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The Black Card Review: False Luxury and Confusing Terms

The other day I got a credit card offer in the mail. This isn’t particularly newsworthy; I’m regularly bombarded by offers, and most end up in the trash anyway. This one, however, caught my eye. It was an offer for the Luxury Black card, one of those super-premium cards with a $495 annual fee. The card itself didn’t pique my …

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The Magic of Referral Bonuses

Referral programs: the perfect way to incentivize people to get their financial shit in order. I’ve written in the past on how I’ve made a hefty amount of money from Chase Sapphire Preferred referrals. Since writing that post, I’ve referred yet another co-worker to the card, increasing my total referral bonus earn on the card to $350. 

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How to score credit card points and have a high credit score

While applying for credit cards does typically ding your score, it’s not as bad as some people think. In fact, applying for credit cards (to take advantage of large signup bonuses) can actually have a positive effect on your credit score, when done correctly; trust me, I have the numbers to prove it. There’s a balance to be had between …

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How I’ve earned over $1K with the Chase Sapphire Preferred

175,965. That’s the total number of points I have earned on my Sapphire Preferred card since getting it two and a half years ago. While these points have a straight cash value of $1,759.65, with these points, I have paid for over $2,000 worth of international flights through converted airline miles. (I could say $6,000, but it’s so specific to my …

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Credit Cards:What’s in my Wallet?

In order to talk about what I think good credit card management should look like, I think it’s only fair that I share what cards I currently carry with me. I’m a believer in having multiple credit cards to maximizing potential rewards. Each card in my wallet has a very specific role, and I’m always aware of which card at any …