Citibank Private Pass Rewards
After looking at the Citi mtvU card, we here at Online Banks thought we should also look at the often-overlooked Citibank Private Pass Rewards card. This Citi Private Pass rewards system is unusual and popular in an underground sort of way.
The Citi Private Pass card program itself is totally free to existing Citi Card customers to the extent that there are no extra monthly membership fees required to join. The only participation cost to you is when you actually decide to purchase reward tickets to desired events via the Citi Private Pass program. The tickets feature heavily discounted prices (or sometimes are even provided free courtesy of Citi Private Pass).
Unlike Citibank’s well known and popular Citi Thank You purchase incentive feature – which tends to focus on more tangible gift card and cash based rewards that you can accrue through daily card purchases – the Citi Private Pass program is devoted almost exclusively to entertainment and experience based offers. It provides its participants special access to free and cheap tickets to unique concerts, dining experiences, and popular sporting events. The Citibank Private Pass Rewards card program is not a separate card, but rather a rewards program already available to existing Citi Card customers.
The Citi Private Pass card program offers members a way to get access to limited pre-sale tickets, obtain preferred seating reservations ahead of time, arrange meetings with their favorite musical artists, or even attend special limited opportunity movie screenings and cultural events.
It’s obvious why the Citibank Private Pass Rewards card program is so popular amongst many of today’s entertainment-oriented generation.
Citi mtvU Card Review
Continuing our look at credit cards, today at Online Banks, we’re going to look at the Citi mtvU credit card for students. This is an innovative reward card aimed directly at students and their needs.
The Citi mtvU card rewards not just purchases, but also good grades. Rewards points earned can be used for many things including reducing student loans.
Rewards are paid according to usage and GPA. So with your Citi mtvU earns you five points for every dollar you spend on purchases at book stores, record stores, restaurants (including fast food), movie theaters, and video rental stores. You earn one point for every dollar spent everywhere else.
On top of that, there are rewards for earning good grades, measured by grade point average (GPA). So a GPA of 2.5-2.99 earns 250 points, 3.00-3.49 earns 600 points. 3.50 to 3.99 earns 750 points and a perfect 4.0 gets you 2,000 (two THOUSAND) points.
Card holders also get MTV rewards. Use your Citi mtvU credit card at any MTV store for an automatic 10% discount (including online at mtvshop.mtv.com).
Points can be spent on many things including tickets to the MTV Video Music Awards (30,000 points). The card has no annual fee and qualifying new card holders can get a 0% APR for the first 7 months they have their Citi mtvU credit card.
Several other platinum-level benefits are also included, such as travel insurance and online account management.
Worth considering for those students heading off to school and wanting a credit card geared to their needs.
Wells Fargo Rewards Card Review
Today at Online Banks we’re going to look at the Wells Fargo Rewards offers on credit and debit cards. There are a lot of rewards to go through for these offers, so let’s get started.
Most rewards start at 650 points and are attached to either a checking or credit account. Rewards points can be cashed in for money, gift cards to popular retail stores and restaurants, gift cards, travel options, hotel stays, car rentals, and merchandise from exclusive, top brands.
The program costs $12 per year to join for those who don’t qualify for the Exclusive Rewards program. Wells Fargo Rewards Card offers include rewards bonus points for shopping at specific retailers, online outlets, and so forth.
Nearly all check and credit purchases can qualify for rewards points, however. Even bill payments and other payments made by credit (whether the card is credit or debit). Just about anything you can purchase with a VISA card can earn rewards.
All you have to do to qualify is have a current debit or Wells Fargo credit card. Then call or visit your local branch to enroll and begin earning rewards points.
The points are worth the trouble of getting and most rewards are at a ratio of about 1 point per $1 spent. Wells Fargo is a member of FDIC.
Top 10 Online Banking Websites
Here at Online Banks Blog, we realize that online banking has become the majority of many American’s banking experience. Day to day, most of us interact with our banks online more than we do in person or in branch. Since this is such an important part of our financial experience today, we thought we would do a roundup of our top 10 online banks picks.
So here is our roundup of the best online banking websites.
Discover Bank
Key features here are the fast use, simple layout, and the ability to input your information (deposit amount, term, etc.) and get instant quotes for certificate of deposit (CD) rates and savings calculations. All without having a login. Excellent services available and for customers, the site is fast, makes transferring from accounts or opening new accounts easy.
