|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Apply online for American Express® Card offers.
Other AmEx card offers or read current American Express news. Browse our financial content for information about American Express. American Express
According to the American Express website, the recession will not stop some consumers from reducing their spending this holiday season. Their survey reveals that about 10% of consumers will open their wallets and spend more on holiday gifts and 43% plan to spend the same as last year. Consumers aren't gloomy about the holiday season as about 41% of the general population say they are "joyful". Personal needs items was a top reason from those consumers who expect to spend more in the next 30 days. According to Pamela Codispoti, the American Express senior vice president and general manager, Cardmembers intend to spend on loved ones and plan to give more gift cards instead of cash. They plan to will use the Internet for more holiday shopping and those hard to find gifts. American Express Leadership Academy
American Express began its Nonprofit Leadership Academy which is a program to develop the next generation of leaders in the nonprofit sector. Its training program is for a week and has a partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership. Participants experience leadership training through the Academy. They learn about their own strengths and weaknesses as managers and learn skills for leadership.
They have sessions with American Express executives and listen to discussions about relationships between technology, demographics, and social changes. The program offers training to be effective in the 21st century. It was started in 2008 to meet the need of leadership in the nonprofit sector. The twenty-four participants are chosen based upon a competitive application process. Participants in this session have been paired with alumni from the April 2009 class who act as mentors, answer questions, and provide guidance about how to get the most out of the Academy experience. American Express Shopping Promotions
American Express has information on their website that they will be more generous with the holiday reward points promotions for cardmembers. This will be for a limited time with rewards as much as 3 times or 6 times greater in some promotions. If you missed the promotions for Black Friday, there may still be some promotions for shopping online at Amazon. Visit their website for details about all their promotions and reward points. American Express
American Express and Dunkin' Donuts® have
joined to together so card holders can sign up Auto-Recharge, an automatic reloading feature on the Dunkin' Donuts
Card. Cardmembers could receive a 20 percent bonus on each Auto-Recharge transaction of $25 or
more and for each $25 Auto-Recharge, American Express will load an extra $5 onto the Dunkin' Donuts Card.
American Express Cardmembers can take advantage of this through March 31, 2010.
Cardmembers can enjoy coffee, muffins and donuts on American Express for a
limited time. Dunkin' Donuts Cards are available at participating restaurants and online at
DunkinDonuts. Cardmembers who sign up for this can also get additional perks in-store and online
with offers and product news specific to their local market. American
Express American
Express is planning some audio webcast of its investor conference call on January 21,
2010 and its financial community meeting on Wednesday, February 3, 2010 and will provide an overview of the company's business strategy.
This Live audio of both will be accessible to the public by visiting
ir.americanexpress.com. Materials will be posted on the Web site before each event, and audio replays will be available on the Web site following each event.
For this and more information, visit their website. One
of their popular credit cards is the Starwood
Preferred Guest® Credit Card, cardholders can earn Starpoints at
participating Starwood hotels and resorts. These can be redeemed for free Night
Awards at over 940 Starwood Hotels and Resorts and for flights on over 30
airlines with no blackout dates. Also, there is No annual fee for the first year
the cardholder can get some Starpoints®. American
Express Cards
American Express OPEN®
and the Lowe's Companies, Inc. have launched a credit card for business owners. The Lowe's Business Rewards Card from
American Express is a
business credit card that allows business owners to earn points on card purchases. This is
a rewards program offered to Lowe's small business credit customers. This can
help small business owners who pay their charge cards in full and help them manage their spending
while providing credit they can use to run their companies. The new card provides a tiered structure for earning rewards points.
There are one point rewards, double rewards, and triple reward points depending
on types of purchases and where the purchase was made. Lowe's wants to provide a
good customer experience and the card could offer convenience and rewards for business owners
who need it. The Lowe's Business Rewards Card was presented at the International Builders
Show and will be available at Lowe's retail locations March 2010. To learn more
about this card, visit the American Express website for this information and
more details. Credit
Card Tips Credit card companies are taking all
the steps to make sure they will be ready for the new laws in February 2010. Some
companies are ready and others are getting more prepared. Disclosing the terms
and conditions in an easy to understand way is part of the new law. The
companies usually offer consumers a card that fits their credit type even if it was not the card inquired about. When consumers are offered different cards, they will also get
information about the terms and conditions associated with the card offer before the application is processed. Cards have different APR information and will state if the APR will apply to cash advances and what can cause it to
rise or fall. Some companies increase the rate when payments are late or the credit limit has been exceeded. Information about
processing fees will be provided and may vary depending on credit worthiness. Secured credit cards
as other credit cards have different fees, terms, and conditions. Processing fees can range from $0 to $35. Every
company is different and may require low security deposits or high deposits. They can change the APR and can apply payments to
lower APR balances before applying it to higher balances. When seeking a credit card, it is important to read all the terms
and conditions for fees. For example, if you select that you want your credit card delivered quickly, it could cost you. Make sure you know who your credit card issuer is, their phone number, how they
process your personal information, and if they share your personal information
with third parties. keep all your credit card account numbers in a safe place along with phone numbers in
case you ever need to report a lost or stolen card. Always report lost cards immediately.
Having a credit card is a privilege and the terms and conditions for using the
credit card must be followed. Credit
Cards Credit cards
can have great benefits and rewards that are specific to certain cards. Usually the more
the card is used and the higher the annual fee, the more benefits are offered.
