Despite being one of the biggest and most popular luxury hotel brands in the world, you might be surprised to hear that up until 2 years ago, Hyatt never issued their own branded card.

Why not? Well the rumor was because they weren’t interested in having one, unless it could be the best hotel credit card on the market.

So did they accomplish that goal or not? Well review it for yourself… I think there’s a strong case that they did!

The best card offer ever?

We all know cardholder promotions have been pretty enticing lately, but the new Chase Hyatt credit card offer takes it to a whole new level…

Two free nights at any Hyatt, worldwide! Sure, some hotel cards will reel you in with a promotion for a free stay but then when you dig into the fine print, you discover they only give it to you at their lowest level properties. That’s NOT the case with the Hyatt 2 free nights promotion. Take a look for yourself – there are NO sneaky exclusions in the application’s fine print!

No sneaky exclusions… it’s refreshing to see a credit card offer that! So how much is this signup bonus actually worth? Well obviously the room rates vary by location but to give you an idea, I priced out a 2-night stay for fall 2012 at a couple of their high profile properties…

The Paris Vendome location is especially valuable, considering the dollar to euro conversion. Is this the most valuable credit card promotion ever? I can’t imagine the Hyatt card will run such a generous offer for long… so you definitely don’t want this one to pass you by.

Go here to earn 2 free nights after your first purchase

There are no resort, Internet or redemption fees for your award nights. There aren’t blackout dates either. So whether you use them to stay at a lower end location or a high profile property like those above, one thing is for sure… getting 2 free nights at a luxury hotel like Hyatt – regardless of the location – is a ridiculously generous promotion.

Earning rewards

As you would expect, with the Hyatt Visa card you earn Hyatt Gold Passport points:

• 3 points per dollar spent at Hyatt
• 1 point per dollar everywhere else

There are no limits to how many points you can earn. How much are Hyatt points worth? Well, here is the reward redemption chart for rooms as of 2012.

Based on my experience, it’s easy to get up to 1.5 to 2 cents per Gold Passport point when you convert them to free nights at their hotels. But even if you’re not familiar with the rewards program, all you have to do is look at the two room quotes above to get the gist of how valuable their points are! So this means that even though the Chase Hyatt only gives 1 pt/dollar on normal spending, keep in mind that each point can be worth a lot more than what you typically get with most cards out there.

Big benefits for a small fee

The annual fee is very reasonable at $75 and once you see the benefits, I don’t think anyone can dispute that the credit card from Hyatt is worth every penny and more.

Comes with chip and PIN – Almost no US issued credit cards come with chip and PIN technology (EMV). As a result, swiping your old-fashioned magnetic strip card at European train ticket kiosks, parking meters, and gas pumps is usually impossible. But not for the Hyatt card.

No foreign transaction fees – With the Hyatt Visa you won’t ever have to pay that pesky 3% currency conversion surcharge ever again.

Hyatt Platinum status – You get this status as long as you have their card. Is it worthwhile? As Sarah Palin would say, you betchya!

• Receive a 15% point bonus for each stay
• Option to make a late checkout request and stay until 2:00 pm
• Get the preferred rooms (those on higher floors or that are larger)
• No charge for in-room internet
• Elite member area for faster check-in

Visa Signature benefits – This is the highest tier of a Visa card you can get and therefore it comes with the most bells and whistles: concierge service, purchase security, extended warranty coverage on eligible purchases, lost luggage reimbursement, travel emergency assistance hotline, emergency card and cash replacement, auto rental collision damage waiver, roadside dispatch, Common Carrier travel accident insurance, entertainment benefits, and more. Contact Chase for the details, rules, and exclusions for each benefit.

1 free award night every year on anniversary – Every year on your account’s anniversary date, you receive 1 Award night (good for category 1-4 properties). Obviously, getting that every year easily justifies the Hyatt credit card’s annual fee of $75.

Verdict?

Many of the credit cards out there that come with good signup promotions are not ones you would want to keep for the long haul. However, the Chase Hyatt Visa is definitely an exception: with all the benefits and the free award night every year upon renewal, it definitely makes sense having a permanent place in your wallet for it.

Apply now and receive 2 free nights after first purchase

Don’t procrastinate on this one folks, because a signup promotion this generous won’t last!

I have a Bank of America credit card from many years ago (it was my 2nd card). However the last time it garnered day-to-day usage was at least 5 years ago. Why? Because the World Points program just doesn’t make sense given the unfavorable conversion rates for cash back.

These days I just dust it off once every few months by making a purchase or two, for credit reporting purposes. At the start of April while logging out of the account, this 5x points promotion (worth up to 5% cash back) popped up on the screen…

You can’t request this promotion. Enrollment is targeted. Based on forum feedback, it seems to be offered to those who aren’t using their BofA credit card much (such as myself). But should you bite the bait or not?

My previous experience

For the previous year, I was also solicited with a 5x points offer. However the categories were different; travel, grocery stores, and gas stations. The cap was the same – up to 2,500 points (which equals only $500 in combined spending for these categories).

