opening of Cuba, I visited the island last year. By the end of my 10-day stay, I found that a few tips that I picked up both before leaving and while in the country were the difference between an excellent vacation and a travel disaster. 1. Be prepared to wait for everything If there’s one thing that Cuban culture might best be known for – aside from salsa music and cigars – it’s long lines. There are lines for everything: A line for a customs, a line for the bank, a line to buy … [Read more...] about There are 3 things you need to know before traveling to Cuba — and it will make or break your trip