American Express Card Members Project

Looking for a Credit Card for Christmas Shopping? Before you submit a credit card application, first review the main points which will help you choose the right credit card for your needs.

What Charges You'll Make - If you're going to use the credit card mainly for booking airline reservations and hotels, it might be best for you to get a travel credit card that offers sky miles and hotel points or cashback. If this will be an emergency credit card only, then your main concern may be for a low interest rate credit card with low fees.

When You'll Repay Charges - Will you pay off credit card charges in full every month, or will you carry a balance month to month? If you're going to carry a balance, you want the lowest possible interest rate as well as a low introductory rate. But if you'll payoff balances in full every month, then interest rate really doesn't matter so no annual fee and/or a long grace period would be a bigger concern. If you're going to carry a balance, be concerned about how the finance charge is calculated. The most common method is the Average Daily Balance, which means that the daily balances are added together and then divided by the number of days in the billing cycle. Stay away from credit cards that compute the balance using two billing cycles, as this method costs more money in financing fees.

What Amount You'll Charge - If you're going to use the credit card for all your monthly expenses, then you need a card that has a high credit limit and a high cashback percentage.

More info about Interest Rates, Credit Limits, Incentives, Fees and Penalties

Interest Rates - The interest rate (Annual Percentage Rate) APR can either be a fixed rate or a variable rate that is tied to another financial indicator, most commonly the prime rate. With a fixed rate credit card you know what the interest rate will be every month, whereas a card with a variable rate can fluctuate. Of course, even the interest of a fixed rate card can change based on certain events, such as paying your credit card bill late, exceeding your limit, or simply because the credit card issuer decides to change it after providing you ample advance notice.

Credit Limit - This is the amount of money the credit card company will let you charge to the card. This amount varies depending upon the card offer and your credit history. Be sure to get a credit card with an ample limit, because getting close to your max can hurt your credit score. Just remember that you don't have to max out your limit just because it's available.

Incentives - To compete for and to gain customers, many credit card companies offer rewards. Even if you normally use cash, why not use your credit card and then use the cash to make the payment during the grace period? You still won't pay interest and meanwhile you'll rack-up rewards. A credit card with 5% cashback will earn you $5 for every $100 charged. If your total bills come to $2,000 per month, you'll earn a free $100 every month. Look for a rewards program that you'll use and which offers flexibility, such as cashback or travel.

Fees and Penalties - Compare common charges such as late fees, overlimit fees, balance transfers, cash advances, and for making payments by telephone. Regarding balance transfers, look for credit card offers with no transaction fees and zero percent interest for at least 12 months.

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American Express Card Members Project

By Credit Federal | Published 10/1/2008

American Express Card Members Project has been narrowed down to five candidates. American Express will fund a total of $2.5 million.

American Express will fund with a total of $2.5 million. Cardmembers will have one last chance to vote for their favorite project and determine how the $2.5 million is put into action. The organization associated with the project with the most votes by Cardmembers will receive $1.5 million. Organizations associated with the second place and third place projects will receive $500,000 and $300,000 in funding, respectively, and the remaining two finalist projects will receive $100,000.

Top five projects selected as finalists for the American Express Members Project

Alzheimer's Disease: Early Detection Matters: The earlier people are diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the sooner they can get the help they need. Too few people know the ten early warning signs. Create and implement an education program to show the importance of seeking an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, a progressive and fatal disease.
Feeding 1 Million Children Daily: There are amazing school lunch programs in India that are feeding several million children daily -- providing them with their only full meal of the day and creating strong incentives to attend and stay in school, particularly for young girls. Through the innovative use of technology and supply chain management, these programs can feed children for less than $30 a year.
Help 100,000 children thrive in the classroom!: In urban and rural communities around the country, family income often determines a child's educational opportunities. This project can provide 100,000 children in low-income communities with books, art supplies, technology and other materials for a rigorous education.
Loans That Change Lives: This project is an internet-based platform that allows everyday people to become 'social investors.' With $25, a credit card and an internet connection, anybody can invest in the life of a deserving entrepreneur. Lenders can sort pre-screened businesses by region, culture, or business category; and see a photo and profile of the person they are supporting.
Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children: Giving starving children food is not enough; the food needs to contain the vitamins, micronutrients and calories a developing child needs to survive. New ready-to-use food (RUF) is individually packaged, is stable in hot climates, does not need to be mixed with water (no risk of contamination) and even tastes good. With this treatment there is simply no reason for children to die of starvation anymore.

