Archive for July, 2010
Are you an eternal optimist? Do you dream big? Do you like the idea of winning a sweepstakes? Then the American DreamCard™ Platinum MasterCard? just might be the right credit card for you. You get 1000 sweepstakes entries when you apply for the credit card online and one additional entry for each $1 you charge to your card. You also receive 1000 sweepstakes entries when you are approved for the credit card.
What can you win? Every month the sweepstakes pot consists of 0.5% of the money customers using the American DreamCard™ Platinum MasterCard? have charged to their credit cards with the maximum being $50,000. According to HSBC, the bank that offers this credit card, they have paid out over $1 million so far. Not a bad reward if you fancy yourself a winner. And who doesn’t? In our culture dreaming big is instilled in children in elementary school. I remember my daughter coming home with a project assignment to figure out what she would do with one million dollars back in fourth grade.
As far as platinum cards go, it is on the cheaper end of the annual fee spectrum giving a range of $0 to $59 depending on creditworthiness. However, it is also on the lighter side of benefits. It doesn’t offer any big perks as the name platinum card might suggest. It’s main feature truly is the sweepstakes. They even entice you to refer your friends for an additional 50 sweepstakes entries and a bonus of 1000 entries if one of your referrals signs up for their .American DreamCard™ Platinum MasterCard?
This credit card allows you online access to your account and you certainly want to watch this one closely. The late payment penalty fees are rather stiff at $39. Returned payment fees are $35. Currently their annual percentage rate for purchases varies between 14.99% and 21.99% based on your creditworthiness. How they define creditworthiness is hard to tell. This card is definitely for those of you that have good credit ratings and a tendency to pay off balances in full.
If you love sweepstakes then you have really found your dream card. What gambler could resist a monthly sweepstakes for up to $50,000? Their sweepstakes periods appear to last for one year during which sweepstakes entries just accumulate. They are only discarded after the sweepstakes period ends. Of course, that means as you get to the end of the annual drawing period, your competition is stiff. Since when has that stopped a dreamer though? As jackpots increase, so does the participation in the lotteries around the globe. We all like to dream.
I know people that seem to be born with luck. They can count on winning sweepstakes, lotteries, drawings. If you are one of those people, how could you resist this credit card? You probably would never even have to add any entries by using the credit card, your initial 1000 entries would likely be enough to make you a monthly winner. Do I sound jealous? Perhaps just a little. Attracting luck seems like it would be a wonderful gift. Anyhow, if that is you, I am sure you know that by now. The American DreamCard™ Platinum MasterCard? has found a niche and it focuses solely on that niche. Their entire website is focused on the sweepstakes. You may actually forget they are offering a credit card, they have so much information on the sweepstakes and so little about their credit card.
So you are the one everyone worries about? The one who skipped out on their payment obligations. What? “I was young and foolish back then! I have changed,” you say. Back then you probably didn’t worry about credit scores or trying to buy bigger things like cars or houses. Now you wonder what to do about it.
What you need to do is improve your credit rating. Good credit ratings lead to lower rates on loans since you are considered a smaller risk for the loan company. Convincing lenders that you are an acceptable risk now takes time. You need to act like a responsible money manager for a while and you have to be able to prove that you are. That is where the Public Savings Bank Classic Secured VISA Credit Card can come in. This is a credit card that does not require a credit check.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an easy cure. They may not check your credit but they protect themselves. They know if you are going for a secured credit card, you either have no credit history or a horrible one. Most likely the latter. What is a secured credit card? A secured credit card is a card that requires you to keep funds or perhaps other assets such as a car as a guarantee to secure the credit card. If you were to run into trouble and not be able to pay that credit card bill, the company would then be able to seize those assets. Generally, the amount of assets you need to maintain, and yes, that means not touch, in an account is equal to your credit limit on the credit card.
That may not sound too enticing but remember why you are doing this. You are the one that ruined your credit rating in the first place. You have to fix that somehow. Now to the good part! With a Public Savings Bank Classic Secured VISA Credit Card they do report your payment history to all 3 major credit bureaus. This is exactly what you want. It won’t do you any good to pay every bill you get on time if none of the companies report your good behavior. Public Savings Bank will report this if you get a Public Savings Bank Classic Secured VISA Credit Card.
Worried about annual maintenance fees or even monthly fees? Don’t be. The Public Savings Bank Classic Secured VISA Credit Card does not have those. This card if used very carefully can do exactly what you want it to do: Rebuild your credit rating. You have to read the account agreement very carefully though and make sure you keep reading any changes they make. You will be paying fees to use their credit card. To begin with they charge a $75 fee for applying for the credit card. I don’t think you can avoid this one. They also have a $25 fee every time you want to increase or decrease your credit limit. This one you can avoid by considering how much money you can afford to keep in a non-interest bearing account while you use this credit card to improve your credit rating. The Public Savings Bank Classic Secured VISA Credit Card is offered with a credit limit from $300 to $2000. Decide how much you want to use before you apply for the card and stick with it.
They also have fees for late payments and bounced checks. If you truly are the reformed responsible money manager you are trying to prove you are, these should not affect you. They do offer 0% APR for purchases the first 6 months. Face it; you will have to buy something in order to prove that you paid it off. Generally, I recommend paying off the entire bill every month. You don’t want to get yourself into financial debt again. So with the reporting to all 3 credit bureaus, the lack of maintenance fees and the ability to apply for a credit limit you can afford to maintain, the Public Savings Bank Classic Secured VISA Credit Card seems like a reasonable choice to rebuild your credit history.












