The perfect reward credit card for one person/family/household isn’t necessarily the perfect reward credit card for another person/family/household. However, it is still helpful to know which credit cards are more popular. Popular credit cards have a greater chance of suiting your needs than a less-popular credit card. Instant approval credit cards make the entire process quick, easy and pain-free. Here are the five most popular instant approval credit cards.

1. Blue Cash from American Express
The Blue Cash from American Express is one of the most popular cash back instant approval credit cards. You can earn up to 5% cash back on everyday purchases. You can even earn cash back on gas purchases. There isn’t an annual fee and you can take advantage of a 0% introductory APR for the first 12 months on all purchases. Also, for the first 12 months, you can utilize a low balance transfer fee (only 2.99%). The regular APR is as low as 11.99%. You’ll need excellent credit for this card but you can get a decision in under 60 seconds.

2. Hilton HHonors Platinum Credit Card
The Hilton HHonors Platinum credit card is the perfect credit card for someone who needs an express approval and who travels often. You can get up to 50,000 HHonors bonus points when you sign up for the card. There isn’t an annual fee and the APR is only 13.99%. For every dollar you spend at Hilton Family Hotels (including Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn and more) you will receive 5 extra HHonors points. You can also get 5 HHonors points for eligible purchases at drugstores, supermarkets, gas stations, and more. Get 3 HHonors points for every dollar you spend everywhere else. Another great thing about the Hilton HHonors Platinum card, there aren’t any blackout dates…ever. Apply today and get your decision in less than 60 seconds.

3. Discover More Card-Clear
Discover offers some of the best cash back incentives with the More Card. You can get between 5% and 20% Cashback Bonus points when you use your card at certain online retailers. You can also get up to 1% cashback points on all other purchases (and there is no limit to the cashback you can earn). When you redeem your cashback points for CashBack Bonus Partners’ gift cards, you can almost double your rewards. You can also enjoy online account access, online bill payment, and no annual fee. The regular APR on the Discover More Card is only 10.99% as well.

4. Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card
Starwood Hotels and Resorts offers some of the most luxurious vacation spots in the world. When you sign up for the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card, you can take advantage of these premium hotels and resorts and exclusive American Express benefits. You can earn up to 25,000 Starpoints when you sign up for the card. This is enough for up to 6 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel. You can redeem your points for free nights and upgrades at more than 860 Starwood hotels and resorts in over 95 countries. Participating Starwood hotels include: Sheraton, W Hotels, Westin and more. There aren’t any blackout dates and no annual fee for the first year. You can even trade your Starpoints for frequent flyer programs with over 30 major airlines at almost a 1:1 basis. For every dollar you spend, you can earn 1 Starpoint and you’ll earn double Starpoints when you use your Starwood Preferred Guest Credit card at participating Starwood properties and/or retail partners. As always, you’ll receive a decision in under 60 seconds.

5. American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card
Join the AMEX exclusive network, receive incredible rewards and get an approval decision in under 60 seconds. You can earn 10,000 Membership Rewards bonus pints when you spend $500 in 3 months. These points are redeemable for a $100 gift card. There is no pre-set spending limit and no annual fee for the first year. You’ll automatically be enrolled in the Membership Rewards Program. You will earn 1 Membership Reward point for almost every dollar you spend. You can redeem these points for shopping, entertainment and/or travel rewards. You’ll also be invited to Gold Card Events. These events provide you with exclusive access for tickets to select concerts, shows, major sporting events and more. The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card offers unbeatable rewards and a quick approval.

There are thousands of more instant approval credit card offers out there. These are simply the five most popular instant approval credit cards today. Go to www.plasticrewards.com to find the best instant approval credit card for you and your family.

The Federal Reserve recently slashed the primary rate to 0.5%. So, why are so many people getting hit with higher, more outrageous rates and fees?

Credit card companies are trying to offset their losses by charging consumers higher and higher fees. People who have less-than-perfect credit have already been hit hard. But, now people who pay all of their bills on time are beginning to be targeted.

Here’s what has happened so far…

-JPMorgan Chase has raised its rates on cash advances, overdraft protection and its default rate.

-A $10 monthly service fee will also be charged to customers who have carried a large balance for more than 2 years

-Citibank and American Express will soon raise interest rates by 2-3 percentage points

-Home Depot has reduced the number of in-store credit lines

-Nordstrom and Target have also raised interest rates

This certainly isn’t an all-inclusive list. Banks, credit card companies and financial institutions all over the country have tightened policies.

So, are you looking for a way to deal to rising credit card costs? Don’t carry a balance. If you don’t carry a balance on your credit cards, you won’t have to worry about sky-high interest rates. You also won’t have to worry about higher late payment fees.

