by PointsGuru | Jan 20, 2015
American travelers have the benefit of getting credit cards that are affiliated with some of their favorite travel partners. Just about every airline has a credit card that can provide some serious benefits for cardholders. American Airlines and AAdvantage are no different, and those who get the CitiBusiness AAdvantage World MasterCard can get many great perks.
The first big benefit to getting a CitiBusiness AAdvantage World MasterCard and using it as a business card is the signup bonus that a new cardholder can realize. Many potential cardholders no doubt already have the personal version of this card. Those who have any business at all, including selling items online on a part-time basis, can possibly qualify for the business version and double up on the number of bonus miles that are available.
The CitiBusiness AAdvantage World MasterCard starts out users with a nice 30,000 cache of bonus AAdvnatage miles after making just $1,000 in purchases over the first three months that the card is active. While 30,000 frequent flyer miles might not qualify for an around-the-world trip, it is more than enough to qualify for a low-level economy seat on a domestic flight. With the annual fee waived during the first year, this signup bonus amounts to what is basically a free flight, and who could not use a free flight with airfare costs today?
The benefits of the CitiBusiness AAdvantage World MasterCard do not stop with the initial signup bonus. Cardholders can also top off their American frequent flyer account with everyday purchases. Most purchases will earn one AAdvantage mile per dollar spent, but purchases from American Airlines will earn two miles per dollar spent. Additionally, certain business expenses like office supplies, telecommunications and car rentals will also earn the higher rate of two miles per dollar. Businesses with many expensive purchases will be able to rack up the miles quite quickly.
Those small businesses that have additional employees can also choose to supply these workers with their own card. This is a great way to keep employees from using their own money up front to travel for the business. Additionally, the purchases made by approved employees will earn AAdvantage miles. These miles will then go into the parent account.
One final mileage-related benefit to getting the CitiBusiness AAdvantage World MasterCard is an annual bonus. Those cardholders who choose to renew their card membership will earn a 5 percent bonus on the miles earned through purchases over the previous year. For example, a small business owner who charged $100,000 on the card would get a 5,000-mile bonus. Those who have sizable business expenses and also allow for additional employee cards could stand to gain a very nice additional cache of miles that can go toward free flights or other benefits. What at first seemed like only a single free domestic flight could indeed meet the mileage level necessary for an around-the-world ticket within a very short period of time.
Many small business owners with the personal version of the Citi AAdvantage Mastercard might think that they need no business card. With all of the benefits that can provide free miles, those who can qualify would be well served to get the business version. After all, the world awaits, and all that is needed is a plane ticket.
If you own a small business or have multiple contractors we recommend you sign up for Business ExtrAA for free. It not only gets you free things such as Admiral Lounge days but will get you upgrades on one-way flights that really help out. It is basically bonus on top of the points you are already earning when you fly.
by PointsGuru | Jan 19, 2015
dvanta has a new business card out that was supposed to make us all jump up and down if we are in the web business. The new Advanta business card for internet marketers, SEO’s, and anyone who runs a small business including Ebay. The word is small business because it must be really small if they expect you to only spend $1,200 a year on internet related purchases such as webhosting. They only pay 5% cash back on hosting, PPC, gas, office supplies, among other things until you spend $1,200 then it goes down to the measly 1% rate that you can get with thousands of other business cards. So what makes this card different?
Nothing makes this card more appealing for those of us looking to get more money back on our big advertising spends online. IF you wish to save big on Yahoo PPC then I recommend that you use the OPEN from American Express where they pay 5% back on your purchases online. Use the AMEX Simply Cash card and you get your office supplies at 5% unlimited where this Advanta card limits you to 1200 a year spend.
Webhosting for a site can be 1200 alone for some sites and maybe 130 a year or so for smaller shared servers. Add up a month of PPC at Yahoo at $100, Google at $200, MSN at $100 and you have around $530 a month for a fairly small internet business owner. IF you fill your car up with gas that is $4.00 a gallon making the total up to 710 then you will hit the two month maximum of the annual spend within two months. Therefore, you would only get two months at the 5% running one website and PPC campaigns and a few tanks of gas.
These would all be your bonus qualifying purchases. After that they would go down to only 1 percent with unlimited cash back in which you get mailed to you in increments of fifty bucks each.
