Reviews Of The Best Discover Credit Cards and Offers

By MoneyBlueBook

Updated List Of The Best Discover Credit Cards Below

Editor's Note: Thank you for your interest, these offers have expired and are no longer available.

In the United States and Canada, most people are familiar with major credit card networks like Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. However, fewer people have had experience or exposure to another quiet, but big player in the credit card industry - Discover Card. Introduced in the 1980's as the preeminent card of choice for the Sears department stores (the dominant retailer at the time), the Discover Card has had its share of ups and downs in terms of card acceptance and popularity, and has been facing a tough battle for its piece of the pie recently. Currently, Discover has the lowest market share of any major credit card issuer in the United States, and overall card acceptance at smaller stores and remote markets remain spotty. Most of the major merchant stores and retailers take Discover for payments, but smaller retailers and more obscure websites are less likely to accept it. However, despite the highs and lows over the years, the Discover Card has managed to evolve its program with attractive offers to grow with the times and remain continuously relevant.

The Discover Card was the first credit card I ever applied for and my first exposure to the use of revolving debt. I applied for the Discover Card back in high school during the height of its popularity, because at the time it was my parent's primary credit card for everyday purchases. Since then, I've applied for other cards, but my old Discover Card remains

By MoneyBlueBook

Updated List Of The Best Advanta Credit Card Offers and Applications For Small Businesses Below

Compared to its bigger financial rivals like Citibank, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, American Express, or even Discover, Advanta Bank has been a relative unknown in the credit card and banking industry. However, over the years, Advanta has gradually and quietly built itself up to become a major niche market issuer of business credit cards. What started out humbly as a small financial operation from Pennsylvania that provided personal loans to teachers has transformed into a major (albeit not particularly well known) player of the small business credit card industry. Currently, Advanta Bank focuses on the small business market, and the company primarily gears its efforts towards creating credit card and banking products that fit the needs and appeal of small business start ups, aspiring entrepreneurs, and growing companies. Along with being one of the largest, if not the largest provider of small business credit cards, Advanta also offers a diversified variety of bank deposit products that include FDIC insured savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificate of deposits.

Advanta Is One Of A Very Few Number Of Major Credit Card Issuers That Exclusively Service The Business Credit Card Market

Advanta's exclusive focus on the small business market seems to differentiate it well from the other major card issuers that have a tendency to over saturate the market with too many confusing financial products that are heavily advertised and promoted, but don't always fulfill the appropriate small business need. The best

By MoneyBlueBook

As a stereotypical male, I seem innately handicapped when it comes to performing certain tasks - "confusing activities" that include shopping and picking out the right gifts for the right occasion. I'm sure there are some men out there who love to cruise the malls and spend hours window shopping to their hearts' content like most of the women I know, but I'm most definitely not one of them. I can engage in strenuous physical activities and participate in aggressive sports, but yet somehow, whenever I step foot in a retail department store, I quickly become fatigued. Somehow, I instantly become drained of all energy and stamina the moment I am faced with the grueling ordeal of mall shopping. Worst yet, I'm a terrible buyer when it comes to gifting - which is why gift cards and gift certificates are such a God send for people like me.

Despite all the negative impressions and opinions that some online commentators and emotionally sentimental pundits have regarding the negatives of giving gift cards as presents, I love having at my disposal the option of buying gift certificates and store vouchers as presents for people. While it's true that gift cards are not the most particularly thoughtful present to buy for someone you really love or care about, they are incredibly convenient and financially versatile gifts for many people. For frugal savers like myself, gift cards present the perfect compulsory incentive and forced opportunity to buy and treat oneself when we'd otherwise choose to save the money instead.

By MoneyBlueBook

Updated List Of The Best Secured and Unsecured Bad Credit Cards For Credit Improvement

Credit card usage is a fact of life whether you agree with its pervasiveness and all around commercial necessity or not. What started out as a way for consumers to make payments quickly and efficiently without the need to carry around cash bills and coins has morphed into a mish mash variety of credit card rewards, airline credit card miles, and balance transfer offers. Today, credit cards are used and needed for everything from airline ticket and hotel room reservations to car rental bookings. Credit card numbers are also necessary for frequent online shoppers as traditional bank accounts and debit cards don't offer the same high degree of fraud protection that credit card issuers do. Owning at least one credit card and paying back the balance on a regular basis is also one of the easiest and most established ways to build up a credit score history, and secure your future ability to get approved for home mortgages and car loans.

Even those who are generally opposed to the use of credit cards and revolving debt on principle may find it difficult at times to survive without one. During tough economic times, independent minded people such as myself have used credit cards as emergency fund money to weather momentary periods of unemployment instead of relying on family handouts or resorting to desperate measures like high interest payday loans.

Of course, tapping into the myriad of credit card programs available in the

By MoneyBlueBook

I'm a credit card arbitrage seeker, which means I enjoy looking for creative ways to make an extra buck by legally exploiting the existence of attractive credit card rewards and 0% APR credit card offers in the marketplace.One of the ways I used to make some extra money on the side was by applying for introductory 0% balance transfer credit card offers and depositing the interest free funds into high yield savings accounts to earn some passive interest income. While the most lucrative 12 month, no balance transfer fee promotions have dwindled as a result of the ongoing economic slump and worsening credit crisis, there are still creative ways available for savvy credit card arbitragers to profit from.

As with all credit card arbitrage type activity, the decision to partake or not requires that you weigh the potential payoff against the risks and effort involved. While some people may shrug off such activity as a waste of time and not worth the potential rewards, others see it as a relatively effortless way to earn some free credit card rebates that they'd otherwise not have. I tend to adopt the latter viewpoint, regarding credit card arbitrage and interest rate pursuits as integral facets of my financially frugal lifestyle. Personally, I don't mind taking advantage of effortless free money opportunities as they present themselves, so long as the application or management process is not too onerous or prohibitive.

Of course, there will always be naysayers who cite such activity as a complete boring waste of time.

By MoneyBlueBook

Updated List Of The Best Christmas Credit Card Offers With Shopping Rewards and 0% APR Deals Below

Well it's almost that time of the year again. No, not tax season - I'm talking about Christmas! For many Christians, Christmas is first and foremost a deeply religious holiday tradition that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. For the vast majority of folks though, the Christmas holiday season is all about shopping, buying gifts, and exchanging presents. The incredible compulsion to shop till you drop is so potent and all pervasive because the holiday starts so early and ends so late. Currently, the winter shopping season starts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when retail stores unleash their tidal wave of heavily discounted sales and free giveaways to jump start the holiday shopping race. Black Friday is quickly followed by Cyber Monday, when online shoppers take to the Internet airwaves after their Black Friday shopping binges to seek out the best online shopping deals and offers. Helped along by the shopping demand of other winter holidays like Hanukkah, the cycle of Christmas bargains and shopping deals doesn't let up until well into the new year. Even then, hardcore shoppers still continue to raid the retail outlets and department stores for leftover holiday closeout sales and bargains.

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of retail store sales, promotional discounts, and limited time offers during the Christmas shopping season, it's no wonder the amount of money spent on Christmas presents for many far exceeds the seasonal spending rates of other