I enrolled and followed thru by using my card to pay for a hotel room in Yosemite, a couple gas fill-ups driving there, and a grocery run at Whole Paycheck, err I mean Whole Foods. All of these places should have clearly qualified for the 5x categories, right?

Unfortunately not.

As it turns out, Bank of America only counted roughly half of the $600 spent as being eligible. This was quite ridiculous, because I didn’t see anything fishy with the merchant codes/categorizations (they should have qualified).

To make matters worse, the shortchanged points I received were an uphill battle to get. If I recall correctly, they didn’t show up for a couple billing cycles. There were at least two calls to customer service during this ordeal.

Dig it or ditch it?

My vote is a “no” for this year, due to the fact that (a) the cap is still low at $500, and (b) it ended up averaging 2.2x to 2.5x points/dollar for me since many of my purchases were not considered as being eligible.

However, if already have a bunch of World Points saved up then doing this might make sense. Why? Because in order to get 1 cent value per point, you need to redeem 25,000 at a time. If you can meet that threshold, then it’s like having a Bank of America 5% cash back credit card (albeit temporarily).

As you can see from the point conversion chart, it’s probably not going to make sense for most people. Because rather than getting 5% cash back from BofA, after the points dilution on the lower tiers, you may only get half that value (and that’s assuming your purchases are categorized as expected).

When all is said and done, this is an offer that sounds enticing when you first see it, but then you realize it’s far from impressive after dissecting the numbers. Consider these other cards that give high cash back on similar categories:

• Blue Cash Preferred – unlimited 6% cash back at supermarkets
• Freedom – 5% cash back on quarterly categories
• Sapphire Preferred – 2x points on travel and dining (can convert to 2% cash back)

Southwest bought AirTran Airways and is phasing out the brand in 2012. What does that mean for cardholders?

Issued by Barclays, the AirTran credit card came in a couple different versions:

• AirTran Visa w/ fee – $59 annual fee. 2x miles per dollar spent on their airline and 1x elsewhere. The mileage program wasn’t anything special, but a major selling point was that you got two $50 vouchers each year (after the annual fee, you were basically coming out ahead $41 every year).
• AirTran Visa w/o fee – 1x mile per dollar on their airline, 1 mile per $2 dollars everywhere else. Unlike the other credit card, this one didn’t come with the $50 vouchers.

The very weird post-merger predicament

2 airlines + 2 different credit card co’s = 1 airline w/ 1 card?

See the dilemma? Because Chase manages Southwest, the AirTran cards from Barclays will be phased out. So what’s happening to the AirTran Visa accounts? Well that’s where things get interesting…

• If you attempt to cancel your Barclays card, there’s a good chance they will “bribe” you with a lower annual fee and/or other freebies. During 2012 I have heard from many who were given worthwhile incentives for not cancelling… very strange considering the fact that AirTran won’t be around much longer. However, I have also heard from customers who weren’t offered anything when they cancelled.
• If you keep your Barclays AirTran credit card there’s no official word on what will eventually happen to your account. Unless Chase decides to buy the accounts from Barclays last minute (highly unlikely) they will not be transitioned to Southwest. As a result, AirTran cardholders will soon be orphans. My guess is that after the AirTran A+ Rewards program is discontinued, Barclays will convert the accounts over to another rewards card they issue.
• American Express is out of the game. Previously, AirTran was a transfer partner for the AmEx Membership Rewards program, but anymore.

AirTran has a list of FAQs on their site talking about the merger. I’ve picked out the ones most relevant (as of April) and pasted them below for you:

What should you do?

Even though Barclays hasn’t discontinued current accounts, you can no longer apply for an AirTran credit card. The application is gone. So if you were thinking that right before the sunset you could score some free miles by applying, sorry but that’s not going to happen.

If you are a currently an AirTran cardholder and still plan on flying with them (via Southwest) then you should consider applying for the Southwest credit card which is arguably a better deal anyway since (a) you get more opportunities to earn rewards, and (b) unlike AirTran, SW doesn’t charge for your first checked bags.

Q: I’ve had a Juniper credit card for over 10 years (since 2002) but haven’t used it in ages. As far as I know they never cancelled it on me, so I went to the account login page and everything seems prehistoric. Why is it so ugly? Is Juniper Bank still in business?

A: I’ve been asked this question – in some form or fashion – more than once over the years. There’s no denying their login page & account management is about as ugly as a hairless cat…

But there’s actually a [somewhat] rational explanation as to why it’s like that.

You see Juniper Bank was one of the fastest growing credit card companies, ever. Some industry bigwigs started it in 2000 and by 2004, they were issuing millions of co-branded Visa and MasterCards for Apple, Barnes & Noble, and a number of airlines like Midwest and US Airways. That same year, 2004, they sold out to Barclays.

So that means there’s no longer such thing as Juniper Bank cards. Rather, if you have one it has been converted over to Barclays.

Then why is the Juniper sign-on page still up?

Good question. It’s been almost a decade since Barclays acquired Juniper, so obviously plenty of time has passed to transition everything over.

My guess is they just leave the Juniper credit card login up for legacy purposes, in case someone like you has an old card lying around and are not aware it’s been switched over.

Can you still apply for a Juniper card?

