One of my long-time favorite credit cards is a grandfathered Fidelity College Rewards MasterCard that gives me 2% flat cash back on all purchases. I’m not sure exactly when I first applied for this card, but it was in the early 2000s. The current Fidelity line-up as of September 2015 is still pretty good (if you have a Fidelity account):

• Fidelity® Investment Rewards® Visa Signature® Card. Essentially 1.5% cash back on first $15,000 in purchases per year, and 2% cash back on purchases over that threshold. Must reach $50 minimum before redemption. Must redeem in to an eligible Fidelity account.
• Fidelity® Investment Rewards® American Express® Card (my review). 2% cash back on all purchases, flat. Must reach $50 minimum before redemption. Must redeem in to an eligible Fidelity account.

All three of these cards, including my legacy MasterCard, are issued by FIA Card Services, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of America.

But watch out, this Bloombers article says that Fidelity Investments is considering dropping AmEx, BofA as partners:

Fidelity Investments is considering dropping American Express Co. and Bank of America Corp. to find new partners and better terms for one of the top-rated cash-back credit cards in the U.S., according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. are in talks with Fidelity, vying to replace AmEx on a card that’s been amassing customers for more than six years, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because negotiations are private. AmEx is parting with Costco Wholesale Corp. and JetBlue Airways Corp., and losing the Fidelity deal would affect a key area of growth: facilitating transactions in which another bank is the lender.

Here’s my previous post on how Costco dropped American Express for its future co-branded credit cards.

Does dropping FIA as an issuer mean the Fidelity 2% cash back cards will also get the axe? The 2% cash back graveyard already includes Schwab, Priceline, and Sallie Mae co-branded cards. I’ve racked up thousand of dollars in 2% cash back rewards from Fidelity, which have grown even more my sitting in a tax-deferred Fido 529 account. I think this shows that the co-branding has encouraged me to keep assets with Fidelity, but if they kill the card I will probably roll my 529 funds into another plan like Utah.

Does “better terms” mean better for Fidelity’s profit margin, or better for their customers? By ending the relationship entirely, perhaps that would make it easier for Fidelity to say “sorry, we broke up, all existing cards must go”. On the other hand, maybe Fidelity has the negotiating power to get another issuer on board with 2% cash back? I really can’t see it going any higher than 2%.

If it does end, there will still be cards that can get you 2% in value, but as the article notes the only remaining 2% flat cash back card with no annual fee will be the Citi® Double Cash Card (review). I applied for this new Citi card is a back-up play, in case Citi also closes it to new customers but grandfathers existing users into the 2% cash back. After I paid my Citi bill using my bank account online twice, I can now get the full 2% cash back by requesting my rewards to be sent online back to that same bank account.

This post provides updated information and instructions regarding the free FICO score that is available to select Chase credit card holders.

Background. Chase started offering free FICO® scores to select US cardholders in March 2015. In addition to your FICO® Score, their Credit Dashboard will provide a score history as well as detail the factors that go into calculating your score. Currently, only their Chase Slate® card offers this feature. There have been no announced plans to expand this feature to other Chase cards.

FICO Score details.

• FICO Score version: FICO Score 8, or FICO 08. This is the most widely used of the many FICO flavors. Score version is based on various reports and their participation in the FICO Score Open Access Program.
• Credit bureau: Experian
• Update frequency: Monthly
• Limitations: Available only to select Chase credit cards. The current list is only one card:
  • Chase Slate® Card. The target feature of this card appears to be helping refinance high-interest debt by offering a long-term and no fee 0% APR balance transfer offer.

How to find the score. You can find the free FICO score on your online account access. If you cannot find it and you opened your account prior to April 2015, you may need to contact Chase Customer Service (secure online message is recommended) and specifically request access to the FICO score and Credit Dashboard feature. This feature was first rolled out to new customers and later existing customers.

I don’t have this card myself (anymore), but I did find some images provided by users on the myFICO forums. After logging in, look on your right sidebar for information regarding your “Credit Dashboard”. See screenshots below (click to enlarge):

You will be shown your current FICO score, a historical score chart, and key factors impacting your score (click to enlarge):

You will also be shown more detailed information based on your Experian credit report, such as your current credit utilization ratio:

Fine print:

Your FICO® Score displayed is for your educational purposes and based on data from Experian. It may be different from other credit scores used by Chase and other lenders in making credit decisions. This information is available online only at Chase.com to primary cardmembers with an open account, provided Experian has sufficient credit history in a credit file for a FICO® Score to be generated. Once approved for the Slate card, it may take up to seven days for your FICO® Score and related information to be available on Chase.com. Chase reserves the right to make changes or discontinue this feature at any time. FICO® is a registered trademark of the Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.

