A:  The Capital One® Venture^SM Rewards Credit Card makes it pretty easy to redeem your miles. You can either directly use the miles you've already accrued by contacting the Rewards Center (toll-free) to book your travel. OR you can shop around and book the travel yourself using your Venture Rewards Card – online, in person or over the phone.

If you choose to book your own travel you can redeem the miles you earn online to get reimbursed for the cost of the travel purchase. This means if you book your own travel, you'll earn miles that you can then redeem for a statement credit, cash back, gift cards or merchandise. (Note: you have 90 days from the date your travel purchase posts to your statement to redeem your miles). It may seem a little complicated, but it helps to think of your miles as something you can either spend directly on travel (by using the Rewards Center) or convert into cash back (by booking the travel yourself, and then using the miles you earned to reimburse yourself with a statement credit).

We really like the Capital One® Venture^SM Rewards Credit Card because users earn a straightforward 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases….and they can redeem those miles online without a hassle.  But if you'd like to shop around, check out all our Travel Credit Card Reviews.

A:   According to FICO, the gold standard of credit score providers, applying for one new line of credit (whether it's for a secured or unsecured credit card) won't hurt your credit score very much. In fact, "for most people, one additional credit inquiry will take less than five points off their FICO score". Where you need to start being careful is if you're applying for multiple lines of credit (aka, credit cards) over a short period of time. This can be perceived as risky credit behavior and drop your credit score more than just a single credit card application would.

Since it seems one of your primary goals is to rebuild your credit history, you should definitely be applying for a credit card that reports to all 3 credit bureaus. Some good examples are cards developed specifically for those with poor or limited credit, like the Orchard Bank Visa Card and the Capital One® Secured Mastercard®. However, these cards (like all credit card applications, whether they are for secured or unsecured cards) will pull your credit report to determine your creditworthiness.

If your bigger concern is the credit card application not having ANY impact on your credit score, you can try a prepaid debit card like the PrePaid Visa® RushCard.  When you apply for the Rushcard no credit check is run, but it probably won't help improve your credit because it does NOT feature 3-bureau reporting. Instead it reports your payment history to lesser-known (and used) LexisNexis® and PRBC®.

If you're worried about how your credit score fluctuates over time (especially when you apply for credit cards or lines of credit), consider signing up for PrivacyGuard. PrivacyGuard's top-rated credit monitoring service provides 3-bureau credit monitoring as well as monthly updates to your 3-bureau credit scores and reports. Right now PrivacyGuard is offering NextAdvisor readers a 30-day trial for $1. When you sign up for the trial you'll receive all 3 credit scores and reports, and they are yours to keep even if you cancel during the trial period.

We've rated the best credit cards for average credit out there, and our favorites are the Barclay Rewards Mastercard® and Capital One® No Hassle Cash^SM Rewards. Barclay Rewards Mastercard features 0% intro APRs on purchases and balance transfers, rewards and no annual fee. Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards features a 0% intro APR on purchases (but not balance transfers), cash back rewards, no annual fee and no fee for balance transfers. Or take a look at all our Average Credit Credit Card reviews and find one that is best for you.

A:  You can definitely transfer other credit card balances onto the Citi® Diamond Preferred® – $200 Statement Credit card, but the total amount you can transfer depends on what your new credit line will be. Credit card issuers take a number of factors into consideration, including your credit reports and scores. They then determine what your credit line will be on the issued card, in this case the Citi Diamond Preferred card. If you are given an $8,000 or more line of credit, you'll be able to transfer the entire balance from your Wells Fargo credit card onto the Citi Diamond Preferred card. Since the balance transfer fee for this card is "$5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater", if you transfer the whole $8,000 at once the fee will be $240.

If you're looking for a balance transfer credit card without a balance transfer fee, take a look at the Discover® More card. It features a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months and users will earn cash back for their purchases. Specifically, you'll earn 5% cash back in purchases within select rotating categories and  .25% cash back on all other purchases until you have spent $3,000 annually.  After the $3,000 spent you'll earn 1% cash back. Plus you'll save money on balance transfers because there is NO balance transfer fee for transfers that post to your account by July 10, 2012, a feature we love.

