Q: When checking out today at their store I was asked if I wanted to fill out a Pottery Barn credit card application. I don’t like feeling pressured, so I took the pamphlet home with me. It looks like it has good rewards! Would you recommend this credit card?

A: Pottery Barn is an excellent store to pick up home furnishings. While they make great stuff, unfortunately it’s rather pricey… so any sort of rewards program would definitely be nice!

In a nutshell here is the Pottery Barn credit card rewards program:

• For every $250 spent at their stores, you get a $25 rewards certificate that can be redeemed via store, catalog, or website purchase at Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and PBteen.
• The reward certificates are issued with your monthly statement and expire 180 days from the date they were issued.
• Reward certificates cannot be sold or transferred. If they are lost or stolen they will not be replaced.

So by getting $25 in rewards for every $250 spent, you are basically getting 10% back on your purchases. This is definitely one of the better rewards programs I’ve seen for a store credit card! There’s no annual fee, which is also a major plus.

Are there any drawbacks?
Unfortunately this card is not associated with any major payment network (like Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, or Discover) and that means it can only be used for purchases at Pottery Barn stores. The APR on the Pottery Barn card is extremely high – 19.99% to 24.99% at the time of this review. Therefore this would definitely be a bad card to ever carry a balance on.

Verdict?
There are no negative Pottery Barn credit card reviews on our forum, nor have I seen any negative reviews elsewhere for this card. If you find yourself spending a lot on queen duvet covers, euro shams, or any of the thousands of other home furnishings they sell, then it may not be a bad idea to apply for a Pottery Barn credit card. However if you ever carry a balance, then it may be best to avoid this card.

Other great ways to get rewards?
While you’re at it, you should also take a look at your main credit card… how much in rewards does it give you? Check out our list of the best cash back credit cards so you can save the most amount of money everywhere you shop, because hopefully Pottery Barn isn’t the only place you spend your money :p

The Choice Privileges credit card used to be offered by Bank of America, but it was discontinued in 2009. A lot of people complained about the pitiful rewards on this hotel credit card, so I was not the least bit surprised to see it axed. However then in July 2010 – much to my surprise – they decided to come back out with the Choice Privilege Visa, but this time it’s issued by Barclays. Is it any better than the original? Let’s find out?

First, let’s take a look at which hotels are included in the Choice Privileges card reward program:

• Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep In, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, Roadway Inn, Ascend Collection

In a nutshell, it’s quite a wide selection of discount/lower end hotels. In my opinion, this is a plus. When I’m traveling and literally just want a cheap place to sleep, I often go for a lower end hotel myself. So in my opinion the brand offering on the Choice Privileges credit card is good.

Next, let’s take a look at the rewards program on the Chase Privileges Visa:

• On purchases they give 2 points per $1 spent
• On spending at Choice Privileges hotels, I found the adverting a bit misleading in my opinion. One of their bullet points was “Earn 15 points per eligible $1 spent at over 4,200 Choice Privileges locations” which sounded great, but then I read the fine print…  the Choice Privileges credit card only earns you 5 of those 15 points. The rest are given through the Choice Privileges membership program (a free membership program that is separate from the credit card). So in actuality, it appears the credit card in itself is only earning you 5 points per dollar spent at their hotels.

(on a related note, I think it would be more clear if they added the words “up to” in-front of that “15 points per eligible $1” bullet point, because after reading the fine print, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban Extended Stay, and MainStay suites only earn 5 points in the Choice Privileges membership program, so that’s 10 points total if the credit card is also used, not 15).

Sounds good so far, but how much are the points actually worth?
After I read that the Chase Privileges credit cards give 2 points per dollar on normal spending and 5 points on their hotels, I was actually quite impressed. But did these points follow the standard formula where 1 point equals $0.01 in value?