This post provides updated information and instructions regarding the free FICO score that is available to Barclaycard US credit card holders.

Background. Barclaycard started offering free FICO® scores to select US cardholders in late 2013, gradually increasing the rollout over time. In addition to your FICO® Score, you’ll also see up to 2 factors affecting your score and a historical chart tracking your score after 3 months of history.

FICO Score details.

• FICO Score version: FICO Score 8, or FICO 08. This is the most widely used of the many FICO flavors. Score version is based on various reports, although I can’t find an official announcement.
• Credit bureau: TransUnion
• Update frequency: Varies, usually every 1 to 3 months.
• Limitations: Available to all Barclaycard consumer credit cards. Here are selected eligible cards:
  • Barclaycard Arrival Plus(TM) World Elite MasterCard®
  • Barclaycard Ring™ Mastercard®

How to find the score. You can find the free FICO score on your online account access and via the Barclaycard mobile app. You must enroll by visiting the Account Summary page and clicking on the Tools link. You will be prompted to view some information about the complimentary program, and if you are okay with the terms click the “Accept” button. See screenshot below (click to enlarge):

Here is the latest score, a score meter, and the top two factors impacting your score (click to enlarge):

They also provide a score history. You can see that the score is not updated every month, but instead the update interval varies between approximately a month and three months (click to enlarge).

Here is a screenshot from the Barclaycard smartphone app (click to enlarge):

Fine print:

Barclaycard offers FICO® Score access at its own discretion. FICO® Score access is not a permanent feature of your account and may be removed at any time. To view your FICO® Score, your account with us must be open and active (having activity within the past 150 days). Not all accounts will have a FICO® Score to display including but not limited to, accounts without a United States address, accounts without charging privileges, and accounts opened for 30 days or less.

Your FICO® Score falls into a range from 300 to 850 and is calculated based on TransUnion credit data. Your FICO® Score is not an endorsement or a determination of your qualification for a loan or credit. Credit score models and score ranges may differ by lender.

This post provides updated information and instructions regarding the free FICO score that is available to Citibank credit card holders.

Background. While their plans were announced in late 2014, Citi started offering free FICO scores to select cardholders in January 2015.

FICO Score details.

• FICO Score version: FICO® Bankcard Score 8 model. This is an industry-specific model tailored to credit card decisioning, with a range of 250 to 900. (The “classic” FICO range is 300-850.) This is one of the many FICO flavors. Score version is taken directly from Citi website and press release.
• Credit bureau: Equifax
• Update frequency: Monthly
• Limitations: Available to all “Citi-branded consumer credit cardmembers”. Reports are that the following cards are eligible:
  • Citi® Double Cash Card (I have this and got my free score)
  • Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard (co-branded American Airlines)
  • Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Visa® Card
  • Citi® Thank You Cards
  • Citi Simplicity® Card
  • Citi Forward® Card
  • Citi Prestige® Card

How to find the score. You can find the free FICO score on your online account access. According to a January 2015 press release, you can also request them to mail it to you. After logging in, look for either the “View your FICO Score” link or click on the “Card Benefits” tab. See screenshot below (click to enlarge):

Here are some example screenshots of what information is provided. Here is the latest score, a score meter, and the top two factors impacting your score:

They also provide a score history:

Here is a visual of the score range to help understand what each range means to lenders:

Fine print:

Your FICO® Score is calculated based on data from Equifax using the FICO® Bankcard Score 8 model and may be different from other credit scores. FICO® Scores are intended for and delivered only to the Primary cardmember and only if a FICO® Score is available. Disclosure of this score is not available for all Citi products and Citi may discontinue displaying the score at our discretion.

This post provides updated information and instructions regarding the free FICO score that is available to Discover credit card holders.

Background. While a pilot program started in late 2013, Discover started offering a free FICO score to all cardholders in early 2014.

FICO Score details.

