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Perhaps its time that we just get it over with and declare Super Bowl Sunday to be a national holiday. From the pre-season games of midsummer to the big game itself during the depths of winter, our national love of football remains unchanged, even despite several scandals involving the league and its players.
And while it might be too late for fans to attend this year’s Super Bowl in Phoenix, the right credit card can minimize your expenses should you attempt to see next year’s game in Santa Clara, Calif., the new home of the San Francisco 49ers. So here are four credit cards that offer rewards that can help you travel to the big game or throw a great Super Bowl party in your own home.
1. The NFL Extra Points Card From Barclaycard
The first place to look for Super Bowl rewards is the official credit card of the NFL, the Extra Points card from Barclaycard. New applicants receive 10,000 points after spending $500 on their card within the first 90 days of membership. One point is earned for each dollar spent, and double points are earned on NFL purchases. Points can be redeemed for exclusive NFL rewards, team experiences and game tickets, including the Super Bowl itself. Two tickets require 200,000 points. There is no annual fee for this card.
2. The United Club Card From Chase
Having tickets to the Super Bowl is one challenge, and getting there can be another. Once the NFC & AFC champions are crowned, airline tickets from the competitors’ cities to the host city sell very quickly, and the price to reserve one of the remaining seats typically skyrockets. In most cases, you can’t redeem your miles for these high-demand seats, but the United Club card from Chase offers cardholders access to any award seat at any time at the MileagePlus Standard Award level. Sure, these Standard Awards require twice as many miles as an award seat at the Saver Award level, but it can still be a good deal when ticket prices have tripled. There is a $395 annual fee for this card.
3. Starwood Preferred Guest Card From American Express
Another problem with going to the Super Bowl is that all the hotels raise their rates dramatically for the weekend. Thankfully, Starwood cardholders can use their points to book any available standard room as an award, starting at just 3,000 points per night. So as long as you book your award before the hotel sells out of standard rooms, you are likely to get tremendous value from you points. There is a $65 annual fee for this card that is waived the first year.
4. Best Buy Credit Card Offered by Citi
Since most of us are more likely to have a Super Bowl party in our homes than to attend the big game in person, it is best to consider some cards that offer rewards for the centerpiece of the experience, a big-screen television. With the Best Buy credit card from Citi, customers receive interest-free financing on some of their purchases, as well as rewards. New applicants receive interest-free financing on purchases, with the length of financing depending on the size of the purchase. Alternatively, cardholders can receive 5% back in rewards on Best Buy purchases, and 6% back for Elite Plus members of the card’s rewards program. Finally, cardholders receive free shipping on qualified purchases of $35 or more, as well as cardholder discounts and access to special sales and member-only shopping events. There is no annual fee for this card.
Cards that offer rewards usually require good to excellent credit, and it’s smart to have an idea of whether your application will be approved before you apply, because every application for credit can cause a small, temporary drop in your credit score. If you’re not sure where you stand, you can get a free look at two of your credit scores, updated every 14 days, from Credit.com.
At publishing time, the Starwood Preferred Guest Card From American Express and the NFL Extra Points Card From Barclaycard is offered through Credit.com product pages, and Credit.com may be compensated if our users apply and ultimately sign up for this card. However, this relationship does not result in any preferential editorial treatment.
Note: It’s important to remember that interest rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products frequently change. As a result, rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products cited in these articles may have changed since the date of publication. Please be sure to verify current rates, fees and terms with credit card issuers, banks or other financial institutions directly.
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- How to Get a Credit Card With Bad Credit
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