January 1, 2010
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News: 2009 Rewards Awards
For many of us credit card consumers, the new year brings a new start in many things. Myself, I got myself out of credit card debt to start the new year. I found myself free to shed off lousy credit card accounts I was stuck with because of debt. Not surprisingly, none of them started out lousy. This degradation started it's erosion process after I found myself deeply committed to debt for the rewards I was expecting from the various rewards packages offered at the time.
Now, with the new year, it's a great time to re-assess what good credit card deals remain, those which have went south and the new, up-and-coming, good credit card deals. Much (but not all) of the research has been shared with us from the very reputable "CreditCards.com" people. We are all indebted to them for their service. So, here is a rundown of the "finish-line" ratings of the good deals going into 2010.
Note the four categories are specifically focused and other contingent factors are not part of the rating. These would be things like availability and eligibility. These considerations (or constraints) are mentioned here because it's meaningless to ponder credit card possibilities we can't have. Some will work for certain groups while, other considerations will work better for others. Remember to always beware of the "bait and switch" tricks that some card issuers pull to rope people into lousy situations where they later regret taking the first offer that comes along. Be sure to state your own minimum requirements when making applications. Don't fall for the virtual good deal that is cleverly switched at the last minute.
Note, also, that a fifth category at the end is also presented. That would be the "Worst Credit Card Rewards Awards" candidates. This can be helpful because these are the most likely to cross your path unless you take control of that path. So to begin the five-part series of the Best and the Worst Credit Card Rewards Awards from 2009, please start with "2009 Rewards Awards, Pt. 1":