There can be points to collect and exchange for things like airline tickets, contributions to a favorite cause,
restaurant discounts, and hundreds of perks from which to choose. Benefits
are offered to get consumers to choose one card over another. There must be
something unique as interest rates and other financial benefits are often alike
among credit card companies. A free trip earned through points can be great for
those consumers who use a card often and like to travel. When the balance is
paid off every month, it may be even easier to get the benefits offered. When
you choosing a card with benefits or points, it is better if you will really use
the rewards. Read about the terms and any deadlines for using perks. Check your spending level against the amount required to earn the
benefits to figure out if you will use the card enough to earn the rewards. If
for example, you like to use a specific resort, make sure the card you use will
provide rewards for that specific resort. Sometimes there is a time frame for
using the rewards and they may expire or not expire. Another example of a credit
card with perks is one that offers rewards to get a rental car. Having credit
cards with perks can be a way to get benefits, save money, and get points to
spend at specific places when credit cards are used frequently. Order Online Without Credit Card
- Some consumers want to shop online yet they don't have unsecured credit cards because of bad credit. Here's how you can order online without a credit card... well, without a typical credit card. Get Catalog Card Information and Apply Online - Click Here A typical unsecured credit card generally requires a credit check and often results in rejection of bad credit people. And that is the primary reason why some people see a way to shop online without credit cards. Yet there is an unsecured line of credit for online shopping, even for very bad credit people. It's called a catalog store card. How it works: An online shopping club offers an unsecured line of credit to almost anyone. Members get to shop the club's website and order merchandise, and the club sets up a repayment plan. Benefits of this solution are that approval is almost guaranteed since the application doesn't require a credit check, plus the line of credit is rather large, up to several thousand dollars. Also, many of the products do not require a down payment. If you're looking for a way to buy merchandise or gifts online without a standard credit card, consider a catalog store card. Charity Gift Credit Cards
- Donating money with a Charity Gift Card is not only a tax deduction, but it also makes you feel good. But just like all financial agreements, you need to be aware of the fine print. You can either buy a gift card directly from a specific charity (if so offered) or if you don't have a specific charity in mind you could get a Pick Your Charity gift card. These cards let you give a specific amount of money to a person, who then gets to donate that amount to a charity of his/her choice. Charity specific cards - Only a few of the nation's largest charities offer the option of buying a gift card. Some Goodwill stores have gift card options, but there's no national gift card policy, so availability and terms vary from region to region. Pick Your Charity cards - If you don't have a specific cause in mind, consider this type of gift card. The cards are bought online; purchasing them is similar to any type of gift card. Select the format the card will be delivered in, either e-mail or US mail. Load it with a donation value and enter the recipient's information. After getting the gift, the recipients turn philanthropic donors by going online to the gift card's Web site and clicking the charity of their choice to receive the card's amount. Fine Print items to be watchful: * Fees: All the money you donate may not go directly to the charity. Some may give a percentage to the group providing the card. For example, it costs between $1.50 and $5 just to purchase the card. After money is placed on the card, fees for shipping, handling, administrative needs or credit card processing are deducted from that amount. CharityChoice gift cards, for instance, feature a transaction fee of 50 cents per card, a card processing fee of 3 percent and an administrative fee of 5 percent. * Speed: The money that does go to the charity doesn't always go right away. Some organizations only transfer funds to the designated charities on a quarterly basis. * Expiration dates: A few have them, meaning that well-meant cash will go to the card issuer, not a cause. Network for Good's Good Card, for example, expires after just six months. (They recently changed it from one year.) It then takes the unused funds "to train thousands of charities in outreach and help them raise funds online." The Credit CARD Act of 2009 -- which also addresses gift cards -- says gift cards can't expire for at least five years after they were last loaded with money. However, those changes don't take effect until August 2010, so in the meantime, it's important to pay attention. * Tax benefits: The card giver gets a tax deduction for the face value of the gift card. The recipient, who designates where the money will go, doesn't get a tax break. * Varying number of charities to choose from: Some cards let the donor select from varying numbers of charities. Too many could be overwhelming; too few hinder choice. Credit
Card Law The credit card law will bring about changes for issuers and cardholders. Issuers will have restrictions on rate hikes, fees, and increased disclosure requirements. Those who borrow will need to know some provisions in the law and some loopholes. Sometimes a creditor will cut credit limits because credit scores drop, credit cards are not used much, or
there is a change in the way payments have been made. There have been times when even good customers have had their accounts
closed just due to not making charges. Consumers should try maintain good scores, pay on time, keep balances low, and try to avoid closing accounts unless it's necessary.
It is also important to make some charges on credit cards that can be paid in
full or on time each month. If there have been many holiday purchases, it is best to try to pay them off or pay the balances
down early into the New Year. By reducing outstanding balances, it can protect against negative changes to an account, and could
improve credit scores. Even a lower balance could help cushion credit scores against credit limit reductions. One important ratio in credit scoring formulas, is the amount of credit used versus credit limits. If limits are cut and debt doesn't decrease, scores could drop. It is important to open credit card statements in case card issuers send information to opt out of a change in terms. They must send out notices at least 45 days in advance of the effective date. That gives a limited time to decide whether to reject the proposed change, yet opting out
cancels the account. When there are derogatory errors on reports, scores can be lower so it is important to check reports at each of the three major credit reporting agencies on a regular basis, especially if you want to apply for credit cards and you don't know what type of credit you have. When bills are usually paid late, credit can be less than perfect as late payments lower scores.
In this case, one would need to apply for a card that approves less
than perfect credit people. Inactive
Credit Cards If
you have a credit card that has not been used in a long time, you may want to
consider using it fast. Some card issuers may close accounts that are not being
used. Dormant accounts don't yield any profits to institutions. Some issuers may
even charge inactivity fees for unused cards or may charge fees that don't have
an annual spending threshold. An
account that does not have a balance could cause a drop in available credit, it
is suggested that a card is used at least once every few months so the issuer sees some
gain. It won't matter even if balances are paid in full after getting the statement, the card issuer
can generate income from interchange fees from transactions which could be
as much as 3% of a purchase price. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