USAA Federal Savings Bank
This bank should be one of your top online banking sites for long-term goal setting and savings. Using tools like their My Financial Assessment, customers can learn how to move money into or through other accounts available at the bank to maximize their savings income.
Ally Bank
Fast access, quick navigation, and ease of use are the hallmarks of Ally. This top online banking websites also often has the best CD rates available nationally.
State Farm Bank and Insurance
This combination company offers slick online banking services and combines a top online banking sites with easy access to insurance information, coverages, and claims.
Five More
The other five banks on our top 10 online banks list are:
- Integra Bank
- Citizens Bank
- E*Trade
- EverBank
- Nationwide
Chase Ink Credit Card Review
Here at Online Banks Blog, we know that several of our readers are business owners who might be interested in the latest Chase Ink credit card offer for small business. This is a new credit card from Chase reserved only for business owners, which the company says comes with business-sized credit limits.
That means credit limits that are large enough to take care of major purchases, or flexible spending capacity that may grow as necessary with your business. This is especially important for small business owners right now, with all the credit lines being cut in the wake of the ongoing credit crisis. There are four types of Ink credit cards available, including Ink, Ink Plus, Ink Bold, and Ink Cash.
Ink Cash from Chase is the cash back version of the popular Ink business credit card. Ink Cash allows you to earn up to 3% cash back on eligible business purchases with no limit on the amount you can earn. For most small business owners, it’s probably the best option.
Ink from Chase also includes online business tools, allowing you to manage your account and any additional cards you may give to employees. You can set spending limits on employee cards as well as track expenses and identify potential tax deductions that you may qualify for with specific purchases.
If your business is in need of an on-demand credit line and could use the flexibility of a credit card, the Chase Ink credit card might be it.
Oregon CD Rates
Today we here at Online Banks Blog are going to look at CD rates in Oregon as part of our regional looks at various certificate of deposit rates nationally.
We’ll start with one year, then three year and finally five year terms. We’ll rank by annual percentage yield (APY) and give information such as minimum deposit requirements to open and maintain your Oregon CD.
For the one year term, Oregon CD rates are highest at Ally with a 1.48% APY and no minimum deposit requirement. Pacific Continental Bank has a 0.85% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit followed closely by Liberty Bank witha 0.80% APY and a $500 minimum.
In a 3-year term, we see CD rates in Oregon are highest again at Ally with a 2.27% APY and no minimum deposit requirement. Liberty BAnk has a 1.60% APY with a $500 minimum requirement and Pacific Continental has a 1.56% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit. Both Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank have a 1.50% APY.
For the longer 5-year term, Oregon CD rates are still highest at Ally with a 2.94% APY and no minimum deposit. U.S. BAnk has a 2.50% APY with a $500 minimum deposit required. Wells Fargo Bank then comes in with a 2.25% APY and a $2,500 minimum deposit requirement to open and maintain.
All banks listed are FDIC insured. If any of these Oregon CD rates appeal to you, lock it in today as CD rates in Oregon can change at any time.
Iowa CD Rates
Today at Online Banks Blog, we thought we should have a look at some regional certificate of deposit rates. So today we’re going to have a look at CD rates in Iowa and over the next few days, we’ll look at more states.
We’ll look at one, three, and five-year terms and then rank by annual percentage yield (APY) and minimum deposit requirement.
For the one year term, Ally Bank has the best Iowa CD rates at 1.48% APY with no minimum deposit requirement to open and maintain. Principal Bank has a 0.90% APY with a $5,000 minimum deposit and West Bank has a 0.75% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit requirement.
For a 3 year term Iowa CD, the best rates at again at Ally with a 2.27% APY and no minimum deposit. Principal Bank has a 1.61% APY to compete and a $5,000 minimum deposit requirement. Bank of America has a 1.50% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit required.
In a five-year Iowa CD rates offer, we see Ally again at the top with a 2.94% APY and no minimum. West Bank has a 2.75% APY with a $1,000 minimum followed by Principal Bank with a 2.43% APY and a $5,000 minimum deposit required to open and maintain.
Of course, all banks listed are fully FDIC insured. If any of these CD rates in Iowa appeal to you, lock yours in today. Rates can change at any time.
