Many credit cards offer highly specific rewards and benefits designed for a certain niche. As one of the top hoteliers in the world with names such as Sheraton, St. Regis, Le Meridien and Westin to its credit, Starwood Hotels and American Express have teamed up to provide those with good credit ratings and are frequent guests at Starwood Hotels a reward card with generous benefits – the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card.
The Starwood Credit Card rewards members with one Starpoint for every dollar spent on general purchases and three Starpoints for every Starwood-related purchases. Cardholders also receive 1,000 Starpoints on their first eligible hotel stay and 500 Starpoints for every subsequent qualifying stay. Additionally, there is a 4,000 Starpoint first purchase bonus. That’s already 5,000 Starpoints for the first use if it happens to be at a Starwood Hotel.
Starpoints earned are redeemable for various travel related services. Members are allowed to exchange as little as 2,000 Starpoints for a free weekend stay while the paperless reward redemption method makes it possible to redeem the Starpoints impromptu. Starwood Credit Card members are also able to transfer their Starpoints into various airline frequent flyer miles. On top of that, a 5,000 Starpoint bonus is awarded when 20,000 points are transferred into miles. Most participating airlines have a 1:1 points-to-miles ratio.
Other standard benefits such as auto and travel insurance are also applicable, and cardholders also get to take advantage of the American Express Offer Zone program and enjoy up to 25% discount on purchases at participating merchants and retailers worldwide.
The interest rates and charges for the Starwood Credit Card are rather lackluster, unless you are the card issuer, of course. The APR on purchases and cash advances are higher that the average reward card while there is a $30 annual fee. However, this fee is waived for the first year and there is a 2.9% intro rate that lasts six-months.
In summation, the Starwood Credit Card would be the card for you if you travel a lot, are a member of one of the participating airline’s frequent-flyer program and stay at one of Starwood’s many hotels
Designed for users equipped with a good credit rating, the Toys “R" Us Visa Platinum Card offers cardholders great rebates. With a 4% rebate for Toys “R" Us and Babies "R" Us store purchases plus no annual fee, this card is ideal for parents intending to enjoy great savings, while still getting that toy which their children have been asking for.
Purchases made with the Toys “R" Us Visa Platinum Card at www.toysrus.com, www.babiesrus.com or anywhere Visa credit cards are accepted receive a 1% rebate for each transaction. When the rebate values reach $10, the cardholder will then be sent certificates that can be used to redeem for products at Toys "R" Us® and Babies "R" Us stores, as well as through their websites. The certificates will expire after one year but the amount of rebates that can be earned is limitless.
Now we get to the dirt. For a Platinum card, the Toys “R" Us Credit Card doesn’t provide any exclusive perks on top of the usual benefits which are also by other cards. The APR is also relatively higher for less qualifying applicants, with the 0% APR intro period dependent on your credit history. The real stinker is the way finance charges are determined, which is the "Two Cycles Average Daily Balance" method which results in higher interest payable than the usual “Average Daily Balance" configuration.
Nevertheless, this should not be a hindrance to you if you have good payment habits, a great credit score and continue to be financially responsible. With this, the interest tabulation will have minimal effects on your costs of using the Toys “R" Us Credit Card. Otherwise, it may be better for you to get alternate cards which utilize a better way of tabulating interests.
Overall, the Toys “R" Us Credit Card would be suitable for you if you plan to make a lot of purchases at Toys "R" Us® and Babies "R" Us® stores in addition to taking advantage of that 4% rebate. Otherwise there may be better Platinum Cards out there for you.
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