Even with the passing of the Credit Card Act, 2011 was a great year for credit card deals. I did not expect issuers to launch so many lucrative cash back, free flight and balance transfer offers, but with 2012 now in full swing, there are still a wide variety of excellent offers available.
The best credit card deals of 2012 can be found below and include everything you would expect in a top notch credit card offer. Whether you’re looking for up-front cash back, a free trip or a way to save thousands in costly interest payments, you’ll find something for you below. Just remember that you must have good to excellent credit to take advantage of these offers, so apply wisely.
Dough Roller Favorites
Capital One® VentureSM Rewards Credit Card
Editor's Pick
|
- 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
- As seen in Money® Magazine’s “Best” issue three years in a row. - Money® Magazine May 2010, 2011, 2012
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, equal to $100 in travel
- Redeem your miles for any travel expense
- No limit on the miles you can earn and miles don’t expire
- Fly on any airline, any time with no blackout dates
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $59 after that
|
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
Editor's Pick
|
- Starpoints® bonus: earn up to 25,000 bonus points: 10,000 after your first purchase and another 15,000 after you spend $5,000 within the first 6 months of Cardmembership
- That’s enough for a weekend getaway to a Category 4 Hotel like the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa, or six free nights at a Category 2 Hotel
- Free Hotel Nights: redeem Starpoints at over 1,100 hotels in nearly 100 countries worldwide - with no blackout dates
- Free Flights: redeem Starpoints on over 350 airlines with SPG Flights - with no blackout dates
- Get 5,000 bonus Starpoints after you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to a frequent flyer program with more than 30 airlines
- No limits on the number of Starpoints you can earn
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65
- Terms and Restrictions Apply.
|
Additional Credit Card Deals
| Discover IT™ |
|
- The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards.
- Fair...no annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transactions fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And we won't increase your APR for paying late*
- Generous...5% Cashback Bonus on up to $1,500 in purchases at Home Improvement Stores now through June with free and easy sign-up. And 1% cash back on all other purchases.*
- Plus a Cash Back ConciergeSM who guides a free, personalized online tour to help you get the most rewards for how you use your card
- Flexible...Choose your own due date and pay up to midnight ET online or by phone
- Human...talk to a real person any time with 100% U.S.-based service
- Safe...Because you'll never pay for unauthorized purchases with our $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee
- 0% Intro APR* on purchases and balance transfer for 14 months. Then the variable purchase APR applies, currently 10.99%-22.99%. *Click apply for Terms & Conditions
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| 0%* |
14 months* |
10.99% - 22.99%* (Variable) |
$0* |
0%* |
Excellent Credit |
|
| Blue Sky from American Express® |
|
- Welcome Bonus: earn 7,500 points after you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months of Cardmembership - redeemable for a $100 statement credit.
- Flexible Ways to Earn: earn 1 point for virtually every dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- Unlimited Travel Options: Travel with any airline, hotel, cruise, car rental and travel package - with no blackout dates.
- Flexible Bill Payments: pay your bill all at once or over time.
- No annual membership fee and 0% into APR on purchases for the first 12 months, after that, your APR will be a variable rate, currently 17.24%- 22.24%.
- Terms and Restrictions Apply.
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| 0% |
12 months |
17.24%-22.24% (Variable) |
$0 |
N/A |
Excellent Credit |
|
| Barclaycard® Rewards MasterCard® - Excellent Credit |
|
- Earn up to 10,000 points, equal to a $100 statement credit, after spending $1,000 in the first three months
- 0% Introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- No annual fee
- Earn 2 points per $1 on gas, grocery, and utility purchases
- Earn 1 points per $1 everywhere else
- Use the points you earn like cash to pay for almost any purchases you've made.
- No blackout date, no redemption fees, no limit on the points you can earn and no complicated set up.
- This offer is for individuals with a good to excellent credit history which amongst other things is clear of bankruptcy and delinquent accounts
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| 0% |
12 billing cycles |
14.99%-24.99% (Variable) |
$0 |
N/A |
Excellent Credit |
|
| TrueEarnings® Card from Costco and American Express |
|
- 3% Cash back at US gas stations and on gasoline at Costco up to $4,000 per year in purchases, then 1%
- 2% cash back at U.S. restaurants; 2% cash back on eligible travel purchases, including at Costco; 1% cash back on other purchases, including at Costco
- Terms and limitations apply; You will receive your cash back annually in the form of a reward coupon
- The Two-In-One Card: it's an American Express® Card and Costco membership card, with no annual fee for Costco members
- Cardmembership offers access to benefits such as Global Assist and Purchase Protection* *Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company
- Terms and restrictions apply.
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| 0% |
6 months |
15.24% (Variable) |
No Annual Fee with your paid Costco Membership |
Yes |
Excellent Credit |
|
| Sony Card from Capital One® |
|
- 5 points per $1 on Sony purchases at authorized retailers
- 3 points per $1 on dining out and movie purchases
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Redeem for Sony products, movies, music, and more
- 0% intro APR on purchases until March 2014
- No annual fee
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| 0% |
until March 2014 |
13.90%-24.90% (Variable) |
$0 |
N/A |
Excellent Credit |
|
| Capital One® Cash Rewards |
|
- $100 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months
- 50% bonus on the cash back you earn every year
- 1% cash back on all purchases
- No annual fee
- Earn unlimited cash back that doesn't expire
- Redeem cash back anytime for any amount, even set automatic redemptions
- Personalize your card with an image of your choice
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers until May 2014.
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| 0% |
Until May 2014 |
12.90%-20.90% (Variable) |
$0 |
0% |
Excellent Credit |
|
One of the beautiful things about competition, especially when businesses vie for consumers is that everybody wins. Businesses end up getting what they want (which they may end up paying more for) and consumers can shop around for the best good or service that suits their needs. No one entity controls the market and in the end, the best business will usually prevail.
When looking at the full list of credit card deals above, it’s easy to see just how profitable a few applications can be. All you need is the excellent credit these cards require, and you can walk away with thousands of dollars in savings.
Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are authors alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.
* See the online credit card application for details about terms and conditions. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. When you click on the “Apply Now” button, you can review the credit card terms and conditions on the issuer’s website.
Discover is a paid advertiser of this site.
Rob founded the Dough Roller in 2007. A litigation attorney in the securities industry, he lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, their two teenagers, and the family mascot, a shih tzu named Sophie.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s great about free gift card promotion!
Yea, the credit card companies are throwing a lot of money around to get your business!