Credit Cards with the Best Intro Bonuses

With the economy improving, credit card issuers are trying harder than ever to attract new cardholders with good credit, offering extremely generous introductory bonuses to help sway you to their card. Still, with all the credit cards out there, how do you know which ones have the best bonuses? Luckily, we did the research for you. We looked at all the top rewards credit cards and found the cards with the best introductory bonuses, ranging up to the equivalent of $400 in airline flights. Check them out to find which card bonuses sound best to you.

Best Overall Intro Bonus Credit Card: Barclaycard Arrival™ World MasterCard

This card is kind of insane when it comes to bonus features. First, you get 40,000 points when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months, which is $400 that the card is pretty much just giving you, and redemption is simple as you can just use the $400 to pay for any travel purchase on your credit card statement. On top of that, the Barclaycard Arrival™ World MasterCard gives 2x the points on every purchase, which is higher than most other travel cards. And beyond that, you get another 10% bonus on any points you use for travel, so if you spend 10,000 points on travel, you get 1,000 points back. The only downside is the $89 annual fee, but even that is waived for the first year. This card took the top prize as best travel rewards credit card, so chances are you’ll want to make this the most-used card in your wallet, even after you redeem the $400 intro bonus.

Editor's Note: A no-fee version of this card is also available: Barclaycard Arrival™ World MasterCard - Earn 1x on All Purchases

Citi Dividend Card Q1 2014 Categories

I had written before that I have a Citibank Dividend MasterCard. One of the benefits of this card is that it offers 5% cash back on rotating categories of merchants. The main problem I have with this arrangement is that I always forget which categories are currently offering 5% cash back when I am at the store. As a result, I often miss out on the bonus dividend dollars. In order to help me remember, I have decided to post the categories which change every three months here.

For Q1 2014, you will earn 5% for purchases from:

• Macy's
• Drug Stores
• Fitness Clubs

Note that "Q1 2014" means from January 1 - March 31, 2014. Also note that even if you have a Citi Dividend Card, the enrollment is not automatic. You have to login and sign up for this offer at the Citibank website.

See also Discover Card Q1 2014 Cash Back Bonus Categories.

PF Stock

Money Tips #1: Coupons

Over the years, PF Stock has collected numerous money and tax saving tips from readers. In this series of posts, I have compiled some of the best money tips that I've received and categorized each one by topic. In addition, I am including other money tips from the internet and from my own experience. I hope that this will come in handy my readers. Today's topic:

Tips for Using Coupons

• Make sure to use coupons!
• Use coupons and shop on sales.
• I look at sales fliers online weekly and match coupons and sales.
• Use Coupons.com and print your own groceries and other coupons.
• Avoid impulse purchases. Make yourself go to a store twice before you make a big purchase.
• Match up coupons with sales.

• Use coupons, keep an eye on good deals, and buy in bulk.
• My best tip is to use coupons on products that you buy.
• Use coupons, watch sales and check the clearance racks.
• Also use coupon codes when shopping online. You can use this coupon code: DRYBB on these websites: Diapers.com, Soap.com, Wag.com, YoYo.com, BeautyBar.com, Casa.com, AfterSchool.com, Vine.com, Bookworm.com, and Look.com. You will save 20% off your first order from EACH website.
• Use a free coupon with a Buy One, Get One Free offer, doubling your savings!
• Make a budget, use coupons, buy items on sale and use cash so you don't overspend.
• Only shop sales, use coupons and make a plan so you don't overspend.
• Food is a big ticket item, follow the sales, use coupons, cut down on non essential food items,you'll save money and learn to eat healthier.
• I religiously cut coupons and follow several great blogs that feature coupon matchups at local stores, so I can shop efficiently, quickly and most cost-effectively.
• My car is a walking coupon shop. I have an envelope with coupons for shopping such as Macy's, Express, Chico's etc. Then I have another with restaurant and fast food restaurants. Then the last is for grocery store items. I continually check Groupon, the radio and newspapers for deals to purchase both for at home and as gifts. We live on what we earn. We do not go out or buy unless we have the money for it. We drive older cars and my husband is in the car business. We save as much as we can in the 401K and have a savings for unexpected expenses. We pay off credit cards, do not take out loans and you'd be surprised what we earn. We would never stop in a coffee shop for a coffee when you can make it at home. We don't drink alcohol so that saves money.

