The Verdict: Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card is the best credit card for dining and entertainment rewards. It offers 4% cash back in those purchase categories, to go along with 2% cash back at grocery stores and 1% back on everything else. The Savor Card also gives an initial bonus of $300 to new cardholders who spend at least $3,000 within three months of opening an account. That’s enough to cover the cost of the card’s annual fee ($95, waived the first year) for several years.
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card was built for rewards, as its name suggests, so it’s best when cardholders pay their bill in full by every due date. The card’s regular APR is pretty high, ranging from 16.24% to 25.24% (V), and there isn’t a low introductory rate to save you money initially.
Thanksgiving is one of America’s most beloved holidays, giving families a chance to share a meal together and reflect on all the things for which they are grateful. The first Thanksgiving dates back to Plymouth, MA in 1621, and each U.S. president declared a yearly celebration of the holiday until Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Thanksgiving into law permanently in 1941.
But even though Thanksgiving is centered on family and gratefulness, it’s still become a highly commercialized holiday. That’s apparent from the fact that the next day is Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year. A survey by the National Retail Federation also found that 34 million people planned to shop on Thanksgiving day in 2018. Luckily, though, it doesn’t cost too much to make a Thanksgiving feast for your family – around $50 on average for 10 people.
Gift cards are supposed to make gift-giving simpler, reducing the need to worry about the recipient’s tastes or which specific items he or she might already have. But not all gift cards are created equal, which might help explain why billions of dollars in gift-card value has gone unused in recent years, despite gift cards being the most popular type of present for the 13th consecutive year in 2019.
So in the interest of helping you find the best gift cards for any occasion – whether a birthday, holiday, graduation, etc. – we compared the 50 most popular options across five major categories: 1) how popular the cards are; 2) how much of a discount you can buy them for; 3) how much you can sell them for; 4) how much people like the retailer; and 5) shipping fees. Below, you can check out the resulting top picks.
Store cards occupy a very interesting niche within the broader credit card market. For one thing, they tend to have more lenient approval requirements than general-use cards with comparable terms. That’s largely because they can only be used to make purchases with the retailers they represent, which limits the risk for the issuer. As a result, store credit cards are a great way to build credit at a low cost.
But store cards aren’t only for the limited-and-fair credit crowd. Their sign-up bonuses and ongoing rewards provide savings at affiliated stores that even the market’s best overall rewards cards can’t match. So they’re especially attractive to people with good and excellent credit who employ the Island Approach, which involves using multiple cards for various specific purposes.
For the 38th time in the past 40 years, charitable giving increased year over year in 2018, according to Giving USA. Americans donated a total of $427.71 billion – nearly $292 billion of which came from individual donors. Forecasts call for a further increase in charitable giving in 2019, when the final figures are tallied, but much depends on how generous we feel this holiday season. ’Tis indeed the season for generosity, as a significant portion of all charitable donations are usually made in the month of December.
There is no shortage of noble causes in need of support this year. But no one wants their money to go to waste. So it’s fair to wonder which charity will make the best use of your donation.
With the expensive holiday shopping season fast approaching and credit card debt again reaching historical levels, financing offers figure to be especially tempting in the weeks to come. And that makes “deferred interest,” a feature commonly found in the fine print of retailer payment plans, particularly dangerous. Deferred-interest financing is like a wolf in a sheep’s clothing, pairing an enticing offer – something like “no interest if paid in full” or “special financing” – with a clause that allows the deal to turn ugly if you make the slightest mistake.
Deferred interest means you pay no interest or a reduced rate for a period of time, but allows for the possibility that a high regular APR could retroactively apply to your entire original purchase amount – as if the low intro rate never existed. Paying one month’s bill a day late or owing even $1 when the promotional period ends could trigger the deferred interest clause, activating high interest charges. Deferred interest is common with 0% store financing offers. And since many retailers don’t disclose deferred interest clearly enough, it can lead to some expensive post-holiday shopping season surprises.
“Fat” is becoming the new normal in America. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than seven in 10 U.S. adults aged 20 and older are either overweight or obese. Rates are lower for children and adolescents but have risen drastically in the past few decades. So prevalent has America’s obesity problem grown that the weight-loss industry continues to expand. In 2018, the U.S. weight loss and diet control market was valued at $72 billion. The U.S. spends in total nearly $200 billion in annual health care costs related to obesity.
New findings by the Physical Activity Council suggest a need for more aggressive efforts to combat the issue. According to the report, 82.1 million Americans aged 6 and older were completely inactive in 2018. Lack of physical activity is a leading cause of obesity, in addition to genetics, emotional instability and sleeplessness.
Budgeting is a complicated, often frustrating process. But it’s also an area to which a great deal of attention, including in-depth academic research, has been paid. Thus, there are myriad helpful insights to be gleaned from the experiences and study of others, and below we have amassed a collection of the best tips and strategies we could find.
Listed below you will find WalletHub’s 10 Commandments of Better Budgeting as well as more specialized tips for families, students, project budgeters, vacationers and wedding planners. Finally, we tapped a panel of leading money management experts to share their favorite budgeting advice.
The holiday season has become a commercial bonanza in which billions of dollars are spent on gifts and billions are added to our credit card debt tab. But that’s not what it’s really all about, and there’s no reason to feel pressured into spending more than you can afford. Because if your holiday budget isn’t as big as you’d like, there are plenty of presents you can give that cost absolutely nothing or close to it.
