You’ll have to check the terms and conditions on the credit card you have to find out if you are eligible for any of them.

1. Additional cardholders

A lot of credit cards offer additional cardholders at no extra charge. If you have a rewards card it can be very beneficial to have this extra feature. More people using the card means more points and bigger and better rewards. In the case of a family saving up for a holiday, a frequent flyer card could be used by all to save up for a special family getaway.

2.Extended warranties and purchase cover

Many rewards cards offer purchase cover as one of their perks, but there are some cards that do not offer official card rewards programs, but still provide purchase cover. Security insurance is offered for 90 days on purchases, which gives you cover if any of the items you purchase are stolen, lost, broken or defective. These purchases must have been made with your credit card. An extended warranty for 12 months is often offered when purchase cover is included with the card.

3. Savings and discounts

Some banks have a customer appreciation program as part of their card rewards. If you have the Citibank Clear Platinum credit card, you will be able to save up to 25% when you shop with their various partners. These partners include entertainment venues, Internet retailers and restaurants to name a few.

4. Exclusive Events

You may be eligible for perks with the Visa concierge if you have a Visa card. This is commonly found on Visa platinum cards. You can use this concierge service to book car hire, get shopping advice, book a hotel room or get tickets to a special show. This concierge service is much like having your own personal assistant.

Read through the terms and conditions on your credit card to find out if you have any card rewards that you weren’t aware of. You may find that you have special privileges that you did not even know about.

Alban is a personal finance writer. He specialises in helping people to maximise the benefits of their frequent flyer credit cards.

Tonight’s Topic: Interest Charges

Interest charges are an unique matter and confusing to most, including myself.  There are changes all the time and people don’t know how interest charges can effect them and potentially be very harmful.  Join us, and please share your tips and knowledge this week with us.

The chat will start at 7 PM EST and you can join in or listen in on using the hashtag #bp.

I know this week will be a fun and informative chat to start the sessions up again.

Feel free to contact me at craig@budgetpulse.com or on Twitter if you have any questions at all.  You can also check out our BudgetPulse Facebook Fan Page for information as well.

I look forward to seeing you all there tonight!

Source: Flickr

Guest post by Jessica Swesey who is the Managing Editor of LifeTuner.org, a place to get financial tools, tips and direct access to financial experts who answer your questions online.

New credit card industry laws that went into effect this week may intend to offer consumers more protection, but the unfortunate side effect is that many consumers may find themselves stuck with more fees as a result.

The new rules, which come under the Credit Card Act of 2009, offer more transparency and some protections to those who carry balances. But for those who pay off their balances in full every month, you may find yourself feeling screwed over. The reason is simple: the law takes away methods that credit card companies used to make big bucks from. They have to make money somehow, so now enters the age of new fees for the rest of us.

How do you keep from getting sidelined from a bunch of new fees and what can you do when it happens? Eleanor Blayney, a CFP and Consumer Advocate for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, offers these tips:

Read the fine print! Credit card companies now have to be more transparent about their practices, but that also means as a cardholder it’s up to you to pay attention to what they are telling you. Check the inserts that may come with your bill. Many companies have already started implementing things like inactivity fees (for those account holders who don’t use their cards that much), annual fees and even curbs on rewards programs.

While the new law prevents companies from raising interest rates on existing balances, they can still increase rates as high as they want on future purchases (after you’ve had the card 12 months) as long as they give you 45 days’ notice. If there is a new rate or fee that you don’t agree with, you can opt out and will be given a 45-day period in which you can pay off your balance under the old terms. But again, here’s the catch: you have to read your mail to know that a rate increase is coming.

Pay attention to your utilization ratio before closing cards. This one’s potentially a big deal for your credit score. Say you get a letter in the mail from your credit card company saying that they are going to start charging you a $100 yearly fee. And you immediately say, “Bump that – I’m not paying this fee. I’m just going to cancel this card.”

Hold it right there! Take a moment to think about the consequences of closing your card on your credit score – particularly if this is a card you’ve had for a long time. Blayney says you want to first take a look at your utilization ratio by looking at the amount of credit you use divided by the amount of credit that is available to you. So if you have two cards, one with a $1,000 limit and the other with a $1,500 limit, you have $2,500 in credit available. If you have a balance of $300, then you’re using 12 percent of your credit. But cancel that card with the $1,500 limit and suddenly your utilization ratio shoots up to 30 percent. Blayney says you generally want to keep this ratio below 20 percent.

Additional tips from Blayney:

• Don’t be late. Be sure to pay your bills on time to avoid late fees.

• If you need to close cards, close ones that have the lowest credit limit and that you’ve had for the least amount of time.