• FICO Score version: FICO Score 8, or FICO 08. This is the most widely used of the many FICO flavors. Score version is directly from TransUnion representative.
• Credit bureau: TransUnion
• Update frequency: Monthly
• Limitations: Available to all Discover consumer cards. This includes:
  • Discover it® Card
  • Discover it® Miles Card
  • Discover More Card (and other discontinued versions).
  • Discover Student Cards

How to find the score. You can find the free FICO score on your online account access, your paper statements, and the Discover mobile app.

Here are some screenshots from the website (click to enlarge):

Here is a screenshot from the Discover app (click to enlarge):

Here is a sample picture of a paper statement with the FICO score on it (click to enlarge):

Fine print:

FICO® Credit Score Terms: Your FICO® Credit Score and key factors are based on data from TransUnion and may be different from other credit scores. This information is intended for and only provided to Primary cardmembers who have an available score. See Discover.com/FICO about the availability of your score. Your score is provided on the statement for individual accounts and on Discover.com with key factors for individual and joint accounts. You will see up to a year of recent scores starting when you become a cardmember. Discover and other lenders may use different inputs, such as a FICO® Credit Score, other credit scores and more information in credit decisions. This benefit may change or end in the future. FICO is a registered trademark of the Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.

This offer is expired.

This offer is expired.

Expedia.com has revamped their in-house loyalty rewards program. Citi and Expedia have partnered on a new set of co-branded credit cards.

From 2005 to 2007, a peek at my credit report might have revealed that I had over $30,000 in credit card debt. The good news is that I borrowed it at 0% APR and then immediately stashed it in an FDIC-insured bank account earning 6% interest at times. Just recently, a US presidential candidate disclosed an “up to $15k” credit card balance at 27% APR, which prompted Quoctrong Bui of NPR Planet Money to research how interest rates on credit cards have changed over time. I converted the interactive chart into an animated picture which cycles you from 2001 to 2013:

There’s also a chart showing the percentage of cardholders who pay off their balance in any given month, based on their FICO score.

Some observations:

The rise of 0% APR interest rates. In 2001, nobody was getting 0% APR interest rates. In 2004, there was a huge spike and that was basically “Peak 0% APR”. Since then, 0% rates have stayed around, gradually decreasing in popularity, until 2013 when there was again a slight uptick.

This doesn’t account for the changing length of 0% APR promotional periods. In 2005, there were a lot of 0% APR offers but they were usually for 6 to 12 months. As overall interest rates have remained very low across the board, there aren’t quite as many 0% APR offers available, but the best ones are for longer terms – up to 24 months.

Right now, you can get 0% APR for 15 months with no balance transfer fee, or 0% APR at 21 months with a balance transfer fee.

The big difference between the average cardholder with a 700 FICO and a 800 FICO score. I’ve always felt that anything above roughly 700 to 740 FICO was a “good enough” score with which I was rarely, if ever, denied credit. From the second chart above, you can flip the numbers to state that:

• 77% of folks with a 700 FICO carry a balance each month.
• 64% of folks with a 740 FICO carry a balance each month.
• 27% of folks with a 800 FICO carry a balance each month.

On the other hand, even 27% is higher than I though it would be. A lot of people with “good” and even “excellent” credit carry balances each month.

How many people are carrying balances after the 0% introductory period ends? Obviously, there is a reason that 0% APR offers are still around. But that reason isn’t completely explained above. Does 0% APR encourage “new” debt from people who wouldn’t otherwise carry a balance? For example, is it possible to look at 6 or 12 months after the 0% intro period ends, and see if that marks an increase in balances? Or are 0% APRs mainly a tactic to attract balances already held at other card companies?

If you DO pay your balances in full, you can still reap the benefits of your good credit score without paying interest. It’s now been a while since I was earning thousands of dollars in “free money” from 0% balance transfers. But the silver lining is that back in 2007 a “good” sign-up bonus was $100 while nowadays you can easily find credit card bonuses with $500 value. I would say it is even less work to manage a few new cards a year vs. juggling 0% balance transfers which required making last-minute payments to maximize interest earned, and thus worrying about missing a payment deadline.

A quick smartphone snapshot of credit cards in my wallet shows well over $2,000 of accrued bonus value – 2 free nights at any Hilton hotel for which I got over $1,000 value, $800 in American Airlines airfare (separate $500 in airfare credits offset the annual fee), 40,000 Ultimate Rewards points good for $500 in travel, and 40,000 American miles (former US Airways card). This is addition to any cash back/miles/points for purchases, free checked bags, or extended warranty perks.