I found an OK deal for Canadians who get approved for the MBNA Sony MasterCard.
Sadly, the free Internet Player offer has expired. In fairness, I told everybody to act fast.
BE A WINNER: get the MBNA Sony Card MasterCard® credit card today!
When I say you should live frugally, but enjoy the good things in life, I really mean it. This is the type of opportunity that makes it easily possible.
The typical money-stupid Canadian would ignore the deal and make excuses like:
- “Oh, I just don’t have fifteen minutes to get this bonus. My time is therefore worth $800 an hour.” You probably didn’t have a couple hours to make $350 in free money from TD like I did. And, let me guess, you were too busy in August to make a quick $50 from ING.
- “I already have a credit card and don’t need another.” Well, clearly you lack the gumption to cancel a card after you get a bonus.
These excuses are microcosms of a sad truth: most people wallow in debt but still don’t have nice things. The vast majority of people who read this article won’t take advantage of the opportunity.
For my money-smart compatriots out there: enjoy this freebie. Such gifts are rare in Canada.
Sign up for an MBNA Sony Card MasterCard® credit card today and get 2,000 Sony Points after your first qualifying transaction!
Cool deal bro! Still thinking about switching from my TD Green Visa to the MBNA Student Mastercard.
Good call. Students likely won’t qualify for this Sony deal.
When I was a student, I switched from BMO MasterCard to TD Visa. If I’d been aware of the superior deal offered by MBNA’s student card (no idea if it was available at the time or not) I would have switched for sure.
Two points:
– keep your oldest card. Part of credit history is the average age of accounts. Keeping your oldest account open, even if it’s useless, may not be a bad idea.
– since you probably have a low $500 limit now, and will request a similarly low limit on your MasterCard, I’d recommend keeping the Visa for another reason: in my experience it’s a good idea to have one Visa and one MC. Some places don’t take one or the other, so it could be useful in a pinch. I often switch around cards for different rewards, but I keep two ancient products: one’s a CC and the other is a small, no-fee LoC that a bank offered me without asking (I never used it) and it always shows up as ‘paid, up to date’ and I’ve had it over 5 years.
I saw this deal recently. Still not sure whether to bother. My television is like five feet from my computer… and it’s a small standard-def TV. Still, your argument of “It’s free, dummy!” is quite compelling.
Also… this could be the impetus for me to buy a much better television. This freebie could cost me money, Joe.
lol. Gene, you are one of the few commenters to whom I would ever say this, but I think you deserve a large high-def TV if you want one.
lol. Yes, the spending problems I have are in the other direction. I analyze the heck out of most purchases and then painfully fork over the lowest amount possible.
I really like the sound of this deal BUT I want to get a cash back card… Im stuck should I get the Costco American Express card… its zero fee and I’d get money back when I shop…. or that MBNA Cash one? Could we compare?
I also already have a mastercard and visa… so an American Express would be great! At places like Costco that only take american express!
Is this the AMEX card? If so, it could compliment an MBNA SmartCash, but for a majority of situations it’s not better.
First, it pays 2% on gas which is less than MBNA’s 3% (even after the initial 6 months at 5%). It only pays up to 1% on groceries which is just sad. Worst of all, the 1% cash-back is TIERED. So you’re not even earning 1% til you’ve spent $3,000. When actuaries try to play with my cash-back to minimize payout, I start to get annoyed.
Reasons it’d be an OK compliment: if you shop a lot at Costco, then it’s the only card that gives you cash-back at Costco (besides their premium membership or whatever). It does, however, only give you up to 1%. Costco gas, I assume, would be at 2%.
In terms of getting the best cash-back card, I’d say MBNA. It’s 3% gas/groceries (5% for the first 6 months) and 1% on everything else immediately. No tiers.
The optimal decision in your situation, and by optimal I mean “how you can get the most cashback in your situation”, is to sign up for the MBNA SmartCash and the AMEX Costco True Earnings card. Use the AMEX for Costco, Costco gas, and restaurants. Then use the MBNA for ALL non-Costco, non-restaurant purchases. Since you have great credit and won’t run a balance, I honestly wouldn’t hesitate to get both cards. When you get your $50 cheque from MBNA (I’ve gotten quite a few) you’ll be like “this is awesome”.
Cool! Thanks for the tip Joe! I think I can handle doing my groceries on a different card for one month. Even though I love getting cash back on my MBNA Smartcash, it isn’t like I actually rack up a whole $50 cheque with it every month.
Do you know if there are any other terms that I’d need to worry about other than the must spend $150? Like any fees to cancel it? That would be my main concern.
Always read the disclosure and terms, but no there isn’t a cancellation fee or annual fee.