Cash Back rewards are earned based on your annual level of Net Purchases, excluding Bonus Qualifying purchases, as follows: .25% on up to $3,000 in purchases; .50% on purchases between $3,000.01 and $5,000; .75% on purchases between $5,000.01 and $15,000; and 1% on purchases in excess of $15,000.
by PointsGuru | Jan 19, 2015
REVIEW: This could be our favorite card yet from Capital One
Capital One’s new Spark business credit card series replaces its previous business credit cards. There are six different Spark cards with various level of rewards and incentives. If your employees do a lot of spending on your behalf, you can have up to 25 employee credit cards linked to your Spark credit card account, and you receive an annual statement outlining all activity associated with your business card. Capital One also monitors Spark card transactions for fraudulent activity, and they will notify you if anything suspicious activity occurs. Another unique feature of the Spark business credit card is that you can custom design the cards with your company name or logo.
Spark Select has a 0 percent APR through August of 2012, and a 9.9 to 14.9 percent variable APR after that. Spark Select cardholders also earn one mile per dollar all purchases. Spark Cash Select and Spark Miles Select both require an excellent personal and business credit history. If you qualify, Spark Cash Select has a 0 percent APR through May 2012, 1 percent cash back on all purchases, a 50 percent bonus on the cash back you earn each year, and an APR of 14.9 percent to 19.9 percent. Spark Miles Select is essentially the same as Spark Cash Select, except that rather than 1 percent cash back, you earn 1 mile per dollar in charges. You even get the 50 percent bonus on miles.
Spark Cash provides the highest cash-back reward of all the Spark cards: 2 percent on all purchases. The trade-off for the higher cash reward is a higher interest rate (13.9 percent). Similarly, Spark Miles provides 2 miles per dollar for all purchases at a higher interest rate (13.9 percent). Both Spark Cash and Spark Miles have a $59 annual fee which is waived for the first year.
All of the Spark business credit cards are Visa business cards. Visa business cards include $0 fraud liability, which protects you from having to pay for any unauthorized or fraudulent charges. Visa business cards also include insurance for any rental cars charged to the card. Visa business also provides emergency services, such as card replacements, and 90 days of purchase protection.
The Spark credit card line, like many business credit cards, is designed to award you for purchases you already make. Rather than paying cash, you can charge your business purchases to your Spark card and receive cash back or miles. You also have the annual itemized summary, which can save time when preparing your business taxes each year.
Many business cards have rewards programs. Ink, Chase’s business credit card line, offers a card with cash back, a card that accumulates points, and a card that offers points and travel rewards. Unlike Spark’s cash rewards, which are the same no matter what you purchase, Chase’s cash rewards vary depending on what’s purchased. Chase Ink Cash offers 5 percent cash back on the first $25,000 spent annually on telecommunications, cable services, and office supplies, 2 percent on the first $25,000 spent annually on dining and gas, and 1 percent on all other purchases.
Another popular business credit card isn’t really a credit card at all. The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express works via a points system. As with many American Express cards, the balance must be paid in full each statement cycle. There is no annual fee the first year, but the annual fee is $175 each year after that. The Gold Rewards card offers triple points for airfare, double points for gas, shipping, and advertising and single points on all other purchases. The requirement to pay your balance in full each month may be difficult for some small business owners, making the Spark business card’s revolving credit a more appealing option.
by PointsGuru | Jan 19, 2015
OPEN Business Credit Cards American Express has developed an extensive customer oriented credit program for growing businesses. Their OPEN Business Credit Cards offer a broad selection of advantages above and beyond the credit card itself. In effect, what they have created is credit plus a business information network, with a variety of interesting topics from finance to leadership and management. Multiple networking forums offer small to large business owners an opportunity to manage their business expenses and receive sales, marketing and management input from other successful business owners.
There are three OPEN business credit cards, the American Express Gold Card, the Plum Card, and the SimplyCash Business Credit Card. Membership in the OPEN program will help you better manage business finances and cash flow, reduce expenses, expand your business resources, and connect you with the OPEN community of peers and experts. Each card has advantages, including savings and cash back. Points can be used for travel and rewards. The more you use OPEN cards, the more points and rewards you accumulate, and there are bonus programs available.
Running a business effectively means that even when you encounter cash flow problems, you are able to manage them. Helping businesses grow and prosper is the main goal of OPEN business credit cards. Going beyond the ordinary realm of financing and rewards means extra help that you can use to grow your business. The OPEN community of peers and experts brings you meaningful advice on a varity of business topics. Learn more about leadership, and management skills in addition to financial advice. It’s all included in your OPEN membership.