A:  I would say the TrueEarnings® Card from Costco and American Express would be a better choice for you based on your spending patterns. Both the traditional Green and the Gold AmEx cards reward users with 1 point for every dollar spent, while the TrueEarnings Card features generous cash back rewards. Additionally, the TrueEarnings Card is a "2 in 1 card" and has no annual fee with your paid Costco membership – that's a savings of $170 up front ($85 x 2).

With the TrueEarnings Card you'll earn 3% cash back on gasoline purchases of up to $3,000 (1% thereafter), 3% cash back at restaurants, 2% cash back on travel purchases and 1% cash back on all other purchases including at Costco. Based on your stated spend of $5,000 a year at Costco, you could earn up to $110 cash back per year on just your Costco expeditures ($3,000 for gas and $2,000 for everything else), nothing to sneeze at. Plus you'll earn cash back on all the purchases you make outside of Costco, so your earnings could be substantial.

Regarding cancelling your 2 other credit cards, if you are concerned about your credit score you might want to consider keeping them. Cancelling any credit cards can negatively affect your credit score because it reduces the overall amount of credit available to you, which in turn hurts your credit utilization ratio. Additionally, most credit score algorithms take in account how long you've had credit lines and if you've had those cards awhile it may hurt your credit score to cancel them. If you're interested in what your credit scores are now, PrivacyGuard is offering a $1 30-day trial where you'll get all 3 credit scores and reports.  And your scores and reports will be updated monthly so you'll know what your latest score is. Plus you'll get 3-bureau credit monitoring and a bunch of other goodies.

A:  Opening a new credit card account may impact your credit score in the short run, whether you use it or not. That's because most credit scores take into account any new credit you've opened when calculating your score. Opening a new credit line is generally perceived as a having a slightly negative affect on your credit score.  However, by adding new credit to your existing lines of credit (other credit cards, etc) you are increasing the total amount of credit available to you which can be a good thing.  I'll explain below how this might actually help you in the long run.

Using the popular FICO score as a base line for how all credit scores are calculated, you can see from the diagram below that there are 5 different factors considered.  These are your payment history (are you making your payments on time), the amounts you owe, the length of your credit history, new credit and the different types of credit you use.

The 2 factors that come into play with your situation are "new credit" and the "amounts you owe".  Although applying for a new credit card may hurt your credit score a little bit in the short run, increasing the overall amount of credit available to you helps improve your credit utilization ratio which can help your score in the long run.

For example, if previously you had a total of $7,500 worth of credit available to you and you used $5,000 of this credit, your credit utilization ratio would be 67% ($5,000/$7,500).  But if the department store credit card added another $2,500 to the total amount of credit available to you and you still were only using $5,000 worth of credit a month your new ratio would be 50% ($5,000/$10,000).  Since you're now only using 50% of your available credit, this should help improve your credit score over time.  And since "amounts owed" constitute about 30% of your total credit score this is a good thing.

The take away here is that while getting that department store credit card might ding your score for a month or two, if you never use it your credit utilization ratio will improve, which will help your credit score over time – a good thing.  But if you do use it, it won't help your credit score because your ratio won't really improve much.

If you'd like to find out what your 3-bureau credit scores are now, consider signing up for Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® credit monitoring.  Right now they are offering a free 30-day trial, and you'll get all 3 of your credit scores for free when you sign up.  You can cancel any time during the trial period and you'll get to keep your credit scores free of charge.  Identity Guard also updates your credit scores every 3 months so you'll know how they change over time.

A:  Yes, the TrueEarnings® Card from Costco and American Express includes up to $100,000 in Travel Accident Insurance. This insurance is automatic and is included free of charge with the card. You just need to pay for your travel costs (airline ticket, train ticket, etc) with the TrueEarnings card in order to be covered. Other travel benefits include Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance for rental cars and the Global Assist Hotline which provides 24/7 assistance for medical, legal, financial, or other emergencies while traveling more than 100 miles from home.

