The Bonvoy Bold’s limited-time bonus for new cardholders is as follows: Earn 60,000 bonus points and one free night (valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. NerdWallet estimates the average value of one Marriott Bonvoy point at 0.9 cents when redeemed for hotel stays, so 60,000 points can be worth about $540. That’s a terrific value for a $0-annual-fee travel card. The changes to the Boundless credit card’s welcome offer are less impressive compared with the Bold. The new sign-up bonus is a $150 statement credit after making a first purchase,…

It may not seem “futuristic” these days to dip or tap a credit card instead of swiping it, or to hold a cell phone over a payment terminal to cover your groceries. But in the U.S., you only have to go back about 10 years or so — before EMV chips and contactless technology became standard on credit cards — to find a different world, where those now-commonplace features would have been perceived as unusual, confounding and potentially even unsafe.A lot has changed in credit card tech since 2015, though the average cardholder has proved to be a quick study.…

Paper coupons clipped from the Sunday paper are one tool for trimming costs, but you’re probably leaving money on the table if that’s your only strategy. If you’re willing to migrate from the analog to the digital, you’ll find a host of websites, apps and browser extensions that can help you score deep discounts on a variety of goods and services. Even if something is listed as full price, you can generate your own savings by “stacking” rewards.Here are the top tools we recommend. Card-linked offersWhat they are: Card-linked offers are digital limited-time offers — typically in the form of…

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is making a change to its rewards structure and getting a physical makeover as well. Here’s what new and existing cardholders can expect: Tweak to gas rewardsStarting Jan. 19, 2025, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi — along with its small-business counterpart, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Business by Citi — will earn 5% cash back on gas purchases made at Costco. Previously, cardholders earned 4% cash back at Costco pumps. Note that all other non-Costco gas purchases and EV charging purchases will continue to earn 4% cash back (with a combined yearly…

Last year was dominated by a dramatic presidential election and an economy that, while strong on paper, didn’t feel that way for many Americans. Here’s what we saw in 2024 when it came to credit cards and debt:Interest rates began to fall, but credit card APRs are still catching up: The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates three times toward the end of 2024, but it took a few months for average credit card interest rates to follow suit and come down slightly from a record high. Debt and delinquencies rose, but things could be stabilizing: According to NerdWallet’s 2024 American Household…

Breaking up one purchase across a few credit cards is possible, especially if you’re at a physical store. It’s more of a mixed bag online. You may get to the final checkout screen, only to find that splitting payments isn’t an option with that particular retailer. Here’s what you need to know about split credit card payments.Is it possible to pay with multiple credit cards?Yes, many retailers let in-store shoppers spread a single purchase across two or more credit cards. For example, as of this writing, CVS, Macy’s and Walmart all allow the practice. Whether you can split payments for…

Several of this year’s Best Credit Card winners kept their spots from previous years, but a few newcomers broke through to this year’s list. Here’s what changed for 2025.First-time winnersWells Fargo Attune℠ Card: Best for entertainmentOn self-care, including gym memberships, spas and salons.On sports, entertainment and recreation. This includes a wide variety of merchant types, such as art supply stores, florists, amusement parks, bowling alleys, golf courses, campgrounds, sporting goods stores, ticket agencies for live performances, book stores, select streaming services and more. You can even earn 4% back on whatever a dolphinarium is.On planet-friendly purchases, such as those at…

2024 was a year that looked good and felt bad, financially, for many. According to NerdWallet’s annual household debt analysis, revolving credit card debt is up year-over-year, but only slightly, and the gap between cost of living and income growth is narrowing, pre-pandemic to now. Theoretically, this should lead to more positive feelings, as it’s an improvement on the past few years. But emerging from an election season where the economy was top of mind and ballot, it’s clear that the broader economy still doesn’t feel right at a household level.NerdWallet’s annual analysis of household debt finds that revolving credit…

With a new year ahead and the holiday fanfare behind, this is a great time to set money goals, especially if you recently spent a lot on gifts and travel and want to get your finances in shape. You’d be in good company, too — according to a January 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center, of the 30% of Americans who made at least one New Year’s resolution, 61% had a goal that was money-related. Right now, you may be highly motivated to solve every single one of your money issues in the next few months, but daily life…

If you’re new to the country, the Pomelo Card is among several options that can help you build credit in the U.S. As a Mastercard, it can be used to make purchases virtually anywhere, but unlike other credit cards, it has an interesting wrinkle: You can also use it to send funds to other people without having to pay money-transfer fees — as long as those people happen to live in the Philippines. Issued by Coastal Community Bank and serviced by financial tech company Pomelo, the card is a niche product that comes with a few other unusual features. For…