Last year, American Express provided $2 million in funding to UNICEF to bring the project "Children's Safe Drinking Water" to life, helping to significantly reduce waterborne diseases by promoting household water treatment, safe storage and a healthy environment. This project continues and through funding from Members Project, UNICEF is able to provide safe water to more than 3.5 million people in several countries for at least two years.

Get your own rewards... Apply for a rewards credit card. Browse American Express and other platinum credit card offers.

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American Express Card Members Project - by <a href=http://creditfederal.com>CreditFederal.com</a> <div style="text-align: left; font-family: Verdana;"><a target='_top' href="http://creditfederal.com/americanexpress-credit-card.html">American Express Card</a> Members Project has been narrowed down to five candidates. American Express will fund a total of $2.5 million. American Express will fund with a total of $2.5 million. Cardmembers will have one last chance to vote for their favorite project and determine how the $2.5 million is put into action. The organization associated with the project with the most votes by Cardmembers will receive $1.5 million. Organizations associated with the second place and third place projects will receive $500,000 and $300,000 in funding, respectively, and the remaining two finalist projects will receive $100,000. Top five projects selected as finalists for the American Express Members Project <ul><li> Alzheimer's Disease: Early Detection Matters: The earlier people are diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the sooner they can get the help they need. Too few people know the ten early warning signs. Create and implement an education program to show the importance of seeking an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, a progressive and fatal disease.</li><li> Feeding 1 Million Children Daily: There are amazing school lunch programs in India that are feeding several million children daily -- providing them with their only full meal of the day and creating strong incentives to attend and stay in school, particularly for young girls. Through the innovative use of technology and supply chain management, these programs can feed children for less than $30 a year.</li><li> Help 100,000 children thrive in the classroom!: In urban and rural communities around the country, family income often determines a child's educational opportunities. This project can provide 100,000 children in low-income communities with books, art supplies, technology and other materials for a rigorous education.</li><li> Loans That Change Lives: This project is an internet-based platform that allows everyday people to become 'social investors.' With $25, a credit card and an internet connection, anybody can invest in the life of a deserving entrepreneur. Lenders can sort pre-screened businesses by region, culture, or business category; and see a photo and profile of the person they are supporting.</li><li> Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children: Giving starving children food is not enough; the food needs to contain the vitamins, micronutrients and calories a developing child needs to survive. New ready-to-use food (RUF) is individually packaged, is stable in hot climates, does not need to be mixed with water (no risk of contamination) and even tastes good. With this treatment there is simply no reason for children to die of starvation anymore.</li></ul> Last year, American Express provided $2 million in funding to UNICEF to bring the project "Children's Safe Drinking Water" to life, helping to significantly reduce waterborne diseases by promoting household water treatment, safe storage and a healthy environment. This project continues and through funding from Members Project, UNICEF is able to provide safe water to more than 3.5 million people in several countries for at least two years. Get your own rewards... Apply for a <a target='_top' href="http://creditfederal.com/rewards-credit-card.html">rewards credit card</a>. Browse <a target='_top' href="http://creditfederal.com/americanexpress-credit-card.html">American Express</a> and other <a target='_top' href="http://creditfederal.com/platinum-credit-card.html">platinum credit card</a> offers. </div> This article provided courtesy of <a href=http://creditfederal.com target=_new>www.CreditFederal.com</a>, a personal credit resource of good or bad credit credit cards and loans.

Credit Tip: Need a high limit for Christmas credit card charges? If you have bad credit, consider a personal loan by refinancing your mortgage. Even if you have cash to buy Christmas presents, we recommend using a prepaid card to make purchases because it's safer than carrying cash.