America is definitely in a credit crunch right now. It is harder to get credit now than ever before. You don’t have to become a victim. Budget your money wisely and be careful about every purchase you make.

There is still time to overcome this credit crunch. Don’t let the credit card companies rule your life. Save your credit card for emergencies. Try to only spend the money you have in your checking account. Save some money for a rainy day. Your rainy day may come sooner than later.

The best way to deal with rising credit card costs is to not have to worry about it. Put your credit cards away and pay off your balances as quickly as possible.

Do you have thousands of dollars in debt? Do you have more than $5,000 of debt? $10,000? $20,000? $30,000? More?

So many people have gotten in way over their heads in debt. This doesn’t have to be you. If you are tired of losing sleep at night because you are so worried about your debt, you need to take control of your situation. Paying off debt certainly isn’t hard to do, but it does take a certain level of self-discipline.

Thousands of people around the world have paid off their debt by:
-Moving
-Cutting expenses
-Budgeting, budgeting, budgeting, re-budgeting and budgeting some more
-Taking in roommates to offset cost of living expenses
-Adjusting the expectations of their lifestyle
-Paying much more than just the minimum payment
-Utilizing automatic payments
-Not using the credit cards
-Saving a cushion for emergencies
-Trading in the old credit card for one with a really low interest rate
-Finding more ways to earn money
-Being honest with friends, family and themselves about making this a priority
Most consumers don’t realize that it takes much more than money to pay off debt. People often say, “If I just had more money, I could pay off my debt.” But, the fact of the matter is that you could have millions and still find yourself in debt.

Paying off debt takes shear determination. You have to change the way you live. You have to change the way you think. You have to change the way you spend. And, you have to change the way you save.

You have to get to the point where you are absolutely determined to pay off your debt. Nothing can come in between you and your goal. Sit down and create a budget. You can pay off your debt. Your mind just needs to honestly believe that you can pay off your debt.

Fewer businesses than ever are planning on giving year-end bonuses this year. The tight credit market and an extremely slow economy have the majority of businesses cutting back, especially on holiday bonuses.

The end of the year used to be a welcomed-time for many employees across the country. The end of the year meant a nice bonus check. But, not this year. More than 25 percent of small businesses are planning on cutting those bonus checks this year.

Paycycle, a payroll services company, recently conducted a survey. It polled many businesses to see if they planned on offering a holiday bonus. Over 53 percent of those who responded said that they usually do pay a holiday bonus. So many of those are reconsidering, thanks to the horrible recession we find ourselves in.

Companies and industries that have already been affected by the recession have been the first to cut back their spending. However, even some businesses that haven’t been affected yet are thinking twice about spending every penny. These businesses are trying new and creative ways to save their revenue instead of spend it.

Jim Heeger, CEO of Paycycle, gives us some insight to these small businesses, “In my experience, when it comes to cutting costs, small companies will curb benefits and cut pay instead of laying off employees. Particularly at long-established firms, employees come first, because there’s a family feel to them. When owners remove their own bonuses, it’s to ensure the business keeps going with happy employees.”

So, if you won’t be getting a holiday bonus this year, it may not be the end of the world. Be grateful that you are still employed and can still put food on your table. Yes, the holidays may be more meager. But, when all is said and done, your family still has the protection of employment.

American Express is one of the world’s largest credit card institutions. It is also one of the first credit card companies to take advantage of new government programs.

American Express has issued $5.5 billion in new debt. This debt is part of “a guarantee program” that is run by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. As of December 5, 2008, it had already raised $4.6 billion in capital. It did this through the launch of a new retail certificate program. This program sells retail certificates of deposits through each of its banking subsidiaries.

There is a third option that American Express could take advantage of as well. It could use credit card receivables as collateral in order to borrow money from the Federal Reserve. AmEx did receive permission to borrow money from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in October.

In November, American Express received more permission. Its petition to convert its status to a bank holding company was approved. Instead of being “just a credit card company,” American Express is now a bank or a complete financial institution. This alone helps qualify American Express for more government programs that could salvage it in the event of a further financial crisis. American Express’ change in status allows it to create a deposit base which will help fund its ongoing operations.

Other financial institutions have done the same thing. Goldman Sachs Group Inc became a bank holding company. Morgan Stanly did the same. These moves allow each institution to have more access to government programs and create extremely strong deposit bases.

So, what happens now?

Well, American Express is now able to offer close to $13.3 billion of unsecured debt to consumers. This debt is backed by the FDIC. Investors are looking closely at American Express now because they can buy bonds which earn a higher interest rate and profit than government debt.

American Express plans on using some of the new capital to pay long-term debt. About $3.6 billion of the new capital is expected to be used to pay obligations that mature by December 31, 2008.

