Awesome Deal With Visa Signature Cards...Buy 1 Get 1 Free Movies

I am an admitted movie buff, but prefer Netflix or Amazon Prime over going to the movies usually, unless there's a great deal to be had.  For holders of Visa Signature cards, there is one for movies until August 2.  Buy 1, get 1 free movie tickets with Fandango.

So, now you are wondering, how do I know if I have a Visa Signature card?  It's really easy.  Pull out your visa card and see if it says "Visa Signature" on it.  As I have discussed before, Visa Signature cards offer a lot of discounts.

Don't have a Visa Signature card?  No problem, just visit this site to compare available offers and choose the right Signature card for.

--The Edge

American Express Twitter Campaigns

AMEX is back with their sync and save promotions.  To get in on the action, you need to first have an American Express credit card, which you can find here and then you must also register it with a Twitter account.  Right now, they are offering a great promotion where you can get a $25 gift card for only $15.  Full details are in this video below:

Registration for these types of offers is actually pretty painless, and once you do, you will only have to do it once to receive savings on products that you'd buy anyway.

February Visa Credit Card Discounts

Don't forget to sign up for Visa's Discount Newsletter.  There are many offers that are perfect for Valentine's Day, which is just 5 days from now, that you don't want to miss.  Here is a screenshot below of some of them:

Using Your Credit or Debit Cards to Save Money

Reducing junk email is always a noble goal, but sometimes you might miss offers that will save you money on items you would have purchased anyway.  Visa Offers' e-mails are one example.  Had I simply not signed up for this program, I would have missed this offer from Hilton Hotels:

Save up to 40% with the Any Weekend, Anywhere Sale Find any reason to get away with the Any Weekend, Anywhere Sale from Hilton HHonors™. Book by January 31 and save up to 40% off a weekend stay at any participating hotel or resort in the Hilton HHonors portfolio through 2013*. Plus, HHonors members can earn a Double Stay Credit for each stay of two nights or more**. Simply visit HHonors.com/Weekend and book by January 31, 2013. The Visa Offers TeamVisa Offers. Get offers that get the real you.

While I may not end up taking advantage of this, simply knowing that these off the beaten path deals are available is awesome.

Signing up Visa Offers just takes a few minutes.  Simply pull out your credit and debit cards that are Visa-issued and enter their numbers (up to 5).  Behind the scenes, Visa will be analyzing your purchases for patterns in shopping.  Visa anticipated that I might be interested in hotel deals in this case, see what might be offered to you, and feel free to report back in the comments section.

Resolve to save more in 2011

Since it's only the 4th day of the New Year, it's still an excellent time to think about where you can save money this year.  For starters, reading one of my many posts about coupons can definitely help.

Second, look out for promotions that pop up with your favorite (or not so favorite) merchants, credit card providers, and other stores.  Here is one I came across recently, and that despite my displeasure with BP on the Gulf oil spill, will gladly take BP's handout of a $10 gift card by purchasing their gas.

Third, review your company's benefits plans.  You may be shocked to find discounts for gym memberships, pubic transit, child care, wireless services, and other common expenses.

Fourth, don't just buy something, on-line or off, without exploring cash back or loyalty points offerings.  Especially if you are going to buy something on-line, there is more than a great chance that the retailer participates in one of the affiliated cash programs such as Big Crumbs, Cashbaq, Ebates, Mr. Rebates, or Monkey Jar.  These programs allow you to squeeze a few more dollars out of your purchase.  Best of all, they are free and often are associated with bonus coupons not easily found elsewhere.

These are just a few of the many ideas out there.  Keep your eyes open for other discount and loyalty program offerings.

American Express is stepping up the offers

Until my wife got an AMEX card, I never paid much attention to its offerings beyond its standard rewards program.  While we don't participate in that one, but the Starwood Hotels, Starwood Preferred Guest one instead, AMEX's rewards programs are all pretty robust.  However, after reading a number of consumer-oriented blogs, occasioanally, I have come across offers that extend the value of AMEX cards even beyond their standard 1 point/$1 spent typical benefit.