• If you want to avoid inactivity fees, put a small balance on each of your cards and pay them off promptly.  This way, you’re keeping all of the available credit open and your utilization is low.

Blayney also answers individual questions over at LifeTuner.

Tonight’s Topic: Job Hunting

The recession is still taking a toll on the nation and the unemployment rate is still high across the country.  Many people are out of jobs and finding new ones is no easy task, especially now.  There are many new job hunting ways to help you search for the right people to network with to help you land your next job,  hopefully your dream job.  I used these my techniques myself and I’m sure others have as well.  This will be very informative and a lot of good tips will be shared.

The chat will start at 7 PM EST and you can join in or listen in on using the hashtag #bp.

I know this week will be a fun and informative chat to start the sessions up again.

Feel free to contact me at craig@budgetpulse.com or on Twitter if you have any questions at all.  You can also check out our BudgetPulse Facebook Fan Page for information as well.

I look forward to seeing you all there tonight!

Photo Source: Flickr

I saved up money for a few months and booked a flight to Florida where I would visit friends and my grandma.  I took a day off from work on Friday 2/26 so I could take the earliest flight in the morning and spend the entire long weekend down in Florida.  I booked a 8:30am flight flying US Airways from Reagan (DCA) to West Palm (PBI) where I was going to spend half the day with my grandma who I haven’t seen in months, and then spend the night with one of my best friends who I haven’t seen in months either.  Then Saturday 2/27 in the morning we were going to drive down to Miami to spend the night with another one of our friends, as well as one of my friends from college was going to drive down from Ft. Lauderdale to spend the day with us as well.  We had this entire weekend planned out something I saved my money for, and was really looking forward to spending the weekend with so many people I haven’t seen in awhile.

Then I got to the airport.

The plane got delayed 45 minutes due to maintenance issues.  When the rest of the Northeast had delays and cancelations due to weather, it’s just my luck that maintenance was the reason for my delay.  We eventually boarded, and began to go down the runway when the generator blew and the plane pulled up before we took off.  We went back to the gate and got off the plane.  All passengers were confused and they had no spare planes to take us.  We were informed that maintenance was going to work on fixing the issues and the flight was temporarily rescheduled to leave at 2pm.  I received a $5 lunch voucher and sat there for a few more hours.

Around 1:00PM-1:10PM it was announced that the plane could not be fixed and that the flight was canceled.  Of course all the passengers were angry, especially when they said there were no available flights to south Florida the rest of the day.  I waited online and tried to book the earliest flight out on Saturday 2/27 to either West Palm or Ft. Lauderdale and they had no flights available.  The earliest flight was at 2:45PM to West Palm which I tentatively booked just in case I decided to still go.  Then I left for the metro to head back to my apartment, annoyed at what transpired.

When I got home I called US Airways customer service to cancel my flights and to ask for a refund.  I felt the entire weekend was ruined at that point and just wanted my money back so I could figure out a weekend in the future I could try to go down and visit everyone.  I spoke with a customer service rep who said they could not handle this situation, and then after waiting for 10 minutes was put on the line with David, their supervisor.

I politely explained my whole situation to David how that morning I had a flight and due to maintenance issues it got delayed and eventually canceled and I tentatively rescheduled for the next day just in case but decided to just cancel everything.  I wanted no additional compensation, and was very polite in explaining the situation, and all I asked for was a full refund.

He said NO!

He said he would gladly refund my flight down to West Palm because of the maintenance issue, but since I booked two one way trips since I was leaving from a different city, and that flight wasn’t technically affected from the maintenance issue, he would not issue me a refund for the flight from Miami back to DC.

Of course I did not understand, especially since my flight back was directly affected by the maintenance issue.  I had no use for the flight back from Miami if I could not get down to Florida in the first place.

He then proceeded to tell me that there was 2:30PM flight on Friday that I was not on and asked why not.  I said you must have been mistaken, the 8:30am flight that had maintenance issues was pushed back till 2PM and was eventually canceled because they could not fix the plane, there was no 2:30PM flight.  He said there was and that my name was recorded as being a no show.  Of course I proceeded as telling him that this was the first time I’m hearing about this flight that must have been put on last minute after I already left the airport after hearing my flight was canceled and that if I knew about it I gladly would have been on it.  But I never new about it and had no idea why my name was recorded as a “no show” like he mentioned since I booked a different flight for Saturday.

At this point I’m beginning to get really agitated and the David began telling me that I’m wrong, and I felt completely insulted and was being attacked by this supervisor when, not me, not the weather, but the US Airways plane was the issue.  I felt like he was handling the situation terribly, make it seem like I was to blame, that it was my fault and refused to give me a refund on my flight back from Miami to DC.

