The Ink Cash&#174 Business Card is one of the best cash back business credit card in the market today. It is designed for business owners who would like to earn cash rebates on their business credit cards (but it can be used as a personal card as well). Actually, you earn points which can be converted into cash rebates or gift cards. Right now, this card is offering new cardholders a bunch of sign up bonuses. Let’s take a look at their cash rebate formula.

$200 Worth in Sign Up Bonuses – New Cardholders get $200 cash back after spending $3,000 within the first three months of your membership.

Cash Rebate Formula – The Ink Cash&#174 Business Card has just revamped their cash back formula. Cardholders can earn 5% cash back at office supply stores, and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services for the first $25,000 in annual spending on these items. Though there is a cap, most small businesses should not find the cap an issue. You can also earn 2% at gas stations and restaurants for the first $25,000 in annual spending for these items. You earn 1% rebates for other regular purchases.

You can also earn up to 10 points for every dollar you spend at www.chaserewardsplus.com. You can redeem your cash rebate once you accumulate 5,000 points (for $50) or you can also redeem for gift cards.

Fees and other details – There is no annual fee for this card. Additional cards for employees also have no fee. Card holders can earn unlimited cash back.

Verdict – The Ink Cash&#174 Business Card is one of the best cash back credit card in today’s market. Most rebate credit cards either have tiers or only have rotating categories where you can earn more than 1% rebate only for a certain period of time. This card is one of the rare cards left today that still lets you earn 2% to 5% on a variety of categories year round with no tiers. Plus, you can earn unlimited rebates. This card will suit a variety of business owners who business expenses include gasoline, office supplies and restaurant entertainment expenses.

As I mentioned in my previous review of the Chase Ink Bold Card, Chase has come up with four new redesigned business credit card called INK. Today, we are going to look at the Ink Plus and the regular Ink cards. Both are reward cards based on the new Ultimate Rewards program.

Ink Plus Rewards – Let’s start with the Ink Plus. You get to earn one point for every dollar that you spend on the card. If you shop with your card at Chases’ Ultimate Rewards Mall, you could potentially earn up to ten points for every dollar that you spend on the card.

Card members will receive 10,000 bonus points when they spend $50,000 on the card a year. If they spend an additional $50,000 (ie total spend of $100,000), they will get an extra 15,000 points.

You can earn unlimited points which do not expire.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Program Summary – The Ultimate Rewards program allows you to redeem points for travel items like airline tickets or hotel bookings, gift cards, merchandise and cash rebates. There are three ways in which you can redeem your points for travel. You can exchange points for airline frequent flier miles though so far Ultimate Rewards only have a couple of airlines like United and Continental as partners. You can use their travel booking site to book your travel with your card and you can earn double points for every dollar you spend booking an airline ticket. You can also book your own travel with any travel agent you want and you will get a statement credit using the reward points you have earned.

Free First Year Membership For Priority Pass Lounge – Card members get their first year fee waived for a membership in Priority Pass Lounge. You can also get two complimentary visits a year to any Priority Pass Lounge.

Annual Fee of the Ink Plus – The annual fee of the Ink Plus Card is $60 though the first year fee is waived.

Ink Plus Rewards and Differences – The regular Ink Plus Card has no annual fee and essentially has the same reward features and program. There are a couple of subtle differences. Firstly, you cannot earn any bonus points, unlike the Ink Plus, where you can earn an extra 25,000 bonus points a year depending on how much you charge on the card.

You also do not get complimentary first year free membership to the Priority Pass Lounge and the two complimentary visits that you are allowed a year to the Priority Pass Lounges.

However, unlike the Ink Plus, you get a 0% introductory offer for both purchases and balance transfers.

No Additional Card Fees – Both cards do not charge any annual fee for employee cards.

Verdict and Opinion – Chase has improved their reward program a lot from just a couple of years ago. Let’s start with the Chase Ink Plus. I think this card will suit business owners who spend at least $100,000 on the card a year cos you get the extra bonus (though you have to bear in mind the $60 annual fee after the first year). It will also suit business owner’s who want to use reward points for travel but are not real frequent fliers and hence do not need to transfer points into miles (cos the Ultimate Rewards still does not have as many airline partners as Membership Rewards and Diners Club Rewards).