We really like the TrueEarnings Card because in addition to it's travel benefits, users will earn 3% cash back on gasoline purchases of up to $3,000 (1% thereafter), 3% cash back at restaurants, 2% cash back on travel purchases and 1% cash back on all other purchases including at Costco. But if you're not sold, you can take a look at our other top-rated cash back card reviews and select a card that meets your needs.

A:  The Chase Freedom® Visa – $200 Bonus Cash Back card offers 5% cash back in certain rotating categories.  From January 1, 2012 to March 31, 2012, users will earn 5% cash back on all gas station and Amazon.com purchases.  They will also earn 1% cash back on all other purchases and $200 cash back if they spend $500 in the first 3 months of receiving the card.

Or if you're interested in a cash back card that also has a 0% introductory APR, take a look at the Chase Freedom® Visa – $100 Bonus Cash Back + 0% Intro APR card.  Just like the Chase Freedom® Visa – $200 Bonus Cash Back card, it features 5% cash back in rotating categories, and from January 1, 2012 to March 31, 2012, users will earn 5% cash back on all gas station and Amazon.com purchases.  Users will also earn a standard 1% unlimited cash back on all others purchases and $100 cash back after spending $500 in the first 3 months.  In addition to all these rewards, users will benefit from a 0% purchase APR for 6 months and a 0% balance transfer APR for  12 months.

If you want to read all our Cash Back Card reviews, check out our Cash Back Comparison page.  Or see all of our credit card categories and choose the best fit for your needs.

A:  The Purchase APR is the interest rate users pay for purchases made on their credit card.  It differs from a Balance Transfer APR, which is the interest rate paid for funds transferred onto a credit card from another credit card.  APR stands for the "annual percentage rate", also known as the interest paid for a whole year.  It's the fee or finance charge users pay for carrying a balance of debt on their credit card.

Typically if the balance is paid in full each month the finance charge (APR) is waived and the user is not charged this fee.  That's why, if at all possible, it's always a good idea to pay off your entire balance (or as much as possible) each month.  If this isn't possible, it's smart to consider a Low APR Card.

Low APR cards offer a low or 0% APR for an introductory period.  This means that the user can carry a balance and not be charged for it during this period.  Some of our top-ranked APR cards include the Citi® Platinum Select® Visa, which has a 0% Purchase and Balance Transfer APR for a lengthy 21 months.  We also like the Citi® Diamond Preferred® – $200 Statement Credit card, which features a 0% Purchase and Balance Transfer APR for 18 months AND a $200 statement credit after you make $500 online purchases in your first 3 months.

A:  The Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card – $200 Statement Credit card has a balance transfer fee of  $5, or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. As an example, if you were transferring $3,000 the fee would be $90 (3% of the transfer amount, since it's greater than the $5). We really like this card because it features a lengthy 21 month 0% introductory purchase and balance transfer APR, the longest 0% intro APR period of any card we've found. That means you can consolidate your balances from other cards and not pay any interest for 21 months, a pretty darn good deal. In addition, users will earn a $200 statement credit after they make $500 online purchases in the first 3 months.

The Citi Diamond Preferred Card does not offer reward miles.  If you're in the market for a card with both a 0% introductory on balance transfers and purchases AND reward miles, take a look at the Escape by Discover® Card. It features a 6 month  0% introductory APR on balance transfers and purchases. The balance transfer fee is 3% transfer fee for balance transfers requested with application, and 5 thereafter. Users also earn two miles per dollar spent on all purchases. In addition you can earn 1,000 bonus miles each month you make a purchase for the first 25 months – that adds up to 25,000 bonus miles!

A: Yes, your Citi® Dividend World Mastercard® – $200 Cash Back "Dividend Dollars" will rollover to the following year. Per the Terms & Conditions associated with this card, "Dividend Dollars will not expire as long as you have qualifying purchase activity at least once every 12 months unless the Citi Dividend Card Reward Program is terminated in which case you will have only 30 days to request redemption of your eligible Dividend Dollars."