Well I consulted several sources – both through them directly as well as reviews on FlyerTalk, etc – to see how much they are worth when you redeem them… or in other words, how many points do you need to get a free night (and how does that compare if you were just paying normally). As it turns out, reportedly these points are only worth about 0.6 cents to 1.0 cents a piece. This was a huge disappointment.

Verdict?
While conducting my Choice Privileges Visa credit card review, I was quite enthusiastic about it until I got to the end and discovered that reportedly these points only equal out to be a rebate of approximately 1% or less. If that’s the case, then in my opinion this credit card is not worthwhile at all.

Better Options
There are some great hotel cards on the market that not only give fantastic rewards, but also some pretty lucrative signup bonuses. Check out CreditCardForum’s sponsored listing of the top hotel rewards credit cards.

Ever since the credit crunch of ’08, the use of debit cards (over credit cards) has skyrocketed. Unfortunately most of them don’t give rewards, but the Bank of America US Airways debit card is one exception. But is it worth it? Let’s find out…

Here are the basics about the card:

• The card operates over the Visa payment network
• You receive 1 mile per $2 spent on the card
• On purchases from US Airways (i.e. airfare, etc) you get 1 mile per $1 spent
• There are no miles given on ATM transactions, cash-back at the register, or for tax payments made with the card
• You are charged a $30.00 annual fee
• I have seen a signup bonus advertised for the US Airways debit card for quite some time where they give 3,000. However if you value each mile at 1 cent that equals out to be a $30 value (the same as the annual fee). So basically I just look at it as a wash.

Verdict?
The idea of getting rewards on your debit card is a great concept, unfortunately there are none on the market that give decent rewards. If you review what the US Airways debit card actually gives you and compare that to credit cards, you will see that you would only be earning a fraction of that. Even the most basic credit cards these days seem to give you at least 1 mile per dollar spent. With this BOA debit card you are only getting 1/2 a Dividend mile per dollar on normal spending. Then when you take into account that there’s an annual fee, it’s really hard to find any logic in getting the Bank of America US Airways debit card.

A better option?
There are credit cards on the market which give up to 2 miles per dollar spent and those rewards can be applied towards the purchase of a ticket on any airline. Going this route (and paying your balance in full each month so there is no interest charged) is really the best way to rake up free travel. CreditCardForum maintains a sponsored listing of the best travel rewards credit cards which is constantly updated with the best signup offers. Check it out.

The Lexus credit card (officially called the Lexus Pursuits Visa) is a card geared towards those whom drive their vehicles.  It’s not a credit card you normally see advertised or hear much about, so I decided to do some research and do my own Lexus Pursuits Visa review.

What type of card is it?
The Lexus credit card is issued by Lexus Financial Savings Bank. It’s a Visa Signature card, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Why? Because these types of cards have “no pre-set spending limit.” Instead, purchases are approved or disapproved on a case by case basis.

That may sound nice, but many claim this can cause problems since there isn’t a set credit limit being reported. Please note this problem is in no way specific to the Lexus credit card, but rather all Signature cards, regardless of issuer. Here’s the problem one forum poster reportedly claims to have with their Signature card from a different issuer:

“Here’s the problem: when I run my Equifax credit report, it lists my Visa Signature credit limit as $0. I am told this is because this is an “access line” account with a credit limit that can be exceeded without penalty. So, when Equifax calculates my debt to credit ratio, it’s extremely high since the credit limit on this card represents most of my credit. And, voila, my FICO score plummets.”

For this type of Visa from other issuers, forum posters have claimed to have no amount reported for the credit limit (so it’s blank) or their highest monthly balance shown for the credit limit. If that’s the case, the credit utilization number (the percentage of credit you use) could be affected.

What are the rewards?
The Lexus Pursuits Visa card does offer some respectable rewards:

• Regular spending earns 1.5 points per dollar spent.
• Spending at participating Lexus dealers earns 5 points per dollar spent.

The points can be redeemed for spending at participating Lexus dealers (parts, accessories, service, put towards buying a new Lexus, etc) and also for travel rewards.

