Tag Archives: association
AARP Credit Card – The Perfect Card For Retirement
When I first saw the name Aarp (exactly in this format) I thought it was a typing error, I’ve since learnt that it is an acronym for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). I guess because I am not retired the name was unfamiliar to me but since completing the research for this article, I have been educated.
There are many fascinating aspects to the association, and yes I know you are interested mainly in the AARP credit card, so I’ll get on with what I found.
About the AARP Credit Card
The cards are issued by Chase in association with the AARP and what I like about them is that you have two options to use and enjoy the AARP services. You also have the option to choose your own credit card design to make the card more personal.
The choice of cards and the benefits are as follows:
AARP Travel Plus Visa Signature card
Features: Annual fee of $59 0% introductory APR reverting to 14.24% 0% Balance transfer for 12 months Earn 1 point for every $1 in card purchases. Earn up to 100,000 points annually with no monthly minimum.
This is just a taster of the benefits available with this AARP credit card. This is an airline rewards card and would suit the retired jet setters best. The rewards program is quite good compared to other offers on the market, so it is definitely work looking into.
If flying is not your preference but you still want to enjoy great rewards, the next AARP credit card would interest you.
AARP Rewards Platinum Visa card
Features No Annual fee 0% introductory APR reverting to 14.24% 0% Balance transfer for 12 months Earn 1 reward point for every $1 spent on card purchases Redeem points for cash or gift certificates
There are numerous vendors at which you can redeem your points, so no matter what your taste or preferences, you would be sure to find uses for the points you accumulate.
This AARP card has extra bonuses such as the ability to pick your own payment due date, and access to the 24 hour members-only helpline. In addition you won’t receive any telemarketing calls regarding your account, so that is one less disturbance to deal with.
To add to your convenience you can manage your account online and even use your AARP credit card to pay your federal taxes. Take a look at the “preferred services” available from AARP to find out more. There are so many offers that can help you save money ranging form road side assistance to shopper’s advantage.
The AARP credit cards are packed with benefits too numerous to cover in this short article.
You can review other rewards credit cards and airline rewards credit cards on the market to compare the rates and benefits that are available and choose the card that best suits your circumstances.
The Basic Credit Card Types (Page 1 of 3)
It may seem incredible, but credit card issuers clog the mails with over 2.5 billion offers inviting people to apply for a credit card. Even those who would not qualify for a conventional credit card due to serious credit problems are now able to get one; some credit card issuers even specialize in this particular type of market. And according to financial gurus, there are at least a billion credit cards in active circulation throughout the United States alone.
Credit has been an economic cornerstone for some time now. Surveys show that the average American household is estimated to have at least twelve credit cards, including charge cards. While you may tend to think that one credit card is pretty much the same as the next, there are in actual fact distinct characteristics for each different credit card type. It is good to know these difference between the three different types of cards in the market: a bank credit card, a travel credit card, an entertainment credit card (although nowadays the combined travel and entertainment card has become more common) and a retail credit card or house card.
Bank Credit Cards You have probably noticed that most credit cards bear either the logo of Visa or MasterCard together with the name of the bank. It would appear that the credit card has been issued by either Visa or MasterCard. That is not quite an accurate assumption: these two companies do not issue credit cards directly to the consumers. Most of the credit cards on the market today are offered by thousands of banks around the globe. Each bank is linked to the credit card association, because are not allowed to issue any kind of card unless they are association members.
Visa is a privately held membership association, although it is preparing to go public. It started as an association of banks in California and the West Coast. There are over 20,000 financial institutions in the membership rolls, and virtually all of them offer Visa Card. MasterCard is also a membership association, similar to Visa, and originally consisted of member banks in the East.
A bank credit card is in reality a revolving credit line. When you receive your statement, you can pay all or part of your balance each month, run up the balance again and so on. Being a credit line, the account comes with a pre-determined credit limit that depends on key factors like disposable income, credit history, etc. The credit limit can be as low as a $100 or as high as many thousands of dollars.
It is possible for card holders to get themselves into trouble when they do not properly manage the revolving credit line. When you carry a balance instead of paying it off, the credit card issuer starts charging interest on that balance in some cases, this interest could be pretty steep. The interest rate varies widely, depending on who issued the card, but you could expect the average credit card interest rate to be at about 18 percent.
For instance, if you carry forward a $1,000 balance for 12 months, you pay $180 in interest per year or $15 every month. If you maintain a $1,000 savings account, you will earn about $40 in interest per year. Those who get into trouble will have to reduce debt, and one of the more common ways to go about this, is to arrange for credit card debt consolidation, which helps lighten the interest burden.