Take for example a recent promotion in which by spending $25 at a small business (think mom and pop restaurant) one can earn (or get rebated depending on your view) a $25 statement credit.  Read: $25 for free.  Register for this offer here, and then spend $25 before 12/31.  But, only spend money on something you would have normally, in case it doesn't work out for you, or you missed one of the terms and conditions of the offer.

Then, this morning, I came across another offer from AMEX where one can 5 cents back by buying gas and/or other items at Exxon Mobil stations until January 20, 2011.  The blog post where I learned of this offer stipulated that it might be a targeted offer, meaning to a certain financial and/or customer demographic, but I always register for offers regardless if I am the intended recipient.  Even if it doesn't work out, it was still worth it to try.

Bottom line: pay attention to all of those offers you get in the regular mail and your email.  Every bit of savings helps.

Looking beyond "points," "miles," or "cash" when comparing credit cards

Shopping for a credit card can be really simple: you prefer frequent flyer miles over cash back, don't want to pay an annual fee, or have an enormous APR (if you carry a balance).  Easy.  But, complicating your comparison and decision-making process is the difference in additional, behind the scenes, benefits that come pretty standard as well, but vary.

Although they do not seem to be widely published beyond their website, read the inside guide to your credit card and see if it offers such benefits as roadside assistance, trip cancellation protection, identity theft protection, rental car benefits, concierge service, and others.  If it does not, consider switching to one that does.  The rental car coverage alone, typically in the form of CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) can save $10-20/day when renting a car, if you don't carry car insurance normally of course.  Suddenly, that annual fee is not so terrible after all.

It's surprising that credit card companies, at least in my brief research, don't publish these features up front.  Typically, a big bold ad in the newspaper, web, or bus stand advertisement touts earning (well, you don't earn necessarily, more like are refunded) cash back, points, or miles.  Not much is mentioned about being stuck in a jam and how the card can liberate you from some frustration associated with that situation.

Yesterday in my inbox, there was an offer for saving 50% off of Mastercard's shopping mall for a limited time of course.  If I hadn't opted in to see their promotional emails, or visited the website on a lark, I would be missing a great opportunity to save.  Why not promote these benefits more? 

To save you some research, I found a couple of links that will help narrow your field and make the decision easier, hopefully.  VISA's site conveniently lists each card's "other" benefits.  While you are it, check out their discount page if your card qualifies.  Here is Disover's, Mastercard's benefits page, and American Express' sites discussing their additional features and benefits, too.

Of course, one way to ensure that you have ultimate protection, convenience, and benefits is to obtain a card from each company and use them accordingly.  Not a bad strategy if you can maintain discipline and don't mind juggling bills a bit.

New neighborhood discount shopping site

Today, I just got an invite from a MyPoints email to join Tippr a local marketplace deals website much like Groupon, Living Social, and Buy With Me.  The premise is simple for Tippr and the aforementioned sites: sign up to receive their daily emails and watch for awesome sales at local merchants.  When you sign up, it's typical to see deals of 50% off or more on your favorite restaurants, salons, gyms, and other retailers at no cost to you.

Consumers Edge tip: only take advantage of the deal if you were planning on spending money at one of these merchants anyway.  If you weren't, then you are not really saving money.

How To Take Advantage of Credit Card Savings Programs & Rewards

While there are several other websites and blogs that track various credit card deals, I am reminded myself, especially the other day in the mail, that credit cards can often come with discounts that people either don't know about or forget. Case in point, a signature Visa card saved my hundreds of dollars this past summer for two trips I took which involved staying at Hilton properties. Clear as day, Hilton's website mentioned special savings of up to 25% if one used a signature Visa. In this case, Hilton had a handy tool for checking if your card was eligible.

Consider also Discover and Mastercard savings. While performing your due diligence in shopping for items online (a future post which will go into detail) check the discovercard.com or mastercard.com websites to see what special promos they may have. The savings may surprise you. It could be x % off of a rental car, or discounted movie tickets, just for using your card that would have otherwise. However, don't use your card if you are going to carry a balance. It's not worth the interest. Regarding the offer in the mail, Bank of America has something called "Add it up," a program whereby consumers can receive up to 20% cash back and discounts from 270 retailers, the literature reads. A link to the program is here:

Other cards may have similar offers, too. Check your card's website, or call their customer service directly and ask.