What does it say in the fine print?

Participating Dealers: Lexus credit card rewards can only be redeemed at participating dealers in the continental U.S. and Alaska. This concerns me, because I would hate to have to drive hours away to find a “participating” dealer if there weren’t any nearby.

Reward Caps: The fine print says that for spending outside of participating Lexus dealers, you can only earn up to 7,500 points per billing cycle (that’s $5,000 in spending). So if you’re a big spender, keep this in mind.

Fee for Travel Rewards Program: If you want to redeem your points for travel rewards, you will have to pay an annual fee for enrolling in the “Travel Rewards Program.” I don’t know how much that costs, because I couldn’t find the fee listed anywhere.

Below-Average Travel Point Conversion: If you do use your Lexus credit card Visa points for travel, it doesn’t appear the conversion is favorable… every 1 cent in value requires 1.5 points (so a $250 plane ticket costs you 37,500 points).

High Interest Rate: At the time of my Lexus Pursuits Visa review, the APR on purchases was 15.99%. It’s tied to the prime rate, so when that goes up, so will your rate. This interest rate is definitely on the high side in my opinion.

Verdict?
I won’t be filling out a Lexus credit card application as long as it’s a Signature card. Hopefully some day they will change that. I also don’t like the fact that there are caps on the amount of points you can earn.  So for now I think I’ll be sticking with my 5% gas credit cards instead.

Last week a Credit Card Forum reader emailed this question:

Q: What is the best credit card for airline miles?

A: Airline credit cards just aren’t what they used to be. Here’s what you need to know about most of them today:

Annual fee vs. how much you spend
The truth is that for many people, paying a high annual fee just won’t make sense. For example, if you only spend a few hundred dollars per month, then a big chunk of those rewards you earn over the course of the year will just being going to balance out the cost of the annual fee you paid. Unfortunately, almost every airline miles credit cards charge an annual fee, making them illogical for smaller spending.

The airlines your miles can be used for
The problem with cards branded for a specific airline is that the miles are usually only good for their flights. But what happens if they don’t offer a flight to your destination, or even if they do, it’s an indirect flight with multiple layovers? So when you’re asking yourself what is the best credit card for miles, you need to also consider if you ever fly on more than one airline… and most people do.

How many miles you earn on spending
The biggest drawback with airline credit cards is you typically only earn one mile per dollar. If those miles are only worth around a penny each, then that’s basically the same as getting 1% back on spending… it just doesn’t make sense to pay an annual fee to get average reward value.

What is the best credit card for airline miles?
Your best bet is to go with a card not affiliated with a specific airline. That way you have the flexibility to book whatever flight is most convenient. Furthermore, you want a card that gives more than 1 mile per dollar.

Here are our two sponsored recommendations:

For no annual fee:
The Blue Sky gives rewards that are worth 33% more than the typical 1% card. Check out our American Express Blue Sky review to learn more.

For a $60 annual fee:
This is the best deal on the market- Discover Escape gives you 2 miles for every dollar spent (that’s double than most cards). To learn more and for a special signup bonus for our readers, check out our Discover Escape review

As you probably know, Upromise is a savings program that helps parents save for their kids’ college.  It’s a great concept, but they do have their critics. Check out this Upromise credit card review to find out the pros and cons:

For starters, here are the two different credit cards they offer:

(1) Upromise MasterCard w/ grocery and dining rewards
This card gives back 1% on all purchases (which are deposited into the 529 savings account) so essentially, it’s like a 1% cash back credit card.

On purchases from Upromise restaurants, the card gives a 10% extra. They do the same thing on participating grocery and drugstore items.

(2) Upromise MasterCard w/ grocery and gas rewards
This Upromise credit card also gives 1% on all purchases.

Like the card above, it also gives the 10% match on eligible grocery and drugstore items.