Below, you can find 16 low-cost or free holiday gift ideas that are sure to spread cheer without giving your wallet anything to fear. Happy holidays!
We’re each projected to spend about $1,007 on presents this holiday season. Plus, the average household already owes more than $8,600 in credit card debt – nearly a record amount and still rising. So it will be very important to keep a watchful eye on your wallet during this expensive time of year.
With that in mind, WalletHub’s editors prepared six holiday shopping tips to help you give more, spend less and worry about money as little as possible.
According to the Veterans Association, there are over 19.2 million veterans currently living in the U.S. These veterans often face a host of challenges when re-entering civilian life. Despite Uncle Sam’s promises to provide health care as well as housing, employment and educational assistance upon their return from service, some cannot secure healthcare, jobs or shelter.
Where veterans live can contribute to the problem. Although unemployment and homelessness have declined nationally for this group, such issues are simply worse in certain parts of America. Throughout the U.S., over 37,800 veterans still find themselves without a home. However, there is some good news on the healthcare front. Many VA hospitals have improved their conditions recently. In addition, a recent bill passed in the House of Representatives aims to make the VA’s website more accessible to veterans with disabilities.
Credit One Visa Review Summary: The Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit is one of the most popular credit cards for people with bad credit, largely because it’s one of the few unsecured cards that applicants with poor credit scores can get approved for. In addition to a $300 minimum credit line, Credit One’s Platinum Visa offers rewards and regular credit-limit increases, or at least the potential for both.
You’ll earn 1% cash back on at least some purchases as long as your account is not delinquent. You will be regularly considered for a higher credit limit, too, though you are by no means guaranteed to actually receive one. It all depends on how responsibly you use the card and how generous Credit One Bank is feeling.
Still looking for a reason to be grateful this Thanksgiving? How about some awesome Black Friday deals that’ll make you and your wallet thankful the rest of the year?
You can get car insurance online, over the phone, or in person with an insurance agent. The best way to shop for car insurance is to compare quotes from different insurance companies online. That way, you can quickly find the lowest price for the coverage you need.
The way you choose to buy insurance is entirely up to your personal preference. Some people want the personal support of an agent, while others like the convenience of purchasing insurance online. No matter which method you choose, remember to verify your state’s car insurance requirements before purchasing a policy. Nearly all states have a minimum liability coverage requirement, which you are obligated to meet. You can also buy additional liability coverage if you want it.
Concerns over the proper role of taxation lie at the very foundation of American history. They haven’t gone away, either. President Donald Trump signed a new overhauled tax plan into effect in December 2017, which went into effect in the 2018 fiscal year. One of the largest changes in the plan was that the federal corporate income tax rate was permanently lowered from 35 percent to 21 percent. Republicans championed the tax plan as beneficial to business and consumers and Democrats claimed it would only increase the wealth of the already wealthy. That debate becomes even more relevant as the 2020 presidential election approaches, as the winner will have the power to sign future tax code adjustments into law.
With businesses enjoying their tax cuts, WalletHub analyzed annual reports for the S&P 100 — the largest and most established companies on the stock market — in order to determine the federal, state and international tax rates they paid in 2018. You can find the results, our detailed methodology and additional expert commentary below.
A no credit check loan is a type of loan that does not require a hard inquiry into your credit report during the application process. That means your credit history is not a factor in approval for the loan. Loans with no credit check do not guarantee approval, though. Whether or not you qualify depends on other things, like income or collateral to secure the loan, instead.
Yes, you can refinance a personal loan. Refinancing a personal loan entails taking out a new personal loan and using those funds to pay off the old loan. The point of refinancing a personal loan is to save money, so the new loan should have a lower interest rate. After you refinance, you’ll hold the same amount of debt but accrue less interest each month, making the loan less expensive in the long-term. That’s assuming the new loan has no origination fee. But even loans that do charge origination fees can be worthwhile if their APRs are low enough.
When the mercury drops, some Americans welcome the chill while others follow the sun. This year, the winter promises to be an intense one. The Old Farmer’s Almanac forecasts below-normal temperatures in many regions, along with strong storms bringing heavy rain, sleet and snow.
To help Americans plan their travels over the colder months, WalletHub developed a ranking of the cheapest U.S. destinations that are also the easiest to reach. In total we analyzed nearly 70 of the largest metro areas — grouped as “warm” or “cold” — based on 37 key metrics, including two weeks of flight data, safety indicators and weather predictions.
After a string of nine interest-rate increases that took the Federal Reserve’s target rate from near zero in December 2015 up to a range of 2.25% - 2.5% in December 2018, the Fed is now poised to reduce rates for the third time since the Great Recession. Exactly what impact such a move will have on consumers’ wallets and the economy more broadly remains to be seen. But the hope is that lower rates will prolong what is already the longest economic expansion on record. At the very least, we can expect people with credit card debt to save hundreds of millions of dollars on interest.
To help shed some light on what we can expect from interest rates in the near future and how Americans feel about the prospect of a Fed rate cut, WalletHub analyzed historical data and conducted a nationally representative survey of more than 550 people on October 26.
A personal loan APR is the annual cost of borrowing expressed as a percentage. APR stands for “annual percentage rate,” and it includes both interest charges and fees. Personal loan APRs generally range between 6% and 36%. You may find the occasional lender with even cheaper rates, and some “bad credit” lenders offer personal loans with incredibly high APRs of 100%+.
Store cards occupy a very interesting niche within the 
With the expensive holiday shopping season fast approaching and credit card debt 