Chase Banking
Filed under: Best Bank Accounts, Online Banks, Personal Finance Articles
Today at Online Banks Blog, we’re going to have a look at one of the world’s largest banks, JP Morgan Chase – better known as Chase Bank. Most would expect a huge bank like this to have a great offering and setup, but in our review of customer feedback, banking at Chase may not be as great as we’d hoped.
Probably one of the biggest surprises we saw when looking through Chase Bank reviews online are the high number of dissatisfied customers with Chase banking. Their online banking system is, apparently, frequently down or reporting errors. One person even complained that a branch manager literally yelled out his Social Security Number across the branch floor to another teller, letting everyone in the room know his SSN.
Most complaints revolve around shoddy customer service both online and off, of course. Banking at Chase seems to involve a lot of hidden late fees, long waits for telephone help, and online banking services that disappear or don’t work at inconvenient times.
While most reviews online for any bank are usually negative (positive reviewers rarely have incentive to post anything), there are a lot more for Chase than for any other.
Other complaints come from Washington Mutual customers who’ve had their accounts moved to Chase banking with the buyout of WaMu’s assets. It appears that these customers had good experiences at WaMu and are now feeling cheated because banking at Chase is much more negative for them.
Overall, it appears that Chase banking is the one to avoid. A simple search of the Internet will show Chase Bank reviews are almost entirely negative.
Illinois CD Rates
Since we looked at Indiana yesterday, we here at Online Banks Blog thought we’d better look at their neighbor in Illinois today. So today we’re looking for the best CD rates available in Illinois right now.
As we did before, we’ll look at 1, 3, and 5 year terms and list by annual percentage yield (APY). We’ll also include any minimum deposit requirement to open and maintain the account fee-free.
For the 1-year term, CD rates in Illinois are pretty good with a 1.55% APY available at both Flagstar and Harris, requiring a $500 and $1,000 minimum deposit respectively. Ally then enters with a 1.49% APY with no minimum requirement while Hoyne Savings has a 0.86% APY with a $500 minimum deposit. BankFinancial is worth mentioning at 0.85% APY as well ($1,000 minimum). National average is still 0.69% APY.
Next, we look at CD rates in Illinois for a 3-year term. Ally Bank is on top with a 2.29% APY and no minimum deposit requirement. First Savings Bank of Hegewisch has a 2.20% APY witha low $500 minimum deposit required. Then BankFinancial has a 1.70% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit requirement. National average for this term is 1.43% APY.
Last but not least, we go to the 5-year term to find the best CD rates available amongst Illinois CD rates. The lineup is basically the same with Ally Bank at 2.94% APY, First Savings Bank of Hegewisch at 2.65% APY, and BankFinancial at 2.60% APY with $0 deposit required at Ally and $1,000 required at the others. National average here is only 2.00% APY.
All banks listed are FDIC insured.
Indiana CD Rates
Today we here at Online Banks Blog are going to have a look at the best CD rates available in the State of Indiana. So let’s look at the best CD rates in Indiana today so you can know where to go.
Each bank listed will have a minimum deposit required to open and maintain their certificate of deposit account without fees. We’ll start with 1 year terms and then look at longer terms as well.
For a 1 year CD term, the best rates are at Flagstar and Harris, each of which offers a 1.55% annual percentage yield (APY) with a $500 and $1,000 minimum deposit, respectively. The national average right now is 0.69% APY, so those are good returns. Ally Bank offers a competing 1.49% APY with no minimum deposit requirement and First Midwest Bank offers a 0.85% APY to come in third on this 1 year term list.
Going to a 3-year term we find the best Indiana CD rates are at Ally Bank with a 2.29% APY and no minimum deposit requirement. First Midwest Bank then has a 1.75% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit required followed by Centier Bank with a 1.50% APY and a $1,000 minimum as well. The national average is currently 1.43% for this term.
Finally, a longer 5-year term offers CD rates in Indiana above the national average again. Ally Bank has a 2.94% APY with no minimum deposit required while First Midwest Bank has a 2.40% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit. Centier comes in again with a 2.00% APY and a $1,000 minimum requirement. The national average for this term is 2.00% APY.
All banks listed are FDIC insured.
