Category: Chase Bank

  • Chase to Launch Freedom Rise: A Starter Credit Card for Beginners

    Chase to Launch Freedom Rise: A Starter Credit Card for Beginners

    Do you want to start building your credit history? If so, you might be interested in a new credit card from Chase. It’s called Freedom Rise and it’s part of the Freedom family of cards.

    Chase already has two other Freedom cards: Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited. These are great cards that don’t charge you any fees and give you some money back when you sign up. Freedom Flex also lets you earn more money back on different things every three months.

    Freedom Rise is a new card that Chase will launch later this year. It’s designed for people who are new to credit or have bad credit. This means that it might be easier to get approved for this card than for other cards.

    We don’t know much about Freedom Rise yet, but we have seen what it looks like. It has a similar design to the other Freedom cards.

    Possible card rendering of the Freedom Rise.

    Chase mentioned Freedom Rise in a presentation for investors. They said that they will launch the card for new-to-credit customers this year. They also said that they will offer the card in some places first, like their branches. This means that you might have to go to a Chase branch to apply for the card.

    Freedom Rise could be a good option for you if you want to start or improve your credit history. We will update you when we learn more about the card and its features.

    There are not many credit cards for no credit that are similar to the Freedom Rise card, as it is a new product that has not been launched yet. However, based on the limited information we have about Freedom Rise, it seems like it is a card for people with no credit or bad credit that does not require a security deposit and may offer some rewards.

    Some of the current credit card offerings for no credit that are similar to Freedom Rise are:

    • Most Recommended: Capital One Platinum Credit Card: This card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee. It does not offer any rewards, but it gives you access to a higher credit line after making your first five monthly payments on time. It does not require a security deposit, but it may require a credit score or a limited credit history.
    • Petal 2 “Cash Back, No Fees” Visa Credit Card: This card has no annual fee, no late fee, no foreign transaction fee and no returned payment fee. It also offers up to 1.5% cash back on eligible purchases after making 12 on-time monthly payments. It does not require a security deposit or a credit score, but it uses your income and spending habits to evaluate your application. Your credit limit can range from $300 to $10,000.
    • Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card: This card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee. It also offers 1.5% cash back on every purchase. It requires a security deposit of $49, $99 or $200, depending on your creditworthiness. Your credit limit will be equal to your deposit amount. You can also access a higher credit line after making your first five monthly payments on time.

    Discover Card also offers cards for those with no credit:

    • Discover it Secured Credit Card: This card requires a security deposit of at least $200, but it offers 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. It also matches all the cash back you earn in your first year. It has no annual fee and may review your account for an upgrade to an unsecured card after seven months of responsible use.
    • Discover it Student Cash Back: This card is for students with no credit or limited credit history. It offers 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. It also matches all the cash back you earn in your first year. It has no annual fee and a $20 statement credit each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next five years.

    Our Take

    We love the name of the card indicating credit freedom which is what this website has always been about. The Banklady has helped people with their personal credit since 1999. Unless you are a college student you may not get the opportunity to start building credit if you do not take out an auto loan or are given the opportunity to get your first unsecured credit card. Capital One will normally give non-college students a $300 credit on an unsecured card but now Chase may get into the game with the Freedom Rise Card and that is a great development.

  • 5% Cash Back Cards: Grocery Purchases, Streaming, Restaurants & Wholesale Clubs

    These credit cards below offer up to 5% cash back on specific categories that rotate each quarter. It takes a little extra attention, but it can add up to hundreds of dollars in additional rewards per year without changing your spending habits. You can also buy gift cards with the 5% back now but spend the gift cards later. New cardmembers may also get an upfront sign-up bonus.

    Chase Freedom – $200 Bonus

    From April 1st through June 30th, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

    • Grocery stores. Walmart and Target are not included.
    • Fitness club and gym memberships.
    • Select Streaming Services. (Recently added) The full list is Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube TV, and ESPN+.
    • Go here to get a $200 Bonus from Chase Freedom

    Enroll each quarter at ChaseBonus.com. As long as you activate by the end of the quarter the rewards are retroactive. All other purchases earn 1% back, with no tiers or expiration of rewards. Technically, you earn Ultimate Rewards points which can also be converted to airline miles or hotel points instead of cash if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Currently, the Chase Freedom card is offering $150 bonus cash back if you sign up and make $500 in purchases in your first three months. No annual fee.

    Discover it Card $50 Bonus + Double Cashback the first year

    Through June 30th, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

    • Gas stations (stand-alone).
    • Uber and Lyft.
    • Wholesale Clubs. Sam’s Club and BJ’s accept Discover
    • Restaurants coming in July
    • Paypal coming in July
    • Amazon is offering 20% off your order (max $50 discount) when you use at least 1 Discover point (cashback bonus) at checkout. Maximum discount of $50 apples. This is seperate from the cashback bonus and you need to sign-up here via Amazon.
    • Get a $50 Statement Credit after you apply and make one purchase

    Enroll after logging into your online account (look on the right-hand side). 5% rewards won’t apply until after you activate your rewards, so it is best to activate now before you forget. No annual fee.