The Regular Ink Card will appeal to business owners who would not charge as much to the card (and hence the extra bonus points will not matter), but still want a decent no annual fee rewards credit card. Those looking for a 0% APR deal for either purchases or balance transfer might also want to consider this card.

Chase has recently introduced a new series of business credit cards called “ink” along with a new reward program called the “Ultimate Rewards” program. They are called the “Ink” business cards in their line-up. Today, we’ll explore the Ink Bold&#174 Business Card, which is actually a business charge card. Right now, new cardholders can get a whopping 50,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 within the first three months.. These bonus points are worth a lot because you can transfer them to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.

Rewards – The reward program is based on their new Ultimate Rewards program. According to Chase, you can earn up to 5X Points on business expense. Upon further investigation, here are the details. You can earn 5X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services. You can also earn 2X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent annually at gas stations and for hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.

Travel Rewards and Benefits – The Ultimate Rewards program allows you to redeem points in a few ways. Firstly, you could book your own travel with anyone and use points later once they are in your statements. This method will work for folks who simply love to do your own research and get the best deals and prices. You could also use the their travel booking site to book your airline tickets from their travel portal.

Transfer Points To Airline and Hotel Partners – This card is the business version of the Chase Sapphire Preferred^SM Card in this aspect because you can transfer points into airline and hotel partners. Their airline and hotel partners include Continental, British Airways, Korean Air SkyPass, Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club and Amtrak. You can transfer them at a 1:1 ratio.

Fees and Other Details – The annual fee for this card is $95 though the first year fee is waived. There is no pre-set spending limit for this card. Additional cards for employees have no fees and still earns you reward points.

This card was launched to directly compete against the Amex Green Business Card. But first, let’s compare this with their own Ink with Ultimate Rewards, the no annual fee version.

vs Chase Ink Classic Business – The Chase Ink Classic is the no annual fee version of this card. Hence, it lacks a few features that the Ink Bold has. For example, you cannot transfer points into frequent flyer miles and guest points. You do not get the complimentary first year Priority Pass membership. And you also do not earn extra points based on spending levels. But it comes with no annual fee. So under a couple of circumstance (which we will explain later), the no annual fee version may be the better choice.

vs Amex Rewards Green Business Card – Both these cards are identical in many ways. For example, the have the same annual fee. Employee cards have no fees. You can also transfer points into airline miles and frequent guest points. But the big difference is that they both have different partners. For example, Chase has Continental United and British Airways. The Amex Membership Rewards has more partners, but Chase has some exclusive partners which MR does not have. For example, come September 2011, Continental will no longer be with MR. Chase also has Hyatt and Amtrak, which MR does not have. MR has more airline partners and exclusive partners like Starwood and Hilton.

The one area which Chase has the edge over the Amex Green is that you earn additional bonus points based on annual spend.

vs Amex Business Gold Card – The Business Gold Card is a step up from the Amex Green Card and comes with a higher annual fee of $175. The Business Gold Card also has a bonus points system based on annual spend. If you spend $50,000 on the card, you will get an additional 25,000 bonus points. The Gold Card also has features like Gold Card Events and Priority (before public) booking for concerts and events because Amex sponsors many events.

Opinion and Verdict – Charge Cards are getting very rare these days and only American Express and Diners Club issue them. So it is actually quite a surprise from Chase that they have actually come up with a business charge. What they have come up with essentially resembles the Amex Business Green Rewards Card from Open, which incidentally also has a $95 annual fee.

There are a couple of things you should ask yourself if you are considering this card. The first is do you intend to transfer points to airline miles or hotel points? If the answer is yes, then which airlines and hotels? This will determine whether you choose Chase or Amex depending on the partners. If the answer is no, then you may actually want to consider the Chase Ink Classic with no annual fee instead since it will save you on that.

