Colleges Profit as Banks Market Credit Cards to Students

EAST LANSING, Mich. — When Ryan T. Muneio was tailgating with his parents at a Michigan State football game this fall, he noticed a big tent emblazoned with a Bank of America logo. Inside, bank representatives were offering free T-shirts and other merchandise to those who applied for credit cards and other banking products.
“They did a good job,” Mr. Muneio, 21 and a junior at Michigan State, said of the tactic. “It was good advertising.”
Bank of America’s relationship with the university extends well beyond marketing at sports events. The bank has an $8.4 million, seven-year contract with Michigan State giving it access to students’ names and addresses and use of the university’s logo. The more students who take the banks’ credit cards, the more money the university gets. Under certain circumstances, Michigan State even stands to receive more money if students carry a balance on these cards.
Hundreds of colleges have contracts with lenders. But at a time of rising concern about student debt — and overall consumer debt — the arrangements have sounded alarm bells, and some student groups are starting to push back.
The relationships are reminiscent of those uncovered two years ago between student loan companies and universities. In those, some lenders offered universities an incentive to steer potential borrowers their way. (Read more at: NYTimes.com)
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{Photography by Jim Bowen}
A Points Credit Card for Spanish Speaking Cardholders
It can be very challenging figuring out how a points driven credit card works. Try finding one that will send you your statements in Spanish. For many Spanish speaking cardholders this really is preferable since it’s important to be able to clearly understand your monthly statement. Well the new Financial Rewards Platinum Plus Visa Credit Card makes things easy to understand since it offers monthly statements in either English or Spanish. So let’s break down how this credit card can pay you back. You will get $25.00 cash back for every 25 points that you accumulate on your card. And you can earn up to $600 a year without being limited.
Now the way you earn points is simple, for every $100 in new purchases that you make, you earn 1 point. Additionally you earn 5 bonus points after your first purchase and additional 5 bonus points for each $2500.00 balance transfered from another credit card. And there is virtually no shelf life on these points; they don’t expire for 5 years. So even if you don’t accrue them as quickly as some might, they won’t be taken away from you anytime soon.
So let’s put these points in a typical scenario. You sign up for the card and receive 5 points. You make about $2,000.00 in monthly purchases. You have already earned $25.00, that is how quickly it can happen. Can you afford not to be paid for your purchases? The Bank of America Financial Rewards Platinum Plus Visa Credit Card doesn’t think so.
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By Steve Borrelli from Sterling Home Mortgage
Photo Credits: benjieordonez (cc)
If You Travel To Alaska, Here’s Your Card
With all the varied activities one can take part in while visiting Alaska, no wonder why it’s such a popular vacation destination. There is cruising, sightseeing, fishing, hiking, and hunting not to mention some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. With so many opportunities to observe and even interact with nature in an untouched and pristine setting, there truly is not another vacation destination like it. If you are an individual who ventures to the most northern state in the US, then the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card is definitely for you.
There is a reasonable annual fee of $75 with a lot given in return. There is no preset spending limit, 24/7 Concierge Service, Visa Dining privileges as well as 20,000 bonus miles just for getting the credit card. Flight rewards start at 20,000 miles and there is a $50 companion ticket given out annually. As far as points go, they are accrued quite rapidly with this program; 1 mile per $1 in retail purchases, 2 miles per $1 spent in Alaska or Horizon Air purchases and up to 5 miles per $1 spent at certain restaurants and hotels. Miles do not expire and they have 10 airline partners that you can use the miles on. With all of these features and a relatively low APR, is there anything else a fan of Alaska could ask for? Maybe; a vacation home there to enjoy with your friends and loved ones and the 3 months a year of vacation time.
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By Steve Borrelli from Sterling Home Mortgage
Photo Credits: Noël Zia Lee (cc)
A Mileage Credit Card For Customers Who Travel To Asia. Great Benefits!
When deciding which credit card to use on a regular basis to accrue miles that can be redeemed for your future flights; what are you really interested in? Is it value? Benefits? Options that make the annual fee worth the price? Most people would agree with this, and for that reason Bank of America has carefully designed and optimized the Asiana American Express Card. It’s a terrific opportunity to save money and enjoy deluxe benefits for frequent travelers to Asia.