For gas purchased from Exxon or Mobil stations it does 2%. This is extremely disappointing for three reasons (1) you need to buy 20+ gallons per month (2) it only applies to Exxon and Mobil stations, which tend to cost a lot anyway, and (3) the standard rewards at these stations are only 1 penny per gallon.

Citi used to be involved with Upromise credit cards but Bank of America took over in 2009 and now issues/manages them.  This is a turnoff for many people, since we all know B of A isn’t exactly known for stellar service.

Are either of the Upromise cards worth it?
At first glance, the 10% sound exciting. But you have to realize that is only on eligible items. For most people only a small percentage of their shopping would qualify.
For example, let’s say you spent $100 at the grocery store and among that was $5 in eligible Upromise items (and those participating items gave 1%). Your total rewards would break down as follows:

1% back on all credit card purchases = $1
1% back on Upromise items = $0.05
10% extra on Upromise items = $0.50
Total Rewards: $1.55 for spending $100

As you can see the Upromise credit card rewards in actuality aren’t too exciting. Furthermore, since Upromise participating items are usually more expensive name brand items anyway, you almost always would be saving more simply buying a store or generic brand instead.

Is there a better option? (sponsored)
Of course you should use your Upromise account to rake up savings, but the added rewards from the Upromise credit card are far from impressive. A better option would be to get a higher cash back credit card and then deposit that money yourself into your 529 savings plan. But what’s the best card do to this? Check out our review of the new, re-vamped 5% cashback program on the Chase Freedom card

Frontier Airlines has undergone quite a few changes over the past several years… a bankruptcy, new corporate ownership, and a merger with Midwest Airlines. Despite all this, they’re still a great low cost choice for certain destinations. But is the Frontier Airlines credit card also a great choice? Let’s take a look…

There are actually a four different Frontier Airlines credit cards available; two consumer versions and two business versions.

The consumer credit cards:

Frontier Airlines MasterCard (no annual fee version): This is their basic card for consumers. In a nutshell, the rewards are pretty dismal on this one; you only earn a half mile per dollar spent on regular purchases and 1 mile per dollar spent on Frontier Airlines ticket purchase.

Frontier Airlines MasterCard ($59.00 annual fee): This is there other consumer card, but you pay an annual fee to get better rewards. Unfortunately this Frontier Airlines credit card is nothing to write home about either. It gives 1 mile per dollar spent on normal purchases and 2 miles per dollar on Frontier Airlines tickets.

The business credit cards:

Frontier Airlines Business Card (no annual fee version: The rewards on this one are the same as the no annual fee consumer Frontier Airlines card.

Frontier Airlines Business Card ($49.00 annual fee): The rewards are the same as the consumer version Frontier Airlines MasterCard, but this one has an annual fee that’s $10 cheaper.

Should you apply for a Frontier Airlines credit card?
I think Frontier is a great airline, especially if you live near their main hub in Denver. However I’m having a very hard time justifying their credit cards. First of all, only getting half mile per dollar really bothers me because it’s below average for an airline rewards credit card. But even if you were to pay for the annual fee version, it’s still nothing extraordinary (and not worth paying for compared to what else is out there). So while I do think they’re a good company, I think applying for the Frontier Airlines credit card doesn’t make sense.

How to get 2 miles for every dollar you spend (sponsored)
Imagine getting 2 miles per dollar spent, not only on Frontier Airlines tickets, but on all your purchases! It may sound too good to be true, but there is a credit card on the market that gives a whopping 2 miles for every dollar spent. The accumulated miles can be redeemed for virtually any travel purchase, including your Frontier tickets! To learn more and for a special signup bonus, check out the Discover Escape card

Lately you’ve probably seen your fair share of commercials featuring those silly vikings, touting the Capital One Venture credit card. The main selling point of the card [according to them] is that it gives 2 miles per dollar spent. Sounds great, right? Well before you jump out of your seat to fill out an application, you will want to read this credit card review first…

