All about Canadian credit cards. Learn the ins and outs and get the latest news.
Latest News
Air France KLM Flying Blue - Save 25 % on Business Class award tickets between Edmonton & Europe for Jun/Jul Travel + MORE Apr 1st
After a few good months of deals for Canadians the with Air France KLM's Promo Awards we see a slow down for the upcoming busy summer travel season. These award ticket deals are bookable as of tomorrow (April 1) and are good for award travel for June and July of 2015. The offer this t.... More »
Extracting value from the limited time increased welcome bonuses on the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Cards + MORE Jul 18th
In May American Express revealed new increased welcome bonuses on their Marriott Bonvoy co-brand cards and in this post we look at how those bonuses can provide some amazing value. Whether you get yourself the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card and/or the Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American.... More »
10 great Starwood Hotels in Canada to use your 40K free night benefit at from the SPG Credit Card from Amex + MORE Jan 9th
All photos in this post courtesy of Starwood HotelsAs my wife approaches the $40,000 spend threshold on her Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express she will soon receive her Category 1-4 free weekend night certificate for doing so. Well light bulb goes off since we did the post a .... More »
Obama's Visa Double Game + MORE Apr 8th
Siding with unions instead of workers trying to follow the law..... More »
Trump’s immigration crackdown creates growing confusion + MORE Jan 29th
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON – The fallout grew Saturday from President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown as U.S. legal permanent residents and visa-holders from seven Muslim-majority countries who had left the United States found they could not return for 90 days.
It was a period of .... More »
Business Highlights
– canadianbusiness.com
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Dot-com deja vu: Nasdaq tops 5,000, approaching record high
NEW YORK (AP) — The last time the Nasdaq was this high, Bill Clinton was president, your Internet connection was probably still dial-up and the iPod, iPhone and iPad didn’t exist.
Fifteen years later the Nasdaq has again closed above 5,000 and is close to topping its record from the dot-com boom. The index has clawed back, riding a six-year bull market, and is now 40 points from its all-time closing high of 5,048.62 reached March 10, 2000.
But this isn’t the Nasdaq of Pets.com and Webvan, when companies were valued on “cash burn rates” and “eyeballs.”
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What to expect from Costco’s new deal with Visa and Citi
NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re shopping at Costco, you’ll need a new credit card to pay for those family-sized packs of chicken breasts or toilet paper.
After only accepting American Express the last 16 years, the retailer is switching to Visa and will use Citigroup as its exclusive provider of co-branded credit cards…
Dot-com deja vu: Nasdaq tops 5,000, approaching record high
NEW YORK (AP) — The last time the Nasdaq was this high, Bill Clinton was president, your Internet connection was probably still dial-up and the iPod, iPhone and iPad didn’t exist.
Fifteen years later the Nasdaq has again closed above 5,000 and is close to topping its record from the dot-com boom. The index has clawed back, riding a six-year bull market, and is now 40 points from its all-time closing high of 5,048.62 reached March 10, 2000.
But this isn’t the Nasdaq of Pets.com and Webvan, when companies were valued on “cash burn rates” and “eyeballs.”
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What to expect from Costco’s new deal with Visa and Citi
NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re shopping at Costco, you’ll need a new credit card to pay for those family-sized packs of chicken breasts or toilet paper.
After only accepting American Express the last 16 years, the retailer is switching to Visa and will use Citigroup as its exclusive provider of co-branded credit cards…
Finance Ministry review spurs debate about Ontario video game tax credit
– theglobeandmail.com
While some groups want Ontario to keep measure designed to lure producers others say it’s being used too broadly by other companies
Debt collection complaints take aim at credit cards
– creditcards.com
Credit card balances are a dwindling part of debt collection work, but they remained a top source of consumer complaints in 2014
How to improve your credit score
– moneysense.ca
A credit score of 700 gets you the best lending rate from the banks. But if you’ve missed some bill payments—or worse, filed for bankruptcy—you’ll have to work strategically to build your score back up. These tips will help you do it as quickly as possible.KNOW YOUR LIMITS Try to keep your credit-card balance well below the limit. If your cards are almost maxed out, it suggests you’re overextended and more likely to make late or missed payments. The higher your balance, the more impact it has on your credit score.
CHECK YOUR SCORES—BOTH OF THEM Anyone contemplating a bank loan should check their credit score six months to a year in advance to ensure there are no surprises or errors. Just keep in mind that Canada has two major credit-reporting agencies: Equifax and TransUnion. This can lead to significant differences in scores, as these firms only synchronize their scores every two months.
STEER CLEAR OF RETAIL CARDS The next time you’re tempted to sign up for a Brick or Sears card, remember that each separate credit card application inquiry results in a ‘hard check’ that lowers your credit score by seven points…