Basically, that means your cash back Dividend Dollars will rollover because they don't expire. The catch is that you need to purchase something with your card at least once every 12 months, which for most users shouldn't be an issue. The other caveat is that if you cancel your card you have 30 days to redeem your outstanding Dividend Dollars. Overall we like the Citi® Dividend World Mastercard® – $200 Cash Back card because, well, it gives you $200 cash back after spending $500 in the first 3 months. Users will also earn 5% cash back in rotating categories and 1% cash back on everything else, up to a $300 per year maximum cap.

However, if you're more interested in a credit card with unlimited cash back earning potential, take a look at the Chase Freedom® Visa – $200 Bonus Cash Back card. Users will also earn $200 cash back after making $500 worth of purchases in the first 3 months, 5% cash back in rotating categories and 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases. The difference is that there is no cash back earnings "cap", so you can earn unlimited rewards (and the rewards don't expire).  Or you can check out all of our Cash Back Cards and see which card works best for your situation.

A:  The Chase Freedom® Visa – $200 Bonus Cash Back card does have a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars. Although this is a great card with substantial benefits, if you're going to be travelling extensively overseas and need a card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, check out the Capital One® Cash card.

Capital One Cash doesn't charge a fee for foreign transactions and features a $100 bonus when you spend $500 in the first 3 months. Plus, users earn 1% cash back on all purchases AND an additional 50% bonus on the cash back you earn every year. When you do the math this adds up to 1.5% cash back rate over the course of a year on all purchases—one of the highest we've seen for cash back on all purchases. In addition it offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers until November 2012, which translates into some serious interest savings.

A: No, you do not need a printer to apply for the Orchard Bank Visa card. In fact, you don't need a printer to apply for any of the reviewed credit cards on NextAdvisor. If you're interested in the Orchard Bank Visa card, all you need to do is click on the "apply" link within the review. This will take you directly to Orchard Bank's unique application process which pre-qualifies applicants for the best card for them, based on their credit history.

We really like the Orchard Bank Visa card, and gave it top marks in our Poor Credit Credit Card category. It's sister card, the Orchard Bank Mastercard also was a top pick. The cards are virtually identical, and feature 3-bureau credit reporting to help users rebuild their credit history. It's just a matter of whether you'd prefer a Visa or Mastercard.

A:  Blue Cash Everyday^SM from American Express does not have a special introductory APR for balance transfers, so the standard purchase APR (currently 17.24%-22.24%) will apply to all balance transfers. However, it does have a 12 month, 0% introductory APR for purchases and users earn 3% cash back at supermarkets (excluding superstores and warehouse clubs), 2% at gas stations and department stores and 1% on all other eligible purchases.

If you're looking for a 0% APR balance transfer card that also earns cash back rewards, you should consider the Chase Freedom® Visa – $100 Bonus Cash Back + 0% Intro APR card.  It features a 0% APR on balance transfers for the first 12 months, as well as a 0% APR on all purchases for the first 6 months.  In addition, you'll earn $100 cash back if you spend $500 within the first 3 months of receiving the card.  AND you'll also earn cash back rewards every time you use your Chase Freedom Visa card to pay for something - 1% unlimited cash back on all purchases, and 5% cash back (up to $1,500) within certain bonus categories, which rotate on a quarterly basis.  It's a great all-around card, and is currently our top ranked Rewards Credit Card and makes the top 3 for our Cash Back Credit Cards.

Q:  Not exactly.  The Orchard Bank Visa Card features a unique pre-qualification process that matches applicants up with the card they are most likely to be approved for, whether it's a secured or non-secured card. Then you can review the card details and submit your application to be processed and approved. Although this isn't instant approval, it does significantly improve the odds for receiving a card. According to their website, once your application is approved you'll receive your card in the mail within 10-14 business days.

