After almost a year since our site last offered Chase credit cards, we are pleased to announce their much anticipated return. We had hoped to begin offering Chase credit cards earlier this year, but financial market conditions did not allow for a timely return of their credit cards to our site. The news that we would once again be able feature cards from Chase this week was somewhat of a surprise. As a result of their return, we are able to expand our current credit card offerings and visitors will once again have access to one of the best cash back credit cards available.

At this time we are able to feature the Chase Freedom card along with introduction of the Chase Slate credit card. Both cards share the Visa logo and feature Chase’s new program to help cardholders better manage their spending and finances with Blueprint. Blueprint provides cardholders the flexibility to choose how payments are applied, choose different payment options, track spending habits and more; all for free.

Each Chase credit card offers something different and one may be just right for you. Be sure to check them out.

Chase has recently unveiled a new financial service that is free to use and only available to Chase customers. Blueprint is easy to set up and lets each customer specify their own set of financial blueprints.

The Blueprint program has been designed to simplify your finances. It allows you to design custom payment plans and other options. Each payment option will be highlighted on monthly statements. This allows you to really organize your finances and your credit card purchases.

You don’t have to wait until you receive the monthly statement each month to see what progress you’ve made towards reaching your goal. The Blueprint program allows you to monitor your progress online. You can check your progress fifteen times a day or once a day.

Everyone uses their credit card for different reasons. Some people use it for everyday purchases. Some people use it only in emergencies. Others use it for large purchases. The Chase Blueprint program allows you to pay off large purchases first, thus reducing the amount you pay in interest.

There are so many advantages for using the new Chase Blueprint program. First, the Blueprint program itemizes all of your purchases. This allows you to know your spending trends and habits. This is updated constantly so you can always be sure you are given accurate information. It also allows you to see clearly the areas that you want to improve.

Chase Blueprint really helps you pay your balance down faster. It lets you make payments towards large purchases and reduces the total amount you pay in interest. Similarly, Blueprint lets you completely avoid paying interest. It comes with free online calculators that allow you to know what payments you need to make in order to pay $0 in interest.

Chase Blueprint is the first of its kind. Since when does a credit card company or financial institution go to so much trouble to help you avoid paying interest? Chase credit cards are available to help with the new Blueprint program.

Last week, J.D. Power and Associates released their 2009 Credit Card Satisfaction Study with results of what customers really think about credit card issuers. The results weren’t surprising as most customers this past year have seen rate increases, fee increases, credit lines slashed or accounts closed completely. As a result of the economy, credit card issuers have been forced to cover rising defaults and losses. Customers haven’t responded well to the recent changes and credit card issuers have seen their customer satisfaction ratings plummet.

In fact, the J.D. Power and Associates survey found that the customer satisfaction level has reached a three-year low. Michael Beird, J.D. Power and Associate’s director of banking, said, “Overall satisfaction declines 86 index points when a customer incurs a late fee. Issues with fees also contribute to the high incidence of problems and complaints in 2009, with 18 percent of customers reporting problems, compared with 10 percent in 2008.”

In 2008, only 10 percent of customers reported that their fees and rates were increased. That number has almost doubled in one short year. That’s right…20 percent of credit card customers now say that they have seen an increase in credit card fees and rates. But, does the type of customer affect satisfaction?

Absolutely.

The survey found that those who are among the unhappiest are those credit card holders who do not pay off their credit cards in full each month. Credit card customers who carry a balance from month to month gave credit card companies the lowest ratings. American Express ranked highest in customer satisfaction for the third straight year with an index score of 761. Discover Card and National City came in second and third with index scores of 751 and 740, respectively.

So, what have these companies all done well? Customers reported being satisfied with credit card companies when they received consistent communication from the creditor. Even when a fee or rate increase did occur, customers reported being satisfied 97 percent of the time when they received notification of the increase beforehand.

Although customers are not overly satisfied with credit card companies currently, there is one thing credit card issuers can do to keep customers happy. Communicate. Credit card companies need to keep their customers informed and customers need to do their part by staying informed. Customers can actively participate in the communication process by researching different credit cards and educating themselves before applying.

Surely, the level of overall credit card satisfaction will increase when well-informed customers team up with credit card companies who communicate.