There are a plethora of benefits to this card but here we’ll just go over a few. To begin with 5,000 bonus miles are added to your account after your first purchase. You will earn two miles for every dollar you spend in purchases and three miles for every dollar spent in purchases at participating grocery stores. There is an Entre Program which is exclusive to American Express. You will be to enjoy special upgrades and amenities at premium hotels, exclusive offers from some of the world’s leading airlines and more.
Are a golf fan? Show this credit card and you will receive access to members-only courses through Korea and the Asia Pacific region. Now that is a benefit truly worth its weight in gold. Also there is an automatic $100 annual rebate on Asiana Airlines ticket purchases which more than covers the $99 annual fee. If you travel to Asia then the Asiana American Express Card from Bank of America is for you.
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By Steve Borrelli from Sterling Home Mortgage.
Photo Credits: Lucas Jans (cc)
Build or rebuild a solid credit history
For many individuals with damaged or bad credit, there can be few options when it comes to the world of credit cards. Even the cards that are marketed towards individuals that fit the damaged credit profile are often not offered in scenarios where the credit scores or history are too low. A good option is a secured credit card like the Bank of America Secured Visa Credit Card.
This card helps you establish a credit history and demonstrate a positive repayment history for people with bad credit. You can deposit between $300.00 to $10,000.00 into a Bank of America security deposit account. Then your credit line will directly reflect the amount of your deposit. You can make purchases with your card up to the amount you have in your account. As long as you make the minimum payment before the due date each you credit should increase. Keep in mind however that your security deposit doesn’t cover the minimum payments each month; those have to be made. Then based on your credit and payment history with the secured card, you many qualify for an unsecured credit card with Bank of America at a later date.
There is a small annual fee of $29.00 and a $4 fee for balance transfers but that is a small price to pay for repairing your credit. Additionally the card comes with all the benefits and protection of an unsecured Bank of America credit card. Its nice to know that there are options out there even for those of us with bad credit.
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By Steve Borrelli from Sterling Home Mortgage
Photo credits: dotbenjamin (cc)
A New Card For Motley Fool Members
If you are an individual who is a Motley Fool member and would like a credit card that reflects that, look no further. The Motley Fool Cash Back Platinum Plus Visa Card is especially designed for members of the investment and personal finance organization. The website provided by this company has quite a following, partially due to the fact that for the past 5 years the monthly picks given by the two brothers who run the site have averaged a 22% return, over triple that of Wilshire 5000. If you feel you are one who would like to carry the credit card successful Wall Street investors carry, then you have found your card.
The card comes with a straight 1% cash back return on all purchases; that certainly makes fiscal sense. It also has no annual fee and an introductory APR of 0% for 12 months. The interest rate is 9.99% after that with the Platinum Plus Card. As far as the reward of 1% cash back, a check is automatically sent each year to all of the qualified members. Keep your account in good standing and you won’t even have to think about; instead you can focus your attention on your portfolio. Of course the real kicker is the look of the card. With the colorful jack in the box type logo, the real tried and true fans of Motley Fool will truly feel honored. Join the investing elite by applying for your very own Motley Fool Cash Back Platinum Plus Visa Card.
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Earn Money Every Time You Use Your Credit Card
Finally a credit that allows people to earn cash back on all purchases with no limit to the dollar amount that you can earn, all with no annual fee. The Bank of America Accelerated Cash Rewards American Express Card offers 1.25% cash back on every purchase you make and then allows you to redeem that cash in the way you want; a check, a statement credit or even a direct deposit into your checking or savings account. So many credit cards offer a nominal cash back percentage or they have a limit to how much you can earn. Not this card. Earn all you want and even take it as cash if you prefer.
Some of the other features on this credit card that Bank of America offers are an introductory APR of 0% and available balance transfers and cash advances. The big draw of course is the rewards feature, so also keep in mind that once you wish to redeem those points it needs to be done in increments of $50. And at 1.25% of all your credit card activity it won’t take long to get to that $50 level; the reward interest on this card is a full .25% higher than most reward cards. Most of us will take free extra money all day long. So go ahead and enjoy the rewards of the Bank of America Accelerated Cash Rewards American Express Card. It could be that you will never have to pay for gasoline again once you start using it!