We like the Orchard Bank Visa Card (and it's sister card the Orchard Bank Mastercard) because it helps rebuild your credit history by reporting your card payments to the 3 credit bureaus each month. If you're making your payments on time, this good payment behavior can help improve your credit score. Or take a look at our other Poor Credit Card Reviews and choose the best card for you.

Q:  The United MileagePlus® Explorer card does NOT have any blackout dates for travel. According to the United MileagePlus® Explorer card terms and conditions, card users can "redeem MileagePlus miles for any seat, any time: No limitations, restrictions or blackout dates on Standard MileagePlus awards."  They go on to say that "If seats are available for sale, they can be redeemed at the Standard Award level."

This is good news, and means you can use the MileagePlus miles you accrue with your card to travel whenever you'd like, as long as seats are available. It's always a good idea to book as far in advance as you can – as with any air travel seats are usually in limited supply, especially to popular travel destinations.

We think United MileaglePlus Explorer is a great travel rewards card if you like to travel United or Continental. In fact, in our independent Travel Rewards Program Analysis the United MileagePlus program rated very highly with a point value of $0.011 per point. Card members earn a generous 25,000 bonus miles after their first purchase, 2 miles for every $1 spent when purchasing tickets from United or Continental and 1 mile for every $1 spent on other purchases.

Today's launch of the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Plus credit card features a whopping 2 FREE flights with your first card purchase. This special offer is only available for a limited time, so if you'd like to take advantage of it you should do so quickly.

Card users can reap this card's rewards by earning 2 points per $1 spent on all Southwest Airline, Southwest Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Plus, in our independent travel rewards program analysis, the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® program came in a close second with a flight point value of $0.017 per point.  Add a high point value together with free flights and ongoing rewards and we think you've got yourself a great travel credit card.

A: During the Orchard Bank Mastercard approval process, users are pre-qualified for either a unsecured or secured credit card.  If you qualify for a unsecured (or "regular") credit card, no deposit is required. If you qualify for a secured card, your card will be guaranteed by your funds, which act as a security deposit in case you default on the loan extended by the credit card company. According to their Terms and Conditions, the minimum amount you need to deposit is $200.

We think the Orchard Bank Mastercard is a good credit card for those with poor or limited credit. If you're looking for a rewards card for those with poor credit, you might also want to consider the Household Bank Rewards Mastercard, which features a 0% introductory APR for the first 9 months and the ability to earn 2 points for every $1 in net purchases. They also have a $200 minimum deposit requirement for the secured card.  Or take a look at all our poor credit card reviews and pick the card best for you.

A: The Household Bank Rewards Mastercard does allow cash advances. There is a charge for this though—a 5% ($10 minimum) cash advance fee applies. This type of fee is pretty typical, and is similar to those charged by other credit cards, including those for people with excellent credit.

Regarding how much money you can get as a cash advance, that depends on variety of factors. A Household Bank representative told us that you may be able to withdraw as much as 100% of your credit limit or 100% of your original deposit amount (for secured cards). However, it's more likely that you'll only be able to withdraw 50% to 75% of your maximum limit. The amount you can withdraw via a cash advance will probably be linked to your credit history, current employment situation and other components.

If you're interested in credit cards for those with a less than excellent credit history, take a look at our Poor Credit Card Reviews. Or check out all our credit card reviews and pick one that works for your situation.

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A: According to Capital One themselves, the Capital One® Venture^SM Rewards card earns 2 miles on every type of purchase, including warehouse purchases like Costco. The only exclusions are that you earn miles based on net purchases (purchases minus any credits or returns) only. Also, checks used to access your account will not earn rewards. After spending $1,000 within the first 3 months of your enrollment, you'll earn 25,000 bonus miles.  These miles will be applied to your account within two billing cycles of qualifying for this bonus.