Have you had a good or bad experience with your credit card issuer this past year? Give us your feedback.

See the average credit card debt by state along with other credit card facts. Click the image to see a full-size version.

It isn’t everyday that credit cards are chosen as ‘the best.’ The Blue Cash card from American Express knows just how this feels. It was recently chosen to round out Money Magazine’s ‘The best credit card for you’ list.

Only six credit cards made the list. Money Magazine spent a great deal of time researching millions of credit cards, only to choose six for its list. Blue Cash from American Express earned the number six slot and with good reason.

How many cash back credit cards are there out there? A lot, right? But, Money Magazine chose 1 cash back credit card as being the best…The Blue Cash card from American Express.

Whether you are a big spender or you pay for everything with plastic and pay it off monthly, the Blue Cash will help you get ahead of the game.

First of all, the interest rates for the Blue Cash card start at just 7.99%. The better your credit, the lower your interest rate. And, wouldn’t it be nice to be paying an interest rate as low as 7.99%?

The Blue Cash card comes with one spending tier. That tier is set at $6500. This means that before you spend $6500 in one year, you’ll earn a certain amount of cash back. After you hit that $6500 tier, you will earn a different and higher amount of cash back.

Before you spend $6500 in one year, you will earn 1% cash back on all of your purchases through certain categories. These categories include: supermarket purchases, drugstore purchases and gas station purchases. You will earn 0.5% cash back on any other purchase you make.

After you have spent $6500, you will earn 5% cash back at the supermarket, the gas station and the drugstore. 5%! That really gives you the opportunity to earn a lot of cash back. You’ll earn 1.5% cash back on all of your other purchases.

The Blue Cash from American Express is the best cash-back credit card on the market. It gives you the opportunity to earn more cash back than ever before. That’s why Money Magazine chose it as being the best of the best.

New credit card rules go into effect today, Thursday, August 20, 2009. Every consumer should familiarize themselves with these new rules, especially since the new rules are set to benefit consumers. The act is known as the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009. The purpose of the legislation is to eliminate certain practices made by credit card companies that take advantage of consumers. This act will supposedly make the credit card industry a more fair market.

The most important aspects of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act are as follows:

1. Credit card companies must follow strict guidelines that will make it more difficult to issue credit cards to consumers under the age of 21.

2. The interest rate cannot be raised on an existing credit card balance until the consumer is at least 60 days past due.

3. The interest rate cannot be increased within the first year of the customer having the account.

4. Promotional interest rates must be six months or longer.

5. If the interest rate is increased for a particular customer, the credit card company must revert to the original interest rate if the consumer makes his/her payments on time for six months.

6. Billing statements must be mailed at least 21 days before the due date.

7. Late fees cannot be assessed if the payment is delayed due to processing delays.

8. Credit card companies are required to give the customer at least 45 days written notice before making interest rate increases.

These new rules are designed to protect consumers. Credit card companies have earned bad reputations for what consumers say are unfair practices. Implementation of the law is supposed to protect consumers against many of the unfair practices and should help alleviate some of the financial burdens that Americans are facing today.

You have always done everything right…including maintaining your perfect credit. You use your credit card, but you pay it off in full every month. You have never been late on any of your payments and you make sure that all of your accounts are in good standing. It’s time that you take advantage of having excellent credit. Get the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card today and be instantly approved.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card comes with many outstanding benefits. Besides letting you earn 10,000 extra Membership Rewards points after you make your first purchase, it lets you redeem the points you earn for free shopping experiences, travel experiences and much more. But, the American Express Preferred Rewards card comes with one benefit that you can take advantage of before you even receive your cards…express approval.

American Express’ express approval lets you get a decision in under a minute. It uses highly sophisticated software that reviews your credit application and makes a decision in less than 60 seconds.

Express approval is convenient for both you and American Express. It is convenient for you because it lets you get back to the things that really matter in your life, without having to wait for weeks to hear the decision. It is convenient for American Express because it allows them to service more people in a shorter amount of time.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is ready for you. You have already proved your credit worthiness, so all you need to do now is fill out an application online and get your decision in under 60 seconds. It’s that simple and your excellent credit should be put to good use. Not to mention the fact that you will now be able to earn a plethora of rewards from shopping to travel to entertainment and much, much more.