The Gold Card comes with maximum protection for peace of mind, so you can focus on running your business. You get insurance coverage for purchases and travel, emergency and roadside assistance, and 24/7 customer service. There is no pre-set spending limit, and immediately you save $125 with no fee for your first year. Apply now and receive an approval answer within 60 seconds.
The Plum Card is a business trade card, with special features for business purchases. You can get deferred payment options up to 60 days without interest by paying 10% of your balance by the due date. Pay your full balance early and receive a 2% discount. Saving money is a Plum Card feature; you can get email alerts to remind you of the Early Pay discount feature, and you can select your payment billing cycle end date.
The SimplyCash® Business Credit Card is all about cash and savings. Get cash back on purchases, 0% introductory interest rate for 12 months, and no annual fee. There is no limit to the cash back you can receive, and it is credited monthly.
All the OPEN business credit cards bring you membership in the OPEN community, online management of your account and expenses. Stay on top of your business cash flow with complete service and advantages with these new American Express OPEN business credit cards. The cards offer an amazing program for business, complete with expert advice, and business networking. You can even ask the experts a question and get a prompt answer. Participate in networking to interact with other business owners, and to attract new business.
You have earned a wonderful credit reputation, now use it to your advantage in the best program available, with the OPEN business credit cards. Running a successful business means making every cent count, and this is what this special credit program is all about.
Below is an example of how an online purchase of Norton Anti-Virus, Hertz car rental, and Yahoo Search Marketing has saved me almost $70. This is not even showing my future stays at Marriott Courtyard and Fed Ex Shipments which will save additional money for my business.
by PointsGuru | Jan 19, 2015
Having a business credit card can be very beneficial to a business. It helps a business establish credit and is a source of capital for new businesses that may need financing for purchasing goods and services. Once good business credit has been established, a business will have greater power to negotiate for needed money to manage and grow the business.
A free credit report is given quarterly (sometimes annually) with business credit cards, which helps a business analyze their credit status and aids in managing finances easily. The structure and performance of a business can build an excellent credit profile with businesst card, allowing the potential to receive loans as well as lines of credit that are not available to individuals.
Before business credit cards we available, a business had to rely on the owner’s credits and personal savings. Today, companies who issue this type of credit are able to assist new entrepreneurs. Business credit cards are designed differently than personal credit cards but do have some of the same features, including cash back, rebates, airline rewards and low introductory rates. Perks can be earned for both a business owner and the employees. Expenses made on the charge card can earn cash back up to 1.5% on purchases. Often times there is no cap on the amount of rewards earned and can be redeemed on travel expenses.
Business credit cards have higher credit limits with lower interest rates. Lower interest rates are typically given because of the fact that businesses will use credit cards more often than other customers. Businesses tend to use credit cards when making larger purchases and with the credit cards having lower interest rates, the business will spend more at one time and spend more frequently.
Other benefits of a business credit card include:
1. The time spent tracking and reconciling expenses is reduced
2. Streamline cash advances
3. Operation expenses is reduced
4. Cash flow is maximized
5. Builds credibility
6. Convenient
7. Protection is given on purchases
8. Relationships with vendors are more manageable
9. Customer service provided 24 hours a day
10. Employee spending can be monitored
With the use of a business credit card, transactions can be kept up with along with the amount being spent. This is a big benefit when it comes to solving any kinds of tax problems that may occur. Most credit card companies also provide an annual report showing expenses for a business.
There are some particular things that must be done before applying for a business credit card. Anyone’s personal credit and the business’s credit have to be separated. When applying for this type of credit, it is important to make sure that the business credit will be reported to the business credit reporting agencies and is not connected to anyone personally.
Today, business credit cards can be applied for online; with the process being simpler than it was in the past. The application is processed automatically and acceptance or rejection of the credit card is given right away. It does take some time to build a business’s credit. For a history of good credit to be established, regular payments must be made and a good relationship must be created with creditors.
American travelers have the benefit of getting credit cards that are affiliated with some of their favorite travel partners. Just about every airline has a credit card that can provide some serious benefits for cardholders. American Airlines and AAdvantage are no different, and those who get the CitiBusiness AAdvantage World MasterCard can get many great perks.