After 45 minutes of dealing with this I had enough and eventually hung up, and called AMEX to dispute the charge and explain what happened.  I had never been treated so poorly from a customer service rep, and could not believe how I was being addressed.  All I wanted was my flight back to be refunded as well so I could look for a future date to try to head down, and instead I felt like this supervisor and US Airways was screwing me over and there was nothing I could do.

I understand stuff happens, and as annoyed as I was about the plane issue and my weekend being ruined, I just wanted my money back and to move on.  What I thought was a simple 5 minute process turned into a 45 minute ordeal with me being screwed over in the end.

I have had many positive experiences with customer service reps from other companies in other industries and was shocked at the level I was treated in this situation.  I hope no other customer had to deal with what I went through, although unfortunately I don’t think that’s the case.  Hopefully if other people were in a similar situation and were screwed they could feel safe to voice their opinions so change can be made.

Video of My Rant about US Airways Poor Customer Service

Click here to view the embedded video.

Just when we thought the tides were changing, the clouds were disappearing, and the temperatures rising, we are about to experience the continued winter mess.  The winter storm had made its way across the country to directly hit the Northeast to take away our hops for an end to winter and an early spring.  This mix of win, snow, rain, and sleet even had a brand new icon of its own on the weather sites.  The only thing to describe this is to call it a Snurricane.

Now that the Snurricane has past, March is here, a month of struggle leaving many antsy to the potentials of spring.  To compare March to finances it’s like someone who is at the last leg of paying off their debt, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but knowing there are still some payments to be made.
After the miserable snow filled winter, we finally looked past mistakes of late with not preparing for the weather and finally got ready with clothes, shovels, and extra food just in case.  Sometimes you learn best with your failures, even with your own personal finances.  Sometimes it takes a bad purchase or a little debt to help you prepare and learn on how to improve your own personal finances for the future.

So with the Snurricane behind us, let us all look forward to a positive upcoming few months, both with weather, and our own personal finances.

1. **Snurricane Pick of the Week**

Cash Money Life – Tips for the first time investor to methodically examine his or her needs to determine investment goals, how to invest, and where to invest.

2. Free Money Finance – Managing your money is simple, so simple in fact that if you master two simple equations, you WILL be wealthy. This post details what those two are and how you can apply them to become rich.

3. Claiming Back Tax – This post highlights some uncommon tax deductions which people fail to claim back from the IRS.

4. Oblivious Investor – An explanation of the conflict of interests between personal finance bloggers and their readers.

5. Debt Hawk – Do you often ask yourself what you want out of life? What are your life goals? What career you want to pursue? I know I ask myself these questions all the time. Well, the first day of The Purpose Driven Life turns these questions on their head.

6. BudgetsareSexy – 15 minutes doesn’t seem a lot of time (power of less, eh?) but it can do wonders if spent wisely. Esp with finances!

7. BeaBu – Hedge funds became very popular in the last decade. Their trading styles are very diverse and not every hedge fund fits into every investor’s risk and return objectives. This article explains the most common hedge fund styles from an investor’s perspective.

8. Scordo – 12 tips on how to negotiate on home improvement projects via a contractor.

9. Engage Marriage – This is an honest review of five of the top budget software tools available along with an overview of their features and my opinion on who may find them most useful. I encourage you to check them out and find the one that best meets the needs of your family.

10. Studenomics – It’s time to screw all the mainstream advice and look a little outside the box when it comes to personal finance.

Tonight’s Topic: Parenting

Sorry about last week, I had an event to go to, but I am back this week for a fun topic on Parenting and frugal ways to save.  I personally am not at this point in my life, but plenty of you are, and it will be a great way to talk about being frugal with parenting and raising kids and preparing for the future.  I know this is definitely a topic I can learn from to help me prepare for my own personal future down the road.

The chat will start at 7 PM EST and you can join in or listen in on using the hashtag #bp.

I know this week will be a fun and informative chat to start the sessions up again.

Feel free to contact me at craig@budgetpulse.com or on Twitter if you have any questions at all.  You can also check out our BudgetPulse Facebook Fan Page for information as well.

I look forward to seeing you all there tonight!

This is a guest post written by Brenda Davidson. She is a community member of world’s largest insurance community where you have all the choice in the world for insurance and why you should go for them.

Everyone who owns and drives a car needs automobile insurance. There are a lot of car insurance companies out there and all these companies maintain that they offer the best service against the most affordable rates. With so many companies out there, how do you understand which automobile insurance company is suitable for you? If you do some analysis, it can take you a long way and help you choose the best auto insurance company and save some money. If you need your auto coverage to work in your interest and offer protection if an accident takes place, then selecting a company is about more than only getting the most affordable rate.