I like this card a lot and I think Chase has done well with the introduction of this card. The Ink Bold&#174 Business Card will appeal to the business owner who pays his or her bills in full every month, but would need the no-preset spending feature in case of any huge orders and hence short term working capital that they need. They would preferably like to earn reward points for travel. Since this is a Visa card, some business owners would prefer this as some Vendors will not accept Amex. I recommend this card.

Over the last two weeks, I just finishing reviewing a bunch of so called “luxury credit cards”, those with a “high end” touch to it. Mos of these had special extra perks that are not commonly found in the run of the mill credit cards. Today, I am going to list the cards I have reviewed, make a brief summary and air my thoughts.

The American Express Centurion Card is probably considered the king of all luxury cards today. With a $2,500 annual fee and a $5,000 “activation fee”, the price tag is high. It used to be by invitation only. Then, there was a period where folks who have spent $250,000 on their American Express Cards could request for one and actually got it. Rumors are not swirling around that American is going back to pure invitation only, and may even have upped the annual spending requirements to $500,000.

The Platinum Card from American Express is probably the “luxury card” with the most value for money in terms of the annual fee price tag. You get a host of excellent benefits that is just a notch below what the Centurion Card offers. I personally have this card and could not have been happier with their excellent service (in my experience anyway).

The Visa Black Card is the latest kid on the block. Issued by Barclays Bank, the card (like the Centurion) is made of “titanium”. Compared to the Platinum or Centurion Card, the perks are much less. But the main attraction is the travel rewards program that that is a throw back to the old style system. For airline tickets up to $500, you only need 30,000 points. Depending on the price of the ticket, that is a more than 1% value. The thing that this card has going for it is that it is a Visa, so it is accepted at more places than an Amex Card. This card is used by folks as a backup to the Platinum Card in case Amex is not accepted. I have also heard of folks who have been badly treated by Amex who have switched over to this card.

The Diners Club Carte Blanche is quite similar to the Amex Cards in that their reward programs are pretty similar in the way they are structured. For travel rewards, you can transfer points to frequent flier miles or frequent guest programs. Along with the Membership Rewards program, the Diners Club Rewards is probably the best program. Diners Club is now owned by Citi and it is now actually a MasterCard. Hence, it is pretty much universally accepted.

The Status Rewards Visa (more commonly know as the white card) is supposedly even more exclusive than the Black Card. It is by invitation only by existing card members or by their “high end” merchant partners. The card is issued by US bank and caters to the ultra wealthy (specifically aimed at those that fly with private jets and not commercial airlines). There is no partnerships with any of the regular airlines frequent flier programs, only high end luxury goods providers. The annual fee comes up to $1,500.

The Citi Chairman Card is Citi’s elite credit card, which comes with a $450 annual fee. The reward program is based on Citi’s ThankYou Network Reward Program. What the Chairman Card has going for it is that you get companion tickets with British Airways (though you have to be aware of their fuel surcharge tax!), and an international airline program where you can get discounts when you book through their partner international airlines. Like the Citi PremierPass Card, you also earn points for the miles you fly!

The Merrill Lynch Visa Signature Rewards is Merrill Lynch’s high end card. The annual fee is $90, which is pretty low for a high end card. Like the Citi Chairman Card and the Carte Blanche, it has British Airways companion ticket feature. The rewards, in my opinion, is nowhere near the Membership Rewards. But it has several unique features that are not present in other high end cards. For example, you get discounts when you Delta Airline tickets or book a room with the Hyatt hotel. It also has a tier feature in that once you reach certain spending level, your benefits actually increase. This would make a good compliment to say an Amex Platinum Card.

The Bank of America Accolades Card is BOA’s premier card that they have created to target their wealthy clients in their private client services. I honestly do not think they are up to scratch with the very best cards. One of the main reasons is that the World Points program (which BOA inherited when they acquired MBNA) is nowhere near the Membership Rewards or Diners Club Rewards. The annual fee is $295 though this is waived for folks with $200,000 in assets under management for their private wealth clients.

