More of My Credit Card Offers

A lot of catching up to do. First, I should mention that I got a follow up invitation to the Platinum Card from American Express I spoke of yesterday. The offer's no different, but I appreciate the new attempt at making it feel "exclusive":

"Membership is available to our best Card members only, and is limited to a fraction of all American Express Card members."

Of course they don't say what that fraction is. 10%? 24%, 89.9%? Hard to say.

All right, I don't want to pick on the fine folks at American Express so let's see what else is in the accumulating pile from the last month or so...

The WorldPoints Credit Card from MBNA. Here's a good opening line in their letter: "You don't need another credit card...you need a better one"

Good line, let's see if they can seal the deal.

0% interest rate on on purchases, cash advances and balance transfers until next September. That's pretty good. Credit line as high as $100,000. And of course 1 point for every dollar in purchases, which will allow me to get the expected rewards: travel, gift certificates, cash back. Interest rate on this is 7.9% for "Premier" and 13.99% for "Select" or 19.99% for "Classic". That's a big spread. I wonder how difficult it is to get that 7.9%.

Not a bad deal, but nothing that particularly excites me there. It's all about the rewards for me, so unless I'm getting something out of the ordinary, it's really not a better credit card as far as I'm concerned.

I also received a mailing today for a 6.99% home equity loan. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it's good to know I can get my hands on all this cash if something bad happens or if I get a good tip on the ponies.

My Credit Card Offers Are Piling Up

I didn't mean to make this blog a monthly affair, but, alas, almost a month has gone by. On the bright side, a LOT of credit card offers have piled up since last I wrote you. Let's not waste time but instead get right to the goodies:

The Platinum Card from American Express is being offered to me for my being such a good customer since the early 2000s. Now, why would I want this? 25,000 Membership Rewards points the first time I use my card! That's pretty cool. That of course puts me quickly into a search for the terms & conditions to see what this puppy costs: ah, $395. Now I see. What do I get for that $395 other than the bonus? I never have understood the big benefits to paying so much for a credit card.

It looks like a lot of travel perks, upgrades and such. I don't travel a lot. Here's where I am almost sucked in, because I get weak when I think I might get "exclusivity":

"By Invitation Only is a program that gives Platinum Card members exclusive access to once-in-a-lifetime experiences -- from sports, fashion and fine dining to the visual and performing arts. These unique experiences are customized for Platinum Card members and are simply not available to the general public at any price."

I bolded the last part to show you where I get suckered. If it's not available to the general public but is available to me, I want it. But Amex blows it here, because they don't give me any examples to whet my appetite. Something like: "Just last November, Platinum Card members joined Tiger Woods at the ESPN Zone Sports Bar to watch the Super Bowl." Or "Imagine flying kites on a windy field in Iowa with Demi Moore and that young guy she married -- our Platinum Card members did just that!"

Add those small touches and I'm a lot closer to forking over $395 for the privileges.

Well, I'm getting tired. This blogging thing never fails to exhaust me. I'll have to do my other credit card offers tomorrow. Or maybe a month from now. We'll see how it goes.