Goldman Sachs and Citigroup are following close behind. Both institutions have already signed up for this FDIC guarantee program. Other companies are watching to see what happens to American Express before they decide whether or not to sign up for the federal “insurance” program.

More and more people are pulling out their plastic these days. Why? The recent economic crisis has really made people “strapped for cash.” In order to avoid a complete financial disaster, take a look at these three things that you should never charge.

1. Your mortgage, car loan or student loan. Mortgage companies and banks don’t usually offer you the chance to pay your loans with a credit card. However, a new San Francisco company, ChargeSmart, allows credit card holders the option of paying these bills with a credit card. What does this “program” cost? $4.95 plus an additional 2.29% of the transaction amount. The fee associated with this sketchy program negates any benefit you could earn with your reward credit card. It is much more beneficial to talk to your bank and make them aware of your situation instead of pulling out your plastic to pay your mortgage, car loan or student loan.

2. Taxes. You will probably be tempted to pull out your credit card to pay your tax bill if your don’t have the cash available or if you have a reward credit card that you think will help you “rack” up the points. Since 1999, the IRS has accepted credit card payments. As of today, the IRS has accepted 2.4 million credit card and debit card payments. This outrageous number is 12.3 percent more than last year. If you go this route, expect to pay a 2.49 percent “convenience fee.” Shall we look at the numbers? Let’s say you put your $2,000 tax bill on your credit card. Your credit card interest rate is 13 percent. Say your monthly minimum payment is $40 and that is all you can afford for now. It would take you almost 20 years to pay off the balance and you’ll pay almost $2,000 in interest. 20 years and $4,000 for a $2,000 tax bill. Don’t do it.

3. Basic living expenses. Let’s say you or your spouse just got laid off, or money isn’t coming in the way it used to. Try not putting all of your basic living expenses on the credit card. These expenses can multiply very quickly, especially if you aren’t paying off the balance every month. Reduce your budget as much as possible. Lower your interest rates. Get help. Those methods are important if you want to stay afloat. Talk to your bank and other lenders. They will be more willing to work with you if you are upfront and honest with them. Pay close attention to your balance so that you aren’t blindsided down the road.

There are several things that you just should never charge. Even if you have a reward credit card, it isn’t worth it to charge these 3 things (if you can’t pay off the balance quickly). Paying your mortgage, car loan or student loan with a credit card isn’t a smart idea. Never use your credit card to pay your tax bill. And, be careful about charging your basic living expenses without paying off the balance every month. Not charging these three major expenses can save your financial outlook in the future.

Cisco will be closing from December 29 through January 2. It is also “strongly encouraging” employees to stay home for the three days before Christmas. There also won’t be any company-funded parties this year. An internal memo tells employees to celebrate in “creative ways that result in no cost to the company.” Cisco is cutting back in other ways as well. The company is cutting costs on hiring and employee travel. It is also thinking twice about the money it spends on equipment, training, outside services and big purchases.

Cisco isn’t the only company that is taking such a big stand on these issues. Companies across the nation are encouraging employees to take paid time off. Because of the economic situation, companies are cutting cost everywhere they possible can. Anything from training to equipment is being reconsidered. This also means that the majority of Christmas-bonuses are out of the question.

Hewlett-Packard is forcing employees to take paid-time off by extending its one-week holiday closure by another week. Micron has made a similar move. Dell wants employees to take time off too, but without any paid-time off.

Why are companies paying employees to do nothing? Simply put, money management, this is in effort to save money. Paying employees to stay at home is cheaper than running an entire company (especially when many of the employees are gone anyway). Every industry and most companies are trying to save every penny.

What are your plans for the Holidays? Is your company encouraging employees to take time off? Will you get paid to take time off?

This post was brought to you by Plastic Rewards, where you can find and compare the best credit card offers online.

There has been major talk about the U.S. economy for many months now. The talk started when gas prices soared well over $4 per gallon. The economy went from bad to worse in a short period of time.

So, when did this recession officially start? A panel of the nation’s leading economists say that the recession began December of 2007. Yes, the U.S. has been in a recession for a year now. Private economists, lawmakers and the entire public in general have been talking about the U.S. recession for a while. The National Bureau of Economic Research confirms what the private and public sector have already been discussing. The U.S. is officially in a recession.

Not many people realize that our country has been struggling for this long. The same month that the U.S. surged into an official recession, employment statistics surged. It took about nine months for the situation to reach Wall Street. In September of this year, the stock market crashed and major U.S. companies failed miserably.