For people with excellent credit, it is often difficult to find an exclusive credit card that rewards them something additional than most credit cards. With the arrival of Simmons First credit cards here at PlasticRewards.com, people with excellent credit don’t need to look any further. Simmons First offers two Visa credit cards for those with excellent credit.

Simmons First Visa® Platinum

This Platinum Visa from Simmons First features a low APR of 7.25% currently on purchases and balance transfers. If you do need to transfer a balance, there is an benefit that is hard to come by these days – no balance transfer fees. All balances must be transferred at the time of card application. Plus, there is no annual fee and with the Simmons First Visa Platinum you can enjoy platinum benefits like: global acceptance, travel insurance, emergency replacement and more.

Simmons First Visa® Platinum Rewards

This card was recently chosen as Money Magazine’s top travel rewards credit card. The Simmons First Visa Platinum Rewards offers one of the most versatile travel rewards program that allows cardholders to choose from airline tickets, hotels, cruises vacation packages and more. Every dollar you spend on purchase earns one point redeemable for travel rewards. The card also features a low APR, no balance transfer fees and platinum benefits; all with no annual fee.

Having excellent credit definitely has its rewards and the Simmons First Visa credit cards can help you get them.

SmartMoney recently ranked the Citi Forward card by Citibank as one of the four best credit cards available today. The Citi Forward card is one of the few cards that actually rewards its card holders for making wise financial decisions. That’s why SmartMoney named it one of the four most advantageous credit cards on the market today.

Those who have already signed up for the Citi Forward card by Citibank already know what a beneficial card this is. For instance, there isn’t another card on the market that offers 6,000 bonus points just for spending $50.

The Citi Forward card also rewards you for helping to save the environment. It gives you an additional 5,000 bonus points for signing up to receive electronic statements within the first three months of your account being open.

But wait…there’s so much more.

The Citi Forward credit card also…

- Allows you to take advantage of 0% APR for the first 6 months. That includes balance transfers and purchases.

- Gives you 100 extra bonus points when you stay under your credit limit and when you pay on time. This gives you the opportunity to earn 100 extra points every billing cycle.

- Let’s you reduce your APR by .25% when you use your credit card wisely. Seriously, what other credit card rewards you like that?

With the Citi Forward card by Citibank , you will earn 1 bonus reward point for every $1 you spend. When you spend money on movies, music, restaurants and books, you will be able to earn 5 points for every $1 you spend.

There is a good reason why SmartMoney named the Citi Forward credit card as one of the best. It is the most beneficial and those benefits are all-encompassing.

While other credit card issuers are limiting or restructuring their reward programs, Chase launches a new rewards program - Ultimate Rewards. The unveiling of the Ultimate Rewards program by Chase is set to rival top rewards programs offered by competitors American Express’ Membership Rewards and Citi’s ThankYou Network.

Currently, you can use your Chase Freedom Visa card or the new Chase Sapphire(SM) card to earn points with Ultimate Rewards. Every dollar spent will earn one Ultimate Rewards point that can be redeemed from millions of reward options. Save your points or spend them right away, but never worry about spending limits or point earning restrictions. Ultimate Rewards gives you the freedom to earn as many or as little points as you want and to redeem them for just about anything.

Book your next vacation or travel arrangements through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards Travel Tool; pay with your Chase credit card and earn two points for every dollar spent on airline flights. That’s double points on airline travel! Plus, check out restaurant reviews from Zagat.com to ensure an enjoyable dining experience while traveling or at home with the Ultimate Rewards website.

Chase is also introducing the Ultimate Rewards Bonus Mall. This online retail outlet is available to Chase cardholders where they can shop to take advantage of exclusive online deals through over 300 leading retailers. Cardholders who shop through the site can earn up to 10 Ultimate Rewards points for every dollar they spend.

Ultimate Rewards lets cardholders redeem points for almost any type of reward. Cardholders can choose from over 3 million different merchandise items through Amazon.com, gift cards at over 65 companies, cash back and point transfers to major airline carriers. With so many redemption options, it may just be too hard to choose.