capital one

Review: Capital One Savor

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The Capital One Savor Rewards Mastercard is a low-fee card which earns unlimited rewards for dining, entertainment, and more. For most people, alternative cards are a better option, especially the no-fee SavorOne from Capital One. Savor might be worthwhile for the first year in some circumstances, especially with Capital One’s new Uber partnership. Long-term, however, it’s a questionable choice.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

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The Top 5+ Cards For Cell Phone Insurance Protection

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A relatively new feature for credit cards is free cell phone insurance (or it’s called cell phone protection). Several cards currently have it, mostly World Elite Mastercards. Enrollment is easy: just pay your eligible monthly cell phone bill with an eligible credit card.

Most types of major damage, or theft, are covered by this insurance. Phones which become lost or “mysteriously disappear” are not covered. Other exceptions may apply, such as limits to how many phones are covered. Plan details vary, so you’ll have to read the terms and conditions of your card of choice. Some secured cards or student cards may also offer this benefit. Shop around to see which card might be best for you.

Cell phone manufacturers, retailers, and telecommunications providers may offer their own protection plans or warranties. However, they usually come with fees. Google for example offers “protection plans” ranging from $3 to $15 per month, with fees and deductibles ranging from $39 to $199 on top of that. (Plus, some devices aren’t eligible for their plan, and services aren’t available in every state.) If insurance/protection is included in your credit card benefits instead, it’s 100% free and coverage is automatic. You’ll save money while earning cash back from paying your phone bill.

The top 5 personal credit or charge cards, as of 2022, are currently:

 

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The Top 5 Credit Cards For Priority Pass Lounge Access

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Priority Pass is a membership program which allows access to select airport lounges, and potential airport restaurant/spa/shopping discounts. Lounges include Wi-fi, charging stations, free food and drinks, TVs, and more. Upscale options may include perks like sleeping suites or showers. If you’re interested in Priority Pass membership, you don’t need to buy it. Several credit cards offer free access. Note that each card may have different “tiers” of benefits and exclusions may apply.

The value of Priority Pass depends on how often you’d use airport lounges. Getting Priority Pass separately has a minimum annual cost of $99. This general membership costs $32 per visit, per person ($291 for one person to have six visits in one year). At the next tier up, it’s $299 for 10 “free” lounge visits. The last membership tier is $429 for unlimited lounge visits. Costing $130 more than the middle tier, you’d need at least 4-5 extra visits (32*4=$128) to justify the price.

The value of lounges themselves will vary a lot by location. Some are great while others don’t offer enough benefits to assign a significant cash value. On the other hand, Priority Pass restaurants can always be a fair deal, with a $28-30 discount per visit (more with a guest or two). There are 20 U.S. airports (and 19 non-U.S. airports) with this benefit as of late 2021. Adding select restaurants to the mix increases the value of Priority Pass membership.

Most of the 5 metal cards below have flexible point redemptions (hotel cards aren’t included here) and Priority Pass Restaurant access, plus 2+ free guests. Although other credit cards offer Priority Pass benefits, this list has what we believe are the best overall options.
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The Top 15 Credit Cards For 0% APR

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0% APR can have a variety of applications. Sometimes you need more than 30 days to pay for something, or need to increase the amount of cash on hand. This is usually the best way to solve that problem while avoiding interest. Credit cards normally have 15-20% APR, and it’s rarely worthwhile to pay interest on card purchases. One of the downsides here is that most of the below cards require a minimum credit score of 650+. People who really need 0% APR often have lower credit scores. If you fall into this category, check to see if you’re prequalified before applying. Most banks have this option. Search “[bank name] prequalification” and their website should pop right up.

Most of the below cards also have 0% APR on balance transfers, but balance transfers almost always have a fee associated with them. It’s better to put new purchases on a 0% APR card instead of trying to do a balance transfer. Note: This list is current as of December 2021 and is subject to change.

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Review: Capital One SavorOne

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The Capital One SavorOne Rewards Mastercard is a no-fee card which earns unlimited rewards in popular categories. Although it usually isn’t considered the “best” for any single category, few cards have a decent earn rate in 4+ spend categories. This makes the SavorOne worth considering as a general everyday card, especially for grocery spending. Their new Uber partnership is another strong point to consider.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

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Review: Capital One Quicksilver

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The Capital One Quicksilver Rewards Mastercard is a no-fee card which earns unlimited 1.5% cash back rewards on all purchases. It’s simple and easy to use, but is now outclassed by many other credit cards for earning rewards. Banks and fintech startups have created aggressive offerings which make the Quicksilver difficult to justify in someone’s wallet. Dozens of cards earn 2% or more cash back on everything.

Note that 4 different versions of the Quicksilver card exist. In this review, we’re going to cover the “best” one for earning rewards..

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • 1.5% cash back on everything else

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Review: Capital One Venture X Visa Infinite

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The Capital One Venture X is a premium card focused on travel and everyday spending. It has an annual fee and it can be difficult to optimize rewards, so it’s not for everyone. Still, Venture X does have plenty of perks, aiming to compete with cards like the Chase Reserve Sapphire. It’s worth a look for anyone who travels at least once or twice a year. And as a general-spending card, it’s much better than the lower-tier Venture and VentureOne cards from Capital One. Venture X is a newer Visa Infinite card and was released in early November 2021.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

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Review: Capital One Venture

⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The Capital One Venture is a travel-focused card for everyday spending. The card has an annual fee and it can be difficult to optimize rewards, so it’s not for everyone. The pros and cons take more time to weigh compared with other credit cards. It’s a card which is best for people who aren’t loyal to a particular airline or hotel chain. The added flexibility of transferable miles is generally a good thing. Some people may get plenty of value from the Venture card, but other options are usually better, including the new Capital One Venture X. It’ll require a lot of research and travel know-how to truly maximize the Venture.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee (sometimes waived the first year)
  • Zero foreign transaction fees
  • 5x points on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • 2x points on everything else
  • $100 Global Entry credit (once every 4 years)
  • Metal card

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Anti-Churning Rules and Chase 5/24 Explained

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“Churners” seek sign-up bonuses and other rewards by opening lots of credit cards. In most cases, they’re legitimate customers who want extra cash back or free travel. A lot of credit cards offer great rewards and bonuses. As people become more educated about credit cards (CCs) some inevitably want to maximize (or abuse) the system, despite risks to their credit scores.

As a result, banks have implemented rules (sometimes unofficially) to deter churners. They naturally aim for a positive ROI on customers. Here’s a compilation of the most important things to keep in mind. Keep in mind that this isn’t a comprehensive list of all rules/guidelines, and things are subject to change.

As a side note, some banks might shut you down if you go too hard and fast. They can take away points or close your cards. We recommend applying for 1 new card every 3-4 months, to start. If you have higher risk tolerance, maybe apply for a new card every 2-3 months, once your credit history is pretty well-established. Don’t go overboard. Start with credit cards that you’re likely to use on a regular basis, and pay your balance in full every month.

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