    New cardmember bonus details. If you are a new applicant and sign up via my Discover Card referral link, you will get a $50 Cashback Bonus after your first purchase within 3 months of being approved. You will also get Cashback Match for an entire year – a dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, automatically. During those 12 months, your $50 Cashback Bonus becomes $100, your 5% cash back rewards becomes 10% cash back, and your 1% cash back rewards become 2% cash back. You can verify this on the application by clicking on “See rates, rewards and other info” and searching for “cashback match” and “statement credit offer”:

    Cashback Match: No purchase minimums. After the first 12 consecutive billing periods that your new account is open, we will match all of the cash back rewards you’ve earned and apply them to your account in the following one or two billing periods. If your account is closed or no longer in the cash back reward program at the time we calculate your potential award, your cash back will not be matched. You’ve earned cash back rewards when they have posted to your account by the end of the 12th consecutive billing period. This promotional offer may not be offered in the future. This exclusive offer is available only to new cardmembers.

    TERMS OF STATEMENT CREDIT OFFER: Get a $50 Statement Credit after you make your first purchase within 3 months of being approved. Promotional award will be applied within 8 weeks. The promotional award is in addition to the Cashback Bonus earned on all purchases.

  • JP Morgan Launches New Investing App with Free Trades

    Chase bank is rolling out a digital investing service that comes bundled with free or discounted trades, a sophisticated portfolio-building tool and no-fee access to the bank’s stock research. Anyone who downloads J.P. Morgan’s mobile banking app or uses its website can get at least 100 free trades in the first year.

    • J.P. Morgan’s new digital brokerage service comes with free trades, portfolio building tool and access to research.
    • The bank’s new trading service will be available to its 47 million mobile or online users.
    • All customers get 100 free stock or ETF trades in the first year.
    • CEO Jamie Dimon hinted at this move in 2016, citing Amazon Prime as his inspiration.

    This move from J.P. Morgan Chase comes a few years after Apps such as Robinhood have already attracted more than 5 million users and a $5.6 billion valuation.

    This could be a threat to the current marketplaces as Chase is the the biggest U.S. bank and It already has financial ties with half of American households. More than 47 million people who already use the company’s banking app or website will gain access to the new service called “You Invest”.

    The bank is known for their high fees such as charging $24.95 for online trades as recently as last year.

    How to get Free Trades

    Signing up through the bank’s app can be done in three minutes, and moving money between Chase accounts happens instantaneously. Users can also seamlessly fund their investments from outside accounts. You can actually see the offer inside the Chase Bank App on the left menu under J.P. Morgan. There is no minimum required to open an account.

    All customers get 100 free stock or ETF trades in the first year, an offer that becomes permanent for those with Premier-level bank accounts, which require a combined $15,000 held at the bank.

    Those with Chase Private Client, a higher account that typically requires at least $100,000 in holdings, get unlimited trades. The bank is currently considering adding other tiers that would incentivize people to pull money from other brokerages.

    Users can construct diversified portfolios with an automated tool called portfolio builder by inputting their risk tolerance and objectives.

    Compare to Popular Online Brokerages

    The number of free trades a user has left is prominently displayed on the app. Most investors don’t typically need more than 100 trades a year, but if they exceed that amount, they’ll be charged $2.95 per trade, which is far cheaper than rivals E*Trade and Ameritrade.

    TD Ameritrade and E*Trade charge $6.95 per trade. Charles Schwab charges $4.95 a trade. Although they do all offer free trades for a fixed amount of time for new clients who deposit enough money. Bank of America offers customers of its Merrill Edge service 30 free trades per month, but that perk begins at $50,000 in balances. Otherwise, trades cost $6.95.

  • How 35+ Small Banks turned into Just 4 Big Banks

    Wallstreet and banking have been a big political issue on the Democratic side with Bernie Sanders winning against Hillary Clinton. Mainly because of issues the United States of America is facing such as “Too Big to Fail.” When you think of something that is too big to fail that would be one of the big banks such as Chase or Bank of America.

    It started out as 37 Banks then became 4 banks in Just 2 Decades. From 2009 to 2013, only seven new banks were formed. “This dramatic reduction in new bank charters could be a concern for policymakers, if as some suggest, the decline has been caused by increased regulatory burden imposed in response to the financial crisis,” the authors of the Federal Reserve paper write.

    Competition from small banks has dried up as a result. A study by George Mason University found that over the last 15 years, the amount of small banks in the country has decreased by -28%.

    Big banks, on the other hand, are doing relatively quite well. There are now 33% more big banks today than there were in 2000. Check out these charts that really tell the story:

    small to large banks into one big bank

    Big-4-Banks-Oligopoly

  • Chase $450 Coupon for Checking & Savings

    Chase450FreeCouponYou can get for a limited time a $300 Total Checking & $150 Savings combo coupons from Chase Bank good until May 7, 2015. This will earn $450 total in bonuses. The catch is that you must do direct deposit for the Total Checking and the Savings account has a $10,000 deposit requirement. You can only redeem the coupon code once but you can choose to use both the checking and savings bonus or one of them.
    Make sure that you print this coupon out soon as Chase takes these offers down fast! (more…)