Final Thoughts – In my opinion, I think the Platinum Card from American Express offers the most value for any luxury card. The annual fee is nowhere near what the Centurion Card charges, but yet it’s benefits are quite close to what you would get (I doubt most folks use all the benefits anyway!). BTW – I do have the Amex Platinum Card. For those looking for a Visa alternative, the Visa Black Card sure looks cool, has a card that is made of titanium!

As as in any credit card, there are some features in the other cards that might appeal to you. You should thoroughly research them before decide which card works for you. Yes, there is probably an ego component to this whole exercise. But value for money is very important as well. I hope this roundup, with links to my reviews, will help you make the right decision if you are in the market for a luxury credit card.

Very soon, I’ll do a write up on companion cards to go with your “luxury cards”.

I get lots of questions about so-called “Apple Credit Cards” or rather credit cards that folks think are issued by Apple. Well, Apple does not issue their own credit cards or anything of that sort. Instead, Apple has teamed up with Juniper Bank to provide some form of “financing” for folks who want to an Apple computer but cannot or do not wish to pay in full.

So here is how it works. You can either apply for the “Apple Credit Card” from their website or over the phone. The number to call is 1-800-MY-APPLE. Very often, an Apple salesperson will guide you through the online application process and you may know pretty much on the spot if you are approved. But sometimes, that can take a few days.

The full terms and conditions are listed here. Once you are approved of the card, you have up to 30 days to make your purchase. Then you will get 0% APR for 90 days (3 months) – in credit card language, your finance charges will be waived for 90 days. The card has no annual fee and is a vanilla credit card. Below is another screen shot of how it works.

My thoughts about this “Apple Credit Card – When I researched about this card, I think folks who really want to put their latest Apple on their credit card could do better with other credit cards. For example, cards like the Citi Platinum, Discover More Card and Chase Slate all offer 0% APR for purchases for 12 months. Why settle for 90 day financing?

Those looking to make a major purchase from Apple could save 5% off their purchase by using a Discover Card. How? Discover has a online shopping portal called shopdiscover.com. If you log on into your Discover account, you could go to apple.com from your Discover account, rather than going directly through your internet browser. (note: Discover does not disclose their merchants unless you are a cardholder). When you pay for your purchase using your Discover More Card, you will get a 5% rebate (which to me is the same as a 5% discount). Below are some screen shots (or rather proof).

Clicking on the Apple Icon takes you to their terms and conditions page where you will see the fine prints.

Clicking on the shop now button takes you to Apple Store. By accessing apple.com through your Discover account and using your Discover Card, you will earn 5% rebates. If you went directly to apple.com from your browser, you will not earn the 5% because the purchase would not be tracked by Discover.

The Stratus Rewards Visa White Card is one of those “elite cards” that seldom gets talked about simply because it really appears to be exclusive. If you troll around forums, they are those who love the card, and those who hate it, saying their websites are not updated. It also comes with a $1,500 annual fee.

The Origins – Stratus Rewards was started in 1999 by a division of Los Angeles-based Pro Sports & Entertainment. It is meant to be a really high end credit card unlike any in the market at that time. The problem with cards like the Amex Centurion Card is that the ultra wealthy seldom travel on commercial airlines and fly private jets instead. Back then, the Amex Centurion Card had no “private jet rewards”. In April 2004, Stratus Rewards Visa started marketing their cards through US Bank.

By invitation only – To get the Stratus Rewards, you have to be invited either by existing members or recommended by their merchant partners.

Partners – Their merchant partners consist of luxury high end companies that cater to the ultra wealthy. The only resource that I have to write about them comes from their website. Below is a screen shot of some of their partners. There are probably more, but you will never know unless you are a member.

As much as I want to talk more about the card, I really can’t. There really isn’t much information about this on the web or anywhere. Cardholders are presumably ultra wealthy folks who do not hang around frequent flier forums and talk about this card. As for myself, I’ll quietly stick to my Platinum Card from American Express.

If you have this card, we would love to hear from you and would appreciate any comments.

Merrill Lynch has got a few credit cards in their offering. But their Visa Signature Rewards has been considered by some as their “elite credit card”. With an annual fee of only $95, it certainly has a lower annual fee than many high end credit cards. But does it have what it takes to compete with the true elites like the Amex Platinum Card? Let’s find out.