Nope. You won’t find a Juniper credit card application anywhere. However you can apply for their successors through Barclaycard’s website – i.e. If you want the Apple store financing card, no you get it through Barclays.

Have all their cards been switched over to Barclays?

To the best of my knowledge, yes. Barclays did take their time in transitioning the account branding over. Up until a couple years ago, some accounts appeared to still be operating with the Juniper name.

But today if you call the customer service number (1-877-523-0478) the greeting now says “Thank you for calling Barclays.”

So if you still have an active account, it would be best to catch up with the times and start logging in through the Barclaycard website instead. Because I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they shutdown the ol’ Juniper site altogether.

What’s a good replacement?

If your card has been inactive for years, there’s a good chance Barclaycard might have cancelled it (contact them to find out). If that happened and you are looking for another good Visa or MasterCard, here are some recommendations to consider:

• Chase Freedom Visa
• Citi Dividend Platinum Select Card
• Marriott Rewards Visa Signature

It’s back for 2012! Launched on April 11th this very-limited time promotion from Chase let’s you earn up to 100,000 Avios points. Here is the fine print behind the offer:

• 50,000 points after your very first purchase
• 25,000 more points for spending at least $10k during your first year
• Plus another 25,000 pts for making another $10k in purchases the first year.

Conclusion? The 50k points bonus is a good enough reason to apply. But you especially need to apply if you spend at least $20k per year (that’s an average of $1,667 per month). Because then you’re netting a cool 100,000 miles. Chase is only running this for a very short amount of time so don’t miss it. Go here for the promotion details and how you can signup.

I’ve been a holder of the British Airways Visa Signature card for exactly one year. I applied for it back in spring of 2011, during the first and only other time Chase ran the 100,000 miles promotion.

In a moment I’ll show you just how valuable the bonus is. But first, let me explain to you why this is one of the best airline credit cards on the market… even if you don’t travel abroad!

Reason #1: Higher reward value vs. the other guys

Last year the British Airways frequent flyer program (Executive Club) started using Avios points instead of miles. It’s a bigger program, with more ways to earn/spend your points.

• 1.25 Avios points for every dollar spent
• 2.50 Avios points per dollar on British Airways

As I’m sure you know, most airline cards only give you 1 mile (or point) on regular spending. However the British Airways credit card offers you 25% more points on these purchases. Best of all, you can do a lot with the points, which I will demonstrate next…

Reason #2: Your points will go a long ways

Here an example of the number of Avios points needed for a one-way flight from Chicago to London:

Of course for a round-trip flight, the amount would be doubled (40,000 pts). This is why the British Airways 100k miles offer is so ridiculously generous… it’s enough points to score you 2 roundtrip tickets from the US to UK. As is the case with all mileage programs, please note you still have to pay the taxes/fees (which can run a few hundred bucks on a transatlantic flight).

Is a trip to England not your cup of tea? No worries, because you can use your Avios for a lot more. As a partner of British Airways, you can use your credit card points to book award flights on all American Airlines flights, too (except for those to/from London).

See how 25,000 points can score you a roundtrip flight to Hawaii? At the same time, I got a quote for the cash price for this ticket on the American Airlines website (which is the cheapest place to book AA flights) and the price I was quoted was $589.41.

Pay $589.41 or redeem 25,000 miles and only pay $21.80 in taxes? The value is obvious – for this particular fare you would be getting more than $0.02 value per Avios point!

Now you see exactly why this British Airways credit card promotion for 100,000 miles (Avios points) is so unbelievable. Think about it… you could use the 100,00 points to score up to 4 flights to Hawaii!

Reason #3: Your credit card benefits

It comes jam-packed with benefits:

• No Foreign Transaction Fee – Never again will you have to pay that 2-3% fee for using your card abroad.
• Travel Together Ticket – You earn one of these tickets every year you spend at least $30k on your British Airways Visa Signature card (and it’s good for 2 years after being issued). It allows you to bring a companion on your next reward flight for free – just pay the usual taxes/fees on the second ticket and that’s it. You can use the Travel Together Ticket for whatever cabin you fly, wherever BA flies, on whatever date you want (no restrictions).
• Embedded with chip and pin – Ever try using your American credit card at say, a train ticket kiosk in France? Good luck with that! Almost everywhere else in the world uses credit cards with chip and pin. Some places won’t accept your card if it doesn’t have it. This is one of the very few U.S. cards that currently comes with it.
• Visa Signature Benefits – This is the highest tier of a Visa card you can get. It means you get a number of extra perks free of charge on eligible purchases such as extended warranties, purchase protection, etc. You also get 24/7 access to the Visa Signature concierge line.

Is it the best offer ever?

I have NEVER seen a signup offer that competes with the Chase British Airways card’s 100k miles.

It’s a promotion that’s so insanely lucrative, even those who don’t travel to Europe are applying for it in a heartbeat. The $95 annual fee is peanuts compared to the benefits you are getting in return (and yes, I love it so much I just renewed my account for the 2nd year).

Not to mention, aside from the 100,000 bonus points, remember you will still be earning more value than most airline cards given the 1.25 pts/dollar on your everyday spending.

Apply now and earn up to 100,000 bonus miles!