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The Spending Power You Desire and Security You Deserve: Bank of America Platinum Plus Visa
The Bank of America Platinum Plus Visa credit card gives you the security you desire in a credit card and the credit line you’ve been looking for. You know that the name “Bank of America” has a long tradition of service and customer satisfaction; having that in your wallet means you have the entire Bank of America Corporation standing behind you. You couldn’t ask for any more security and satisfaction than that.
With your new Bank of America Platinum Plus Visa, you’ll get 0% introductory Annual Percentage Rate on transferring balances, cash advance, and direct deposits throughout your first twelve billing cycles. You’ll also get online banking services and credit lines that can be as high as $25,000; isn’t that the security and buying power you’ve been looking for?
Upon completing your fist 12 month billing cycle, your regular Annual Percentage Rate can be as low as prime rate plus 2.99%. There are no annual membership fees; however, there are no rewards offered with the Bank of America Platinum Plus Visa credit card.
This is your basic, secure credit card that allows you the freedom of spending and the outstanding name that stands behind it.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have the peace of mind knowing, in cases of emergency, you have that kind of credit line to come to the rescue? We all have those unforeseen problems; the car breaks down, water heater goes out, the furnace stops working; having the Bank of America Platinum Plus Visa means you won’t have to worry where you’ll find the money to fix those things.
Maybe you want to take a vacation; here’s your chance. Book your tickets, rental car, and hotel and have the time of your life.
The Bank of America Platinum Plus Visa gives you the spending power you need and the security you deserve.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Saving: With the NASCAR RacePoints Visa Credit Card
NASCAR has become one of the hottest sports in America today. People love the fast cars, smell of burning rubber, and the feel of the engines as they fly around the track at 200 mph; who wouldn’t love that? Now with the NASCAR RacePoints Visa Credit Card, you can enjoy the sport you love, earn points for the gear you want, and even save points for tickets to your favorite races. What could be better? You have to buy those groceries anyway, so you might as well earn point towards something you really want.
The NASCAR RacePoints Visa Credit Card has a 0% APR for transferring balances and cash advance checks for your first 12 cycles of billing. Get a $50 store credit at the NASCAR.COM Superstore after you make your first qualifying credit card purchase. Here are some of the rewards you can earn with your NASCAR RacePoints Visa credit card:
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Car Flag
- Jimmie Johnson Pit Cap
- Richard Petty Driving Experience
- Race Ticket Packages
- Honorary Pit Crew member
- Wave the Green Flag
Can you imagine yourself waving the green flag for the start of the Daytona 500? How great would that be! If you’re a NASCAR fan, like I am, you know how exciting every race can be. If you’ve ever been to the track and had the live experience; you just want more of it. What are you waiting for? If you’re going to spend money anyway, you might as well be earning points for something cool like race tickets or waving the green flag. It’s something you’ll never forget and the way you can get those things is by using your NASCAR RacePoints Visa credit card.
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Super Bowl, Here I Come: NFL Extra Points Platinum Plus Visa
For every football fan out there, this is the card for you. Earn points toward NFL Points Rewards while you use your credit card doing the things you normally do, such as eating out, shopping, buying gas, and stocking up on groceries.
The NFL Extra Points Platinum Plus Visa offers this and so much more. You could be spending your way to discounted or free NFL rewards; who knows, you might just be on the 50 yard line at the Super Bowl.
The NFL Extra Points Platinum Plus Visa offers an introductory 0% APR for cash advance checks and balance transfers for your first twelve cycles of billing. You will earn one point per net retail dollar spent. And there is no annual fee.
What better way for a football fan to build credit and earn points than with the card that expresses their true love for the sport by using the NFL Extra Points Platinum Plus Visa.
What do you get for your points? Subscriptions to sports magazines, discounts and redemptions at the NFL Shop with a gift card, VIP tour of NFL films, and the big reward, Super Bowl Tickets!!!!
If you’ve always dreamt of going to the Super Bowl without having to sell your house to do it, use the NFL Extra Points Platinum Plus Visa and it will get you there faster than you think.
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