Citicards – Reviews and Rankings

There are 8 Citicards to choose from, only 6 of which are unsecured cards for the main credit card market. (The other two are a student credit card and a secured card for rebuilding bad credit.) Below we rank these Citicards in order and give a short review of each card to help you see which (if any) is right for you:

Citi Double Cash Card – Our favorite Citicard is also our pick for the best credit in the whole card market. It gives you 2% cash back on everything you buy, although you get that 2% back in an unorthodox way: 1% cash back when you make the purchase, and then 1% cash back when you pay off your purchases. No annual fee. Who It’s For: If you want a great cash back card that doesn’t require you to keep track of various spending categories in order to maximize your return, start here.

Citi Simplicity Card – Offers a 0% interest rate on your purchases for 18 months. You can also transfer balances from other credit cards you already have and pay no interest on those balances for 18 months. (However, note that you will pay a one-time fee of 5% of the amount of the balance transferred to this card.) In addition, there are no fees for late card payments, and no “penalty rate” if you are late with payments, either. No annual fee. No rewards. Who It’s For: If you need a 0% interest rate, the 18-month offer is among the best in the industry. If you have a habit of making your payments a few days late, you won’t pay more.

These days, when you apply for a credit card, you want to know in an instant if you are getting the approval or not. Below we’ve made a list of cards that offer an “instant decision” on your credit card application — these cards do not guarantee you’ll get an approval in an instant, but they will try to accept or reject you while you wait, often in less than a minute:

• American Express Credit Cards – All of the consumer cards offered by American Express have this message on the application page online: “Get a decision in as little as 30 seconds.” Pick the American Express card that fits your needs and you’re likely to get a decision on approval instantly. Cards include the Blue Cash Everyday Card and more.
• Bank of America Credit Cards – All of the Bank of America online credit card applications have this message indicating an instant decision: “Complete your application and get a response in as little as 60 seconds.” Offers a range of reward cards including the Cash Rewards Visa, plus other choices.

You want a credit card but you have no credit history. It’s a “Catch-22” — banks won’t take a chance on you because you have no credit, but you’ll have no credit unless someone accepts you.

Below we offer some unsecured credit card options for those with no credit history. Note that you may have a higher interest rate with these cards and may have to pay an annual fee. (If that sounds bad, you should consider using a secured credit card to help build your credit. This requires a security deposit but is often cheaper overall.)

Capital One “Average Credit” Cards

Capital One has a number of cards that it lumps together under the “average credit” banner, but their description of average credit seems to include those with no credit history, or at least very little history. Among the major issuers, they are the first one we would try. You can also use their Pre-Qualify page to see what you’re likely to be accepted for, without any harm to your credit score for doing so.)

• Capital One Platinum Mastercard – No annual fee but a high 24.99% interest rate. No rewards.
• Capital One QuicksilverOne Rewards – $39 annual fee and the same 24.99% interest rate, but you’ll earn 1.5% cash back on all your purchases.
• Capital One Journey Student Rewards – As the name suggests, this one is for students. Capital One and other card issuers are more lenient with students, meaning it is easier to get accepted, even with no credit history. No annual fee, 24.99% interest rate, cash back of up to 1.25%.

By Adam Jusko, georgica.net, adam@georgica.net

Imagine being a successful professional from outside the United States who is recruited to a high-profile U.S. company. Think Apple or Google or another name that suggests a prestigious new gig. You’d feel pretty important, right?

Now imagine applying for a new credit card to help you smooth the financial transition. Should be a cinch, right? You’ve got a great new job, plus you had a good track record in your home country.

But… no. Without a credit history in the United States, that shiny new job and healthy salary mean little. You’ll have to put down a security deposit to get any credit, or maybe pay a big fee just to get a minuscule credit line.

Seems wrong, doesn’t it?

Well, you’re not the only one that thinks so. That’s why a company called CreditStacks is rolling out a Mastercard credit card especially for those new to the country — people who have impressive career profiles but no U.S. credit history. Instead of treating them like newbies, CreditStacks bypasses the traditional credit scoring model to offer substantial credit lines to those with backgrounds that suggest they can be trusted from Day One in the U.S.

By Adam Jusko, georgica.net, adam@georgica.net

Do you like to game the system? Do you like to look for the loopholes and arbitrage opportunities that others miss? It can be very intoxicating. But sometimes gaming the system can be dangerous as well. Which brings us to credit card churning.

What is credit card churning & why would you do it?

Credit card churning is the practice of getting approved for a credit card, taking the upfront bonuses that the card offers, and then closing the account as soon as possible. If the card has an annual fee, it might mean getting any bonuses available before the annual fee has to be paid. The “churning” aspect is that you do this repeatedly, opening a large number of card accounts and then quickly closing them. Sometimes people even apply for and receive the exact same credit card multiple times.

It is easy to see the attraction is doing this. You essentially get something for nothing. Sometimes you don’t have to do anything to get nice reward bonuses, sometimes you only have to use the card for a nominal amount of charges, say $500, to get the bonus. You could be getting cash, you could be getting points, you could be getting airline miles. Once you have the bonus, close the card and move on to the next one. You can get a lot of free money and other perks this way.