Rewards – Like I have always said in my review of high end cards, travel rewards are what really set apart is its’ travel rewards. The Merrill Lynch reward program is a traditional program where you redeem a set number of points for airline tickets. Redemption starts at 25,000 points for a domestic airline coach class ticket.

But aside from the usual airline ticket redemption, this card has got a couple of other interesting perks.

British Airways Companion Ticket – Cardholders can get a transatlantic companion tickets on British Airways with purchase of full-fare tickets in FIRST, Club WorldSM or World Traveler PlusSM. You could also get a British Airways Complimentary Business to First Class upgrade to London. For folks who fly a lot to London on BA, this could potentially be a good deal though you may get cheaper discounted tickets and BA is known for their hefty surcharges on things like fuel tax!

Private Jet – Marquis Upgrade – Card members get additional flight hour on one-way upgrade on Marquis Jet Card purchase.

Hotel Perks – Merrill Lynch has partnered with a couple of hotels and offer the following deal. You can get a three nights for the price of two at participating Relais and Chateaux properties.

Car Rental Discounts – Cardholders get discounts and free car class upgrades at Hertz.

Double Points for Merrill Cruise Purchases – You can also earn double points for purchases made under the Merrill Cruise Program.

Concierge Service – Like all other high end cards, this one comes with a concierge service.

* Zero Liability Fraud Protection
* Early Fraud Warning
* Verified by Visa®
* Extended Warranty Protection
* Purchase Security up to $10,000
* Medical Evacuation Coverage
* $1 Million Worldwide Automatic Travel Accident Insurance
* $3,000 Lost Luggage Reimbursement
* Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance
* Auto Collision Damage Waiver

The rewards I have just described are just some of the main rewards that you will get. Merrill Lynch offers a higher level of rewards depending on your spending limit. Below is a screen shot of the additional rewards that you will get depending on your spending level.

Verdict and Opinon – I actually have the Merrill Lynch Plus Card, which is considered one notch below this card though there are some features that I would think should have been on the card. Regular readers of this blog will also know that I am a Amex Platinum Card holder.

Overall, I think that the Merrill Lynch Signature Rewards Card has some very interesting features which other cards do not have. Firstly, they have different level of perks for different levels of spending (some might argue that the level of spending is “low” for an elite card). And some of their rewards are quite unique. For example, you get discounts on Delta tickets, Hyatt stays, British Airways tickets, hertz, and even get a Herts Gold Membership. You also get Priority Pass Membership if you are a +3 level.

For those who will use these features, then I would say that this is a card worth considering.

Having said that, I still think that the Merrill Cards fall short of the Amex Platinum Card. I think that is a problem with banks who have a private wealth management unit and try to come up with something to compete with Amex or a Diners Club.

Firstly, the BA companion ticket feature may be of interest to folks who fly to London often. But Amex Platinum has 17 partners (at this time) for their international airline partner program (though they do not give discounts for business class tickets).

For me, the inability to transfer points to miles is a big hindrance for anyone who wants to be considered an “elite” credit card. You also have to use Merrill’s system to redeem points for flights. Even cards like the Citi Chairman Card or the Carte Blanche allow you to book your own travel and redeem it with points later on. Also, they do not offer perks like elite status hotel memberships (gold level for starwood in the case of Amex Platinum and gold level for Hilton HHonors in the case of Citi Chairman Card).

The annual fee is low for a so-called elite credit card. The “usual elite card” features are lacking, though they make it up very nicely with their discounts at places like Hyatt Hotels, on Delta Airlines and British Airways. For those looking for a high end card, I still consider my Amex Platinum to be a benchmark (the Centurion Card is obviously a different story). But as I have a Merrill Lynch Card (the Plus Card with no annual fee), I can see how this card can be a great supplement to my Amex Platinum. For example, if I book a Hyatt Hotel, I would definitely use this card over the Amex Platinum Card. Or if I want a business class Delta ticket, then the Merrill Card will be the one that I use.