• “No Hassle Rewards” As you know this is the company’s tagline for their rewards program. When it comes to the Capital One Venture credit card, they give 2 miles per dollar, regardless of the merchant, category of spending, etc.
• There is an annual fee. The card has a $59.00 annual fee, so if you don’t spend much, then the Capital One Venture probably wouldn’t be a good choice. In order to break-even (to accumulate enough points that equal the annual fee) you will need to spend about $3,000 per year. Now there is a no annual fee version of the card, but it only gives 1.25 points per dollar spent.
• Understanding the rewards redemption. One of the most important things to understand is exactly how the redemption works. You see they advertise things like “no blackout dates” and “no travel restrictions” but that is because you aren’t actually booking your rewards travel through them. Basically this works like any other rewards credit card, the difference is that you cash out your points (“miles”) for a credit on a travel purchase you make.For example, let’s say you spend $12,500. Since you earn two miles/points per dollar spent, that would equal 25,000 miles… or $250 in value. You can then apply that $250 towards any travel purchase you make on your own with the card. That is why Capital One can say their are “no blackout dates or restrictions” because in reality, they have nothing to do with your rewards redemption. It’s like getting cash back on a credit card and then using those rewards to go buy something on your own.
• Customer service. While the rewards are great with the Capital One Venture credit card, unfortunately we aren’t so sure about their customer service. Time after time on this blog and forum, we have seen terrible reviews of their customer service department. It’s one – if not the most – complained about credit card companies on this site. People reportedly complain about extremely long hold times and foreign customer service that doesn’t even understand what they’re saying. Capital One doesn’t rank very high with J.D. Power & Associates for customer service/satisfaction (American Express & Discover take the top 2 spots). So while weighing the pros (the rewards) also weigh the cons (the customer service) when making your decision.

Are there any better options?

If you’re like us and aren’t too impressed with the Capital One Venture credit card review due to the customer service issue, then you may want to check out the following:

Discover Escape: You also earn 2 miles for every dollar spent and the annual fee is just $60. Award winning premium customer service from Americans. Check out this special sponsored promotional signup offer for the Discover Escape card

Q: Is there an American Express student credit card?

A: First of all, thanks for your message and compliments about the site Molly. Whether someone is a college student, a retiree, or at any stage in-between… an American Express credit card is always considered to be the cream of the crop. In fact, this isn’t the first message I’ve received asking about American Express for students.

Unfortunately, the company has very strict lending practices, so not everyone qualifies. This is especially true if you’re younger and have limited or no credit history. An American Express student credit card is hard, but not impossible to get. I’ll share with you the secrets of how I pulled it off when I was only eighteen and the best way to go about it in today’s tightened lending environment.

Why an American Express?
While it’s true American Express is a very prestigious card to carry, there are actual real reasons why they’re the best. First of all, saying they have outstanding benefits would be an understatement. There’s so many perks that come with their cards, many of their cardholders don’t even know about all of them!

For example, did you know that with AmEx charge cards, your purchases are protected for 90 days against theft or accidental damage? That’s right- if you buy something and it gets damaged a month later, or stolen, you’re covered for up to $1,000 per incident for free? There are many more benefits like free extended warranties and more… so many useful benefits you won’t get with any other credit card.

How I got an American Express credit card at the age of eighteen?
As soon as I turned eighteen I applied for a crappy credit card from my bank – it was some entry level Visa card with a $400 limit. The only reason I opened it up was because I knew I had to start somewhere. I would use it for a few months to establish a credit record and then apply for something better as soon as I got the chance. So I would put a couple purchases on it each month (always paying off the balance in full) and did that for about seven months. Then it was time to start applying for something better…

At the time, there wasn’t an American Express student credit card specifically, but their Blue card had just came out. It was an entry level credit card. I though it was still a bit too early to get approved for that, but I decided to apply and give it a shot… much to my surprise not only was I approved, but I was also given a $2,000 credit limit! That’s not too shabby for an eighteen year old that wasn’t even a college student yet.

