Best Summer Reward Credit Cards

• Tweet

July 6th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha

It's summertime, when people typically spread their wings and leave the roost for family vacations and weekend get aways.  If you want to make sure you're getting something back for the money you plan to spend, it makes sense to look into credit rewards cards.  These type of cards reward users for using their credit card to make purchases, either with cash back, points or miles.  If you do a little bit of advance planning, you can choose a card that matches up with your summer plans and reap the benefits. To see all the cards we review, take a look at our Credit Card reviews section.

Road Trip: If you're planning on taking a family road trip, it's smart to use a card that will pay you back for all the driving and eating out you'll be doing.  The TrueEarnings® Card from Costco and American Express fits that sweet spot by giving users 3% cash back for their restaurant and gas purchases, 2% cash back on travel purchases and 1% cash back on all other purchases (including at Costco!).

Road Warrior: Going to be travelling a lot for business (or pleasure)?  Look into a card that helps earn you free flights or hotel stays.  The Marriott Rewards® Credit Card from Chase gives users a 22,500 point bonus after their first purchase, earns 3 points for every $1 spent at Marriott locations and 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.  Or try the Continental Airlines OnePass® Plus from Chase, where you'll earn 25,000 bonus miles and $50 statement credit after your first purchase, 2 miles for every $1 spent when you purchase tickets from Continental Airlines on your Card, and 1 mile for every $1 spent on other purchases.

One Time Reward Bonus: Want to get your bonus right away?  The United Mileage Plus® Signature® Visa Card offers 25,000 bonus miles and a $25 travel certificate award for your first card purchase.  Or if cash is more your thing, the Chase Freedom® Visa Card - Bonus $200 Cash Back does just what it's name says and gives $200 cash back if you spend $500 within the first 3 months of receiving the card.

Can I store more files on cloud storage than on my computer?

• Tweet

July 5th, 2011 - Posted by Sarah

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q. Can I store more files on cloud storage than on my computer? I would like to delete several files from my Mac that take up a lot of space but would like them to be available as online storage. Can this be done, or does it only store the same info as the Mac? Also, my husband has different files on his PC; do we have to have identical files?

A. Cloud storage, or online backup, can sync with your computer. But you can also upload files that you don't want to be on your local hard drive. When you want to access them, you will usually have to download them again from your online backup service's client portal. For this kind of usage, we recommend a service like SugarSync, which is easy to back up manually rather than automatically, so you can have more control over what goes to your cloud.

With SugarSync, you can also back up an unlimited number of hard drives, so your two computers don't have to share the same files. Delightful bonus: When you follow a link from our site to SugarSync, you'll get a 15% discount for an annual plan on top of the already-discounted annual plan price (total discount: 29% off the monthly price), and you'll still get a 30-day free trial.

What is the best identity theft protection company that the Better Business Bureau would recommend?

• Tweet

July 5th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q:  What is the best identity theft protection company that the Better Business Bureau would recommend?

A: Our top-rated identity theft protection company, IDENTITY GUARD ®, also has an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau—their best available grade.  They've also been a member of the BBB since 1996, which says something about their longevity.  Combine this high praise with robust identity theft protection features and you have a very strong product indeed.

Identity Guard starts with daily 3-bureau credit report monitoring and free 3-bureau credit scores.  In addition, they monitor the Internet black market for suspicious or fraudulent use of your bank accounts, credit cards and Social Security number. They also include monitoring of public records for any changes to your name, address, license and registrations, criminal records, civil court records and bankruptcy filings.

Identity Guard also help protect your computer and mobile phone from prying eyes, providing free anti-keylogging software, mobile security software, and Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite. Zone Alarm is a full-fledged Internet security suite that includes anti-virus, anti-spyware,  firewall and anti-phishing capabilities. Zone Alarm by itself is $70, but when you sign up for the free 30-day trial you get to keep it for free.

That's right, Identity Guard is offering a free 30-day trial to NextAdvisor readers, plus an exclusive discount of $3 per month off the cost. This brings the price after the 30 day trial period down to $14.99 per month.  And if you don't feel that Identity Guard is a good fit for you, just cancel during the trial period and you won't be charged a thing.  Plus you'll get to keep your free credit scores and the Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite software.

Can you do Weight Watchers Online and still go to an occasional meeting?

• Tweet

July 1st, 2011 - Posted by Sarah

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q. Can you do Weight Watchers Online and still go to an occasional meeting?

A. Weight Watchers programs can seem a bit confusing at first, but there are a couple of important distinctions. Weight Watchers offers two programs: Weight Watchers and Weight Watchers Online. The latter is only online, and you may not attend meetings. The first one, however, is meetings-based with the option to add eTools for $12.95 extra per month, and then you can track your points and progress online.

So if you want to attend any meetings, you should sign up for Weight Watchers and, if you want the support of Weight Watchers Online, add eTools.

Can I get my 3 credit reports by signing up for a credit monitoring service?

• Tweet

July 1st, 2011 - Posted by Tasha

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q:  Can I get my 3 credit reports by signing up for a credit monitoring service?

A: It depends on which credit monitoring service you sign up for. PrivacyGuard, one of our top reviewed services, offers a 30-day trial for just a $1 that provides all sorts of great features, including all 3 of your credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Subscribers also get all 3 of their credit scores, credit monitoring, a free subscription to Norton Internet Security Online and several other identity theft protection benefits. And you'll get monthly updates to all your credit scores and reports, something most other credit monitoring services don't offer.  Overall we think PrivacyGuard is a great deal, as well as being one of our top rated services.