Your earned miles won't expire and you can redeem them for any travel expense, including airfare, hotel and car rental. You can also redeem miles for a whole bunch of other things, including cash, gift cards and brand-name merchandise.You have 2 options to redeem your miles for travel:

1.  Contact the Capital One Rewards Center at their toll-free number to book your travel.  OR
2.  Purchase your travel anywhere you choose—online, in person, or over the phone—with your Venture Rewards card. You’ll then have 90 days from the date your travel purchase posts to your account get reimbursed for the cost of the travel purchase. To get reimbursed, call the Capital One Rewards Center or redeem your miles online at www.capitalone.com/nohasslerewards.

We really like the Capital One Venture Rewards card because of it's high mile earning potential. At 2 miles earned for every $1 spent, it offers almost twice the earnings of most other travel cards. Also, the miles you earn won't expire and there are no caps on the number of miles you can earn (unlimited miles!). Or, take a gander at the other travel reward credit cards we've reviewed and pick one that fits your lifestyle.

A: Each card has different guidelines, and they are detailed in their Terms and Conditions. One card might have a 6 month 0% APR introductory period, while another has a 12 month 0% APR introductory period. It's important to note that the 0% APR can apply to new purchases, balance transfers, or both. On NextAdvisor, we specifically call out this information for each card we review in both the review and our comparison tables.

If you are looking for a good 0% APR card, we recommend the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card.  It offers an amazingly long 21 month, 0% intro APR on new purchases and balance transfers. You can also compare all the Low APR and Balance Transfer cards we review to find the best card for your needs.

A: In general, if you already have a strong credit history and score, then applying for a new credit card shouldn't affect your score much (if at all).  It if does change, it would only be by a couple of points.

However it's important to know that whether your credit score is affected by applying for a new credit card depends on several factors. Most credit score agencies take 5 things into account when they are calculating your credit score; your payment history, the amount you owe, the length of your credit history, the type of credit you have and and new credit (learn more about how your credit score is calculated).

If you have a positive credit history, than applying for a credit card (which falls into to "new credit" bucket) shouldn't really affect your score. Just don't apply for too many credit cards in a short period of time, as this can be construed by the credit score companies as a need for money, and lower your score. It's best to do your research ahead of time and then apply for the credit card best for your situation.

If you don't have a positive credit history, than continually applying for new credit cards won't help your score. However, it may be that you also need to examine the other factors involved in calculating your credit score. For example, when your score is calculated the cumulative amount you owe is usually counted more than opening new lines of credit. If you are carrying a large balance on your cards, you can probably help your score more by paying this balance off than you can hurt your score by applying for one new credit card.

If your credit isn't the best you might want to consider a credit card for those with poor credit like the Household Bank Rewards Mastercard. It helps improve your credit history by reporting to all 3 credit bureaus every month so you can rebuild your credit, has a 0% introductory APR for the first 9 months and even earns users 2 points for every $1 spent. And since it's application process pre-qualifies users for either an unsecured or secured credit card, you are likely to be accepted. Or take a look at all our poor credit card reviews and choose a card that works for your situation.

A: The good news is that these type of credit report inquiries are known as "soft inquires", and don't affect your credit score. Soft inquiries occur when your credit report is accessed for marketing purposes, in this case to preapprove your daughter for a credit card offer. Soft inquiries will not change your credit score and don't appear on credit reports given to third parties, although some credit bureaus include them for informational purposes on the credit report that they provide to you.

On the other hand, a "hard inquiry" will affect your credit score. Hard inquiries usually happen when you're actively requesting credit and a third party like a lender, landlord or credit card company requests your credit report to grant you that credit.  That's why it's not a good idea to apply for too many credit cards within a short amount of time, as it can lower your credit score.

If you'd still like to opt-out of having preapproved credit card offers sent to your daughter, you can do so online at OptOutPrescreen.com.  If you want to keep a close eye on her credit reports and be aware of who may be accessing them, think about signing up for a credit report monitoring service like Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION®. Right now Identity Guard is offering NextAdvisor readers a free 30-day trial and 3 free credit scores, a no-risk way to try out the service free of charge and cancel within the trial period if it's not for you.