After the credit crisis, is this still possible to do?
The Blue Card still exists, but my experience would never happen today. Back then the economy was flying high and practically a pulse was all that was needed to get credit. Today, getting an American Express student credit card is no longer easy to accomplish. However, I do have good news…

I applied right around the time the Blue card came onto the market. Although I have no proof of this, I suspect they were probably being more lenient on credit requirements since it was a new card (companies always try extra hard to make their new products a hit). So although that was years ago, coincidently there’s a similar scenario unfolding right now…

They just launched the Zync charge card a few weeks ago. Although it’s not specifically an American Express student card, it is a card that is geared towards younger individuals – their target demographic is for people in their 20’s. I also called up customer service to see if there is an income requirement (like other AmEx cards have) and there isn’t any official requirement on this one. Their age requirement is only eighteen. If there’s any AmEx you can get approved for, I would say this is definitely the best American Express for students such as yourself. Find out the details in my American Express Zync card review.

Today, black is the new platinum. The Citi Chairman card is this respective banks premier credit card. It’s actually been on the market for several years now, yet it doesn’t have the notoriety of the other uber-luxury credit cards. It’s issued by Citi, but operates over the American Express payment networks. I decided to do my own Citi Chairman card review and this is what I found…

Annual Fee
The Chairman carries an annual fee of $500. This is steep, but it’s also comparable to other high end credit cards. For example, the AmEx Platinum is $450 and the Centurion is $2,500 (plus a $5,000 initiation fee). So the annual fee on the Chairman credit card isn’t too bad for this category, but let’s find out whether or not the benefits are worth it…

Airport Lounge
This is a benefit I expect to be on any high end card, so it’s not surprising to see this one has it. If you’re not familiar with Priority Pass, it’s a program that lets you have free access to those nifty little airport lounges (normally for first-class ticket holders). These lounges typically have free beer, wine, champagne, assorted snacks and ho’orderves.

If you travel a lot, using this feature will actually save you money; you won’t have to buy the overpriced drinks and food in the airport. But as mentioned, this feature is not just a Citi Chairman card benefit… most of its competitors offer the same thing.

Rewards
Spending earns Thank You Points; this is the typical rewards program you will find on most other Citi credit cards too. To be quite honest, I think this program is a big yawn. It’s the typical 1 point per 1 dollar spent. I’m also disappointed with how poorly the points convert over when it comes time to cash them in. Therefore, don’t fill out the Citi Chairman card application just to get rewards.

Concierge
This is a benefit you will also see on AmEx Platinum, Centurion, etc. Basically, they all give you 24/7 access to a dedicated personal phone concierge service. This service can be used for all types of things… snagging hard-to-get dinner reservations, hunting down a sold-out article of clothing, or just about anything else you can think of for them to do.

Travel
Like many other top tier cards do, Citi Chairman offers an assortment of travel related benefits. For example, there’s free car rental insurance and roadside assistance, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation, luggage insurance, etc.

Should You Apply?
Here’s my take on it: The benefits on the Citi Chairman credit card seems to be pretty comparable to the others in its league, so that’s not reason enough to apply for it.

As far as its status and prestige is concerned, unfortunately Citi has done a horrendous job with marketing this card. In fact, the vast majority of people have never even heard of it. Considering that the card looks pretty blah, don’t count on it impressing anyone when you whip it out to pay for dinner. And whether you care about status or not, the truth of the matter is that the type of card you have does matter when it comes to business. For example, I decided to ditch a deal with someone because they paid for drinks with a sub-prime credit card. Are they really at the top of their game if they have a bottom rung credit card? I don’t think so.

Therefore, I will have to pass on the Citi Chairman Card. I feel the AmEx Platinum is a better value. In fact, that’s why this site has chosen to be affiliate adverting partners with them – among the premium credit cards it is clearly the winner and the value of the benefits are immense. To find out more check out our American Express Platinum review.