Thanks again to all of my readers who contributed many of these tips. If you have more money saving tips, please share them in the comments below. Your tip may be featured in a future compilation!

PF Stock

Discover Card 2014 Cashback Bonus Categories

Discover Card offers a 5% cashback bonus on a "seasonally rotating" list of spending categories. For the Q1 2014, these bonus categories are as follows:

Q1 2014: Restaurants, Movies

Discover has not yet announced what the specific categories will be for the rest of 2014. But based on the information currently on the Discover website, these are my guesses as to what the cash back bonus categories will be:
Q2 2014 (Fresh for Spring): Home Improvement Stores, Furniture Stores, and Bed Bath & Beyond
Q3 2014 (Summer Break): Gas Stations
Q4 2014 (Holiday Shopping): Online Shopping & Department Stores purchases

PF Stock

Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards

PF Stock recently partnered with a few credit card companies that offer travel rewards cards. Most travel cards offer you an incentive (typically equal to $50-$100) to sign up, and have no annual fee. Here are three good credit cards to consider: The Carnival MasterCard, The Priceline Rewards Visa Card, and the Travelocity Rewards American Express Card.

As long as you plan to use one of these services, it is definitely worthwhile to consider getting one of these cards for the bonus points.

But if you don't use Priceline, Travelocity, or travel on Carnival Cruise Lines, then there are other better alternatives.

For general travel, I recommend the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard. There are two version of this card, one that never has an annual fee, and one that charges an annual fee after the first year. The no-fee card gives you a bonus equal to $200 after spending at least $1000 on the card. The other card gives you a bonus equal to $400, but will start to charge a fee of $89 after a year.

Which card is better for you? That depends on your own situation. Clearly the card with an annual fee gives you a much better incentive. If you don't want to pay an annual fee, you can either get the no-fee card, or cancel before an annual fee kicks in.

PF Stock

Should Verizon Honor Its Contract?

I have been a long time customer of Verizon Wireless. My former employer had a deal where employees receive a 20% discount on Verizon Wireless service. About one year ago, I purchased a new cell phone from Verizon which, of course, had a new 2-year contract requirement. A couple months ago, I started receiving messages (including Email, texts, and postal mail) from Verizon saying that I needed to renew my discount by validating my employment.

Since I am no longer employed by that employer, I was not able to validate my employment. As a result, Verizon took away their 20% discount. I am stuck paying the higher, non-discounted rate even though I had no idea that it may end in the middle of my contract. But the question that I'd like to ask is should Verizon honor the discount which was in place when I bought the new phone until my 2-year contract is over? Is it fair for them to pull the discount away in the middle of my contract?

What do the readers think?

PF Stock

IPOs: FPRX and MYCC

Back in September, I received an alert from E*TRADE about some new initial public offerings (IPOs) that they had available. These were Five Prime Therapeutics (FPRX) and ClubCorp Holdings (MYCC). Although I didn't know much about either company, I decided to put in orders for both new issues.

I have written about buying IPOs before. While getting into an IPO can be a way to make money quickly, I have warned that not all IPOs go up in price. And there is no guarantee that you will be allocated shares in the first place. It turned out that I was allocated 200 shares of MYCC which went IPO at $14, and I received only 40 shares of FPRX which priced at $13.

Neither of these IPOs rocketed up on the first day. Of the two, ClubCorp has been more stable. However, Five Prime had more of a rocky start. From its initial price of $13, FPRX dropped as low as $8.02. Then things started to change, FPRX went up 50% in the last week, and 17% just yesterday. I didn't see any significant news, so I am puzzling as to why.

Anyway, I hope that my IPOs continue to do well. My only regret is that I was allocated so few shares of FPRX. If anyone has a theory on why FPRX is shooting up in price, I would like to know why.

PF Stock

Disclaimer: This material is for general information only. It is not intended as an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any security or fund.