Looking for Credit Card Comparison Ideas
Do you ever get faced with the question, which credit card should I get? I am trying to choose between credit card A or B.
I plan on writing a slew of posts with a versus theme. I have written some in the p
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Thoughts on Mileage Runs
As we approach the end of the year, there was a time when people were calculating how many miles they needed to qualify for a specific elite status level with frequent flyer programs. However, a lot has changed since my last post on mileage runs. Namely the new minimum spending requirement with many airlines.
Ways to Reduce Being Victim of Fraud
Fraudulent phone calls and emails have continued to be a hot topic. So I thought I’d share my thoughts on how to reduce being victim of a scam.
Just of all, note that it is also unfortunate for the financial institution to be impersonated by someone else. When you need to track down the fraudulent transaction, the bank will need to assist in the process and it just gives them more work and it’s not like you are paying them extra to do the work. Even though you may already feel that you are paying enough in fees to the bank, they still need to pay their employee to take on the extra work. If they end up having too much work, they will need to hire more help and then a fee increase will probably kick in.
Ban on Expiry of Loyalty Miles and Points Has Passed in Ontario
It took some time to digest this information, as I can’t actually believe that the government has decided to step in to regulate loyalty programs. Not only that, this bill passed unanimously. Did they open pandora’s box? Are loyalty programs really going to sit there and let the government push them around like this?
Grant this is not the first time that the Ontario government stepped in to regulate the industry. In 2007, they also banned expiration dates on gift cards.
Fly Economy or First Class?
The question has been asked frequently about whether it is more worth it to redeem your hard earned miles for economy or first class. Some people would argue that they rather have more trips, so economy. Others want to be able to redeem for a First Class or Business Class treatment that they would otherwise not pay for normally
What a Rise in Bank Profits Means for the Rewards Industry
Another report, another profitable quarter for the Big Banks. Apparently Canada’s top 6 banks (in alphabetical order: Bank of Montreal, CIBC, National Bank, Royal Bank, Scotiabank, TD Canada) earned a combined $10.4 billion in one quarter or a 12.6% increase from last year. I recently wrote a post about What to do in a Declining Miles and Points Industry.
What to do in a Declining Miles and Points Industry
It’s no secret that it feels like the industry is tightening its belt as the economy recovers. Fewer churning options, lower sign up bonus offers, less first year fee waived opportunities. It’s so easy to write things thoughts and ideas. The hard part is to focus on the positives. So let’s get some negatives out of the way first, so that we can have a more positive post:
Credit Cards for Newcomers and Students
Newcomers to Canada and students are in a very similar situation where they have minimal to no credit history. So they have to start somewhere. There are several ways to get started. This is how I got started. I walked into a bank, locked in a some money into a guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) and was issued a secure credit card. At the time, I was given the CIBC Shoppers Optimum Visa (has since been discontinued). I used this opportunity to start building my credit history.
Comparing Canada and U.S.A. Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses
The issue of Canada always getting the short end of the stick when it comes to credit card sign up bonuses, perks and benefits to credit cards has come up on several occasions, so I thought I’d give my 2 cents on this matter. There are several factors to take into consideration and several things that you can do.
Whether it makes more sense to Redeem for Economy or First/Business Class
There is always going to be a hot debate on whether it makes more sense to redeem for economy or first/business class travel. For the purposes of this post, I will focus more on Aeroplan. But the same concept and calculations apply for any other once you have the formula down.