Comments on: 10 Little-Known Credit Card Perks

By: J

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:03:49 +0000

#6 Is very bad for small, local businesses. Just eat the 25 cent surcharge at places that try to charge it if you are using your card at small places.

Here’s why: My friend works at a bakery and people try to pay with credit cards for $2 purchases but since it is illegal for the bakery to charge the surcharge, the bakery ens up LOSING money on the sale because the profit margin on something that small is about 25 cents which is about the same fees that credit card companies charge businesses for each transaction. The bakery has tried to charge a surcharge on credit card transactions but have been threatened with thousands of dollars of fines by the credit card companies. People need to understand the hold that credit card companies have on small businesses and that there’s a reason small businesses don’t want you to use credit cards.

By: juanita

juanita — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:41:37 +0000

#5 is an excellent idea actually, as long as you earn more interest than you owe to the credit card. Right now i think its impossible to do, as CDs and savings account arent yeilding more than 2% (that i know of), while credit card advance fees are 3-5% per transaction. I agree with lulu.

By: juanita

juanita — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:38:19 +0000

#4 is my favorite as it has been my biggest money saver. Negotiating interest rates for the life of the card became the difference between hopelessness and hopefulness for me. You have to be careful with this one though, as well as the raise your credit limit, because they might do a credit check on you which lowers your score, so ask them first.

By: Smylod

Smylod — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:26:13 +0000

Credit Card negotiations for Increases in limits and or decreases in rates…do these require your credit to be ran again??/

By: stacey

stacey — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:06:26 +0000

My Visa signature card has a concierge service. I never knew what that was until an agent at a mall kiosk asked me if I’d ever used it. It’s an 800 I can call any time and a Visa concierge is there to help me find things and places. They call ahead to restaurants to make reservations, help me find businesses, look up numbers etc. I’ve even had them figure out where I am when I’m lost. If you have a signature card add that number to your speed dial and stop racking up 411 charges on your cell phone.

By: lulu

lulu — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:55:34 +0000

um, maybe you missed the part where they explained that having a higher limit is good for your score? And the part where they explained that ‘no credit is bad credit’?

Having a high limit doesn’t mean we’re all going to go use it.

By: Allen

Allen — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:16:07 +0000

Other perks:
-Delayed/Lost Baggage insurance
-Purchase protection – If it’s stolen damaged within 90 days, it’s covered
-Return protection – if retailer won’t take it back within 90 days, the credit card company will cover the purchase
-Travel insurance
-Emergency cash. If your wallet gets stolen

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:01:27 +0000

The Gas station down the street from me charges 3 to 5 cents more if paying with credit card versus cash.

By: Pantz

Pantz — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:14:56 +0000

They are saying that if your credit card offers a 0% interest balance transfer for some limited period of time – take that money, deposit it into an interest-bearing account for the duration of the 0% offer. When it is about to expire, pay off the card with the funds and you’ve made a few dollars of interest in the meantime. Just make sure you pay it off!

1 like

By: CS

CS — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:08:38 +0000

An important rule about #6 is that retailers cannot charge a credit card surcharge, but they can provide a cash discount, effectively charging a higher price for credit cards.