Personal Finance Advice and Commentary

Find out what’s up in the world of American Express, rewards programs and credit card debt.

Citi added seven new perks to its co-branded Platinum Select AAdvantage credit cards starting Monday.

U.S. Bank introduced a program with Plastic Jungle that allows certain credit cardholders to exchange gift cards for rewards points.

American Express and Morgan Stanley last week unveiled two new co-branded cards …

There’s been some confusion about how the Internal Revenue Service views rewards points. The uproar started when some Citi customers received a 1099-MISC tax form from the bank for the reward miles they got after signing up for a new checking or savings account. The bonus rewards were part of a promotion by Citi. (Tax

Ever want to team up with your Facebook friends to donate to charity or buy a gift for a mutual friend? You can now using Citi rewards points. The credit card issuer unveiled a new Facebook app Tuesday that allows you and your Facebook friends to pool Citi ThankYou rewards together for one purchase or

Are Americans charging Christmas more this year? Two recent reports suggest so. Last week, Discover Financial Services said sales volume and the total number of transactions rose in its fiscal fourth quarter. The period ended Nov. 30, capturing the beginning of the holiday shopping rush. Executives at the credit card issuer didn’t attribute the increase

From sunny Los Angeles comes a cautionary tale about the wrong way to earn credit card rewards points. The finance director of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was in charge of upgrading the sound system for the video board at the taxpayer-owned arena. Instead of paying the $270,000 it would cost to buy the equipment

If you’re basking in post-Black Friday fracas euphoria (despite blowing your budget on the first “official” holiday shopping day), I bet you paid with a credit card. Consumers focus on the benefits of a purchase — while ignoring the price tag — when they pay by credit card, according to a new article by professors

While a Turkey Day bender may stretch your waistline, be careful to not stretch your credit cards to the limit the day after. On average, Americans will spend $704.18 this holiday season, according to estimates by the National Retail Federation. That’s $465.6 billion in total, up 2.8 percent from last year. Much of that spending