President Bush and his staff have been hinting that the U.S. has been in a recession without actually using the word “recession.” Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman, shares a bit of inside information. He said that the NBER “determines the start and end dates of business cycle.” He continued, “What’s important is what is being done about it. The most important things we can do for the economy right now are to return the financial and credit markets to normal, and to continue to make progress in housing, and that’s where we’ll continue to focus.”

Since December of last year, more than 1.2 million jobs have been lost. There have been a few new reports that help to shed a little light on the situation. The economic slump continues to decline rapidly. Today, the Commerce Department reported that the amount of money spent on construction fell over 1.2 percent in October alone. The Institute for Supply Management said “its gauge of manufacturing activity dropped to a 26-year low in November.”

Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve Chairman, said that more interest rates cuts are possible in the future. However, he did caution that there would be limits to the action that could be taken to “revive” the economy. He said, “Although further reductions…are certainly feasible, at this point the scope for using conventional interest rate policies to support the economy is obviously limited.”

The U.S. economy hasn’t dipped into its recession in the past two or three months. The economy has been in a recession for a year now. The government is desperately struggling to revive the weakened economy. How much longer will our country continue to suffer?

Job layoffs are happening everywhere around us these days. People who have had job security for years and years are now finding themselves unemployed. Unemployment is up and the economy is still extremely slow. It can be extremely helpful to take a look at the top recession-proof jobs.

Peter Schiff, the author of “The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets” gives an insight as to his top recession-proof jobs. He leads into the list by saying, “I foresee the following as the 10 strongest professions and industries over the coming decade and beyond.”

1. Engineering. Although the U.S. industrial market has been forgotten and abandoned, it will need to be revised.

2. Construction. American construction will never completely stop, especially when the American infrastructure needs to be rebuilt.

3. Agriculture. America, as a whole, is trying to wean itself from imported food. This will give a rebirth to American agriculture.

4. Merchant marine. This industry is important in order to transport goods and products to foreign markets.

5. Commercial fishing. The demand for fish is increasing in the United States. On the other hand, foreign supply is decreasing. America will get the opportunity to control much of the fishing market share.

6. Energy. The energy industry is recession-proof because alternative forms of energy will always need to be created.

7. Computers and other forms of high technology. The U.S. leads the world in the industry. The technology field is surely recession-proof.

8. Entertainment. The entertainment industry is necessary for the U.S. economy. Additionally, the U.S. continues to be a world leader in this industry.

9. Automotive repair/small-appliance repair, etc. More and more people will be looking to repair damaged items instead of buying another. Demand for this industry will continue to increase as it becomes more cost effective to repair items instead of replacing them.

10. Textiles and tailoring. Imported clothes are already becoming scarcer and also more expensive. This industry will start to move everything back home.

The key to this list is that Schiff believes the U.S. economy is already in a massive collapse. Laurence Shatkin, the author of “150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs” shares his insight. His list is as follows:

1. Computer systems analyst
2. Network systems and data communications analyst
3. Network and computer systems administrator
4. Registered nurse
5. Teacher, post-secondary (i.e. college professors)
6. Physical therapist
7. Physician and surgeon
8. Dental hygienist
9. Pharmacist
10. Medical and health services manager

Although this is a slightly different list, many of the jobs are the same. It can be extremely helpful to take a look at these lists to make sure that your job is recession-proof.

The housing market didn’t just crash. It hit rock bottom. Homeowners are dealing with many different after-effects of the housing crisis. Home values are continuing to plummet while property taxes continue to increase.

The value of homes across the nation has already decreased by more than 6 percent. Some areas have seen a decrease in home value as much as 30 percent. To make matters worse, property taxes around the country just continue to get higher.

Community leaders around the country are extremely worried about the current situation. These leaders worry that if the value of homes continue to decrease while property taxes increase, it will force more homeowners into foreclosure. Leaders in the New York community recently filed a lawsuit hoping to get property tax rebates for its citizens.

Government officials say there is little they can do. The situation seems to be out of every one’s hands. There are many contributing factors including: rising unemployment, falling home prices, declining business revenues, etc. Local communities just don’t have enough cash flow to keep property taxes low.

Matt Moon, a spokesman for the Tax Foundation recently said, “Any form of government that has a heavy reliance on property tax is going to face massive budget shortfalls.” New York City’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is planning on laying off over 3,000 city workers. He said, “Cost cutting alone won’t be enough. Unfortunately, we’ve also got to raise revenues.”

There is some good news though. The federal government has set aside relief for some homeowners. There is property-tax aid for a select few. The American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act should help. The bill gives first-time home-buyers a refundable tax credit of up to $7,500. This money can be paid back over a 15 year period.

The fact of the matter is that American homeowners are hurting. The value of their homes is declining quite rapidly. On the other hand, property taxes continue to go up. What more can the American homeowner do to keep their home?