Credit Card Glossary
Kurze Erklaerungen der Begriffe, die Antraege, Rewards und Reisebuchungen steuern.
Viele Regeln (z. B. 5/24) sind US-spezifisch und gelten in Deutschland so nicht.
- Airline Fuel Surcharges on Award Tickets
Why some award tickets carry hundreds in extra fees, and how the program you book through changes that.
- APR on Credit Cards
How card interest works, how the grace period avoids it, and why rewards rarely outweigh interest.
- Authorized Users: Pros and Cons
What adding someone to your card means for both of you, including credit history and issuer rules.
- Award Chart Explained
What an award chart is, how it differs from dynamic award pricing, and how to use charts when you plan redemptions.
- Category Spending Caps
How bonus caps limit what a category earns, and how to calculate a capped card's real value.
- Citi's Welcome Offer Rules Explained
How Citi limits repeat welcome offers, why the rule is printed in each offer, and how to read it.
- Companion Certificate Explained
What companion certificates are, the restrictions that usually apply, and how to value them without inventing card-specific offer amounts.
- Credit Card Annual Fees
When annual fees post, how waivers and refunds work, and how to decide whether a fee is worth it.
- Credit Limit Increases: Myths vs. Reality
How limit increases work, when they need a hard pull, and what they do for your utilization.
- Credit Scores Explained
What a credit score measures, the factors behind it, and which habits move it fastest.
- Credit Utilization Ratio Explained
The share of your available credit you are using, how it is calculated, and why the reported balance matters more than the 30% rule.
- Dynamic Award Pricing Explained
How award prices that follow cash fares work, and how to avoid overpaying with miles.
- Elite Status Explained
What elite status means, how it is usually earned, and when status beats chasing a few extra points.
- Error Fares Explained
Why mistake fares happen, whether airlines honor them, and how to book one sensibly.
- Foreign Transaction Fees
When the foreign transaction fee applies, how currency conversion markups work, and how to avoid both.
- Global Entry vs. TSA PreCheck
What each US trusted traveler program does, who should get which, and how card credits cover the fee.
- Got a New Credit Card? Do These 5 Things
A short checklist that protects your credit and makes sure you get the welcome offer and every credit.
- Hard vs. Soft Credit Inquiries
Which credit checks affect your score, for how long, and how to keep hard inquiries to a minimum.
- Hidden-City Ticketing and Its Risks
Why skipping the last leg of a ticket can be cheaper, and why it is risky.
- How Credit Card Balance Transfers Work
How moving a balance to a 0% intro APR card works, what it costs, and how to make it pay off.
- How Much Are Points Worth?
How to calculate cents per point for a real redemption and compare points with cash back.
- How to Ask for a Retention Offer
When and how to ask for a retention offer, and what to do if there is none.
- How to Get Out of Credit Card Debt
A five-step plan to stop new interest and pay down card balances for good.
- Material Change on Airline Tickets
What airlines mean by a material change to your itinerary, and the usual choices travelers get when one happens.
- Merchant Category Codes (MCC)
The four-digit codes that decide which bonus category a purchase earns, and why some purchases miss.
- Paying Taxes With a Credit Card
How card tax payments work, what the processing fee costs, and when the rewards outweigh it.
- Positioning Flights for Award Trips
How flying to a better starting airport can unlock cheaper awards, and how to avoid the risks.
- Primary vs. Secondary Rental Car Coverage
What card rental coverage pays, the difference between primary and secondary, and the usual exclusions.
- Product Changes: When to Downgrade a Card
How switching to a different card from the same issuer works, and when it beats closing the account.
- Rotating Bonus Categories
How quarterly bonus categories work, why activation matters, and whether the effort pays.
- Secured vs. Prepaid Cards
Why a secured card builds credit and a prepaid card does not, and when each makes sense.
- Secured vs. Unsecured Credit Cards
How the two kinds of card differ, how both build credit, and when to move up.
- Shopping Portals: Stack Your Rewards
How portals add a second layer of rewards to online purchases, and how to make sure they track.
- Statement Credits Explained
How card credits work, how they reset, and how to value them when you judge an annual fee.
- Stopover vs. Layover
The difference between a stopover and a layover, and how stopovers can add a free destination to a trip.
- The Amex Once-per-Lifetime Rule
How American Express limits welcome offers per card and per card family, and how to check eligibility before you apply.
- The Amex Welcome Offer Pop-up
Why American Express sometimes shows a not-eligible message during the application, and what it means for your next card.
- The Chase 5/24 Rule Explained
Chase's unofficial limit on recent new accounts, what counts toward it, and how to order your applications.
- The True Cost of Minimum Payments
How minimum payments are calculated and why paying only the minimum costs so much.
- Transfer Partners Explained
How bank points move to airline and hotel programs, and what to check before you transfer.
- Visa Infinite vs. Visa Signature
What the Visa tiers mean, which benefits come from Visa and which come from the issuer.
- Welcome Offers and Signup Bonuses
How signup bonuses work, what counts toward the spending requirement, and how to earn one without overspending.
- What Is a Credit Card?
How a credit card works from purchase to payment, and how it differs from debit and charge cards.
- Who Actually Pays for Credit Card Rewards?
Where reward money comes from, and why rewards are richer in the United States than in Europe.
- Why Banks Offer 0% APR Cards
How 0% intro offers make money for the bank, and how to use one without giving that money back.