If you’re searching for a good policy in the market, it is prudent that you collect some details regarding the prospective insurers you’re thinking about. Some of the details you’d need can easily be obtained on the Internet. You can receive quotes from various insurers and get an idea about the coverage, rates and benefits offered by them. For most insurers, you can do this just by filling out an online form.

Besides the rate quotes, you should take the following questions into account:

How are they rated by A.M. Best or J.D. Power?

You would preferably look for an insurer who has a good ranking with the abovementioned independent rating agencies.

What do online consumer surveys have to say?

Go through online consumer surveys and find out what is stated over there. Surveys are useful resources since they frequently let you know about the track record of an insurer along with their services.

Are there any formal complaints to be worried about?

As the auto insurance industry is controlled by certain regulations, your state insurance department would have the data about consumer complaints registered with them. You can access these details through their official website or you can call them up for getting more specific details. You should be suspicious about insurers with a lot of complaints.

What additional services do they provide?

If a company provides various forms of insurance, there are probabilities they provide bundled services with discounted rates. Even though they just provide auto coverage, make sure to ask about discounts like safe driver discounts, multi car and multi line discounts.

Will they be available to pay for your claim?

You should always assess the financial condition of an insurer. You can do this through various sources like the website of the company or online reviews. Financial information and news websites can also offer what you’re looking for. Anyway, you’d have to ensure they are going to be available and can manage to pay your claims.

What do the auto mechanics have to say?

Visit the auto body repair shop in your area and inquire about their functional association with many insurers and who they think is the best. This would help you understand how effortlessly things would come with an insurer if repairs become essential following a road mishap.

Keeping the above points in mind would definitely help you find a reliable auto insurer.

Ask Mr. Credit Card

Interview with Mr. CC

Source: Flickr

This is a guest post from Mr Credit Card of www.askmrcreditcard.com. Mr Credit Card is going to talk about how he uses credit cards to help in his budgeting efforts, in addition to being a convenience tool. If you are looking for a credit card, please check out his best credit cards list section

Firstly, I would like to thank budget pulse for allowing me the opportunity to guest post here. Today, I am going to talk about how to I use credit cards as a part of my budgeting tool. But first, here is a background. I charge everything to my credit card. There is a reason for that. I pay my bills in full every month (which everyone should) and I use it to earn rewards (which I’ll explain in more detail later). So how does my credit card help in my budgeting. Here is how I use it.

Expenditure Breakdown via Statement Summary – I get statement summaries from my credit card issuer once a year. It breaks down my expenditure into various categories. Because I charge everything to my card (except my mortgage), I have an accurate breakdown of my expenses and I use that as a basis for budgeting and adjusting our expenses.

Pay on time via autopay – I am extremely bad at paying my bills. I simply hate going through all the bills and writing my checks every month. So what I do is to use automatic payment with the credit cards I have. Every month at a set date, money is taken out of my bank account. I have never had any issue with this arrangement. There are tons of advantages of doing things this way. Firstly, you’ll always pay your bills on time. That is so important improving your credit score. Secondly, your credit card issuers can never accuse of being late if there was a mess up from their end.

Budgeting for my vacation – Believe it or not, but I’ve taken more vacations than not if not for my credit cards. For about the first ten years of my working life, I traveled quite a lot on my job. Because I was given a business credit card from my company, I managed to rack up lots of points (btw – I was given the Amex corporate charge card). These points were invaluable to me because they did not expire and I was able to get many free airline tickets simply because I was using my company’s credit card. It was not even my expenses. But what I did was that I also got the same card for my personal use and earned even more points. After a couple of years, I was able to figure out roughly how much I spent on my company’s business credit card and my personal credit card. With that data, I was able to plan and budget for my annual vacation. Very often, the cost is much lower because of those reward points I have earned.

Most credit cards also provide car rental collision insurance if you charge your card for the rental. This has also saved me a few hundred dollars every year on my vacation where I had to rent a car.

Saving Money – After I stopped traveling for work and switched companies, I realize that I would be better off earning cash rebates rather than reward points (since I would not be earning as much points). Hence, I got myself a credit card with cash back rewards. On average, I have been earning about 2.3% in cash rebates every year. This works out to be about $1000 every year. Once I got through the first year using the card I had and getting a feel for the rebates I earned, I could once again factor in the savings that I would get.

For folks who have debt, doing a credit card balance transfer will help in your budgeting as well when it comes to interest expense.

Ending Thoughts – Some folks got into massive credit card debt and hate to use them. For me, they have been an invaluable tool for budgeting for my vacation and actually saving money with them. All this only happens when you pay off your bills in full every month. I hope these little tips were helpful to you.