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Labor Day Weekend Travel: What to Do if Your Flight Is Delayed or Canceled

Labor Day Weekend Travel: What to Do if Your Flight Is Delayed or Canceled

What's happening

An estimated 12.8 million Americans will fly over Labor Day weekend.

Why it matters

While air travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, many airlines are still plagued by significant delays and cancellations.

Labor Day is here and, despite ongoing flight disruptions and high ticket prices, an estimated 12.6 million Americans will be flying over the three-day holiday weekend, according to data from travel site Hopper.

American Airlines alone estimates 2.5 million customers will board 26,400 scheduled flights through Monday. 

Many of those fliers will face delays and cancellations. On average, 23% of flights in August were delayed from departing US airports, an increase of nearly 30% compared to 2019. And cancellation rates last month were more than double their 2019 rates, as airlines mobilize to address staff shortages, pickets, weather disruptions and other issues.

By 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, American Airlines had already reported 100 delayed flights, according to the website FlightAware, and 23 cancellations. Industrywide, more than 800 flights within, into, or out of the United States have been delayed Thursday morning and 102 canceled.

Analysts don't expect schedules will get back to normal until at least the fall, when demand settles down and new hires have had time to be trained up. 

If you're flying over Labor Day, here's what you need to know about avoiding a travel nightmare, what the airlines owe you if there's a cancellation or delay, and more. 

For more travel tips, here are some great travel gadgets, guidance on renewing your passport online and 19 things to add to your travel checklist. before leaving home.

Why have there been so many delays and cancellations?

Layoffs and contract buyouts during the pandemic have left many airlines short-staffed, fueling ongoing delays and cancellations.

Getty Images

Since Memorial Day, US-based airlines canceled more than 50,000 flights and delayed over a half-million, according to NPR. Delta said it canceled 100 scheduled daily flights in the US and Latin America between July 1 and Aug. 7. Southwest Airlines nixed almost 20,000 summer flights.   
The biggest factor has been that airlines are incredibly short-staffed. When the pandemic slowed air travel to a trickle, many carriers bought out employees' contracts and encouraged older pilots to take early retirement.

As a result, from December 2019 to December 2020, the number of airline workers shrank by at least 114,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now carriers are clamoring to staff back up, but they're finding it hard to fill positions. 

The shortages extend to ground staff, baggage handlers, gate personnel and other workers, FlightAware spokesperson Kathleen Bangs told CNET. "They did a lot of buyouts during the pandemic. It's a remarkable growth period and they're just back-footed." 

It's particularly acute with pilots because it can take up to five years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to train someone to fly a commercial airplane.

"Most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there simply aren't enough pilots, at least not for the next five-plus years," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a quarterly earnings call back in April, NBC News reported.

Extreme weather has also added to the problem: Severe thunderstorms have caused multiple delays and flight cancellations, and that's aside from hurricane and wildfire season. Aircraft can fly at lower altitudes to try to avoid storm systems, but that burns more fuel -- a dicey proposition given the high cost of jet fuel. 

How to avoid having your flight delayed or canceled

There isn't much you can do to prevent a delay or cancellation. But there are some common-sense steps that will give you a better shot at making it to your destination -- or at least relaxing at home or in a hotel room, rather than stewing in the airport.

Download your airline's mobile app to keep on top of changes to your flight schedule.

Pavlo Gonchar/Getty Images

Leave extra time for layovers. You might think an hour is plenty of time to get from one gate to another, especially in the same terminal. But if the first leg of your journey is delayed that hour can turn into 30 minutes. And with most airlines closing the plane doors about 15 minutes prior to departure, you could easily miss your connection.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Denver International Airport (DEN) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) top the list of busiest hubs over the Labor Day holiday, according to Hopper.

Don't book a late-night flight. If you miss a connection, most airlines will work diligently to get you on the next available flight. But if you booked the last flight of the day to your destination, that may mean having to wait until morning -- and either pacing through the airport for hours or booking a night in a nearby hotel. 

Download the airline's app on your phone. Opt into flight notifications and start manually checking the status of your flight regularly, at least 24 hours in advance. As soon as you hear your flight has been cut, find out if you've been transferred to another flight.

Monitor the weather at both your departure and arrival airports. Start checking the weather in both places a few days before your flight. Some airlines will actually reschedule your flight in advance of a major weather front at no extra charge. If a storm is on its way, you might consider leaving a few days earlier or later or finding a different route.

Buy travel insurance. Depending on why your flight is canceled or delayed, the airline might not comp any meals, accommodations or transport you're forced to purchase. The payout for travel insurance may not cover all of your expenses, but it will definitely be more than the cost of a policy, typically 5% to 10% of your trip cost.

What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled

Time is of the essence, so be proactive about rescheduling your flight. 

"A lot of the time you can reschedule yourself on the flight of your choice" using the airline's app, said David Slotnick, senior aviation reporter for The Points Guy. "It'll save you a lot of time and aggravation." (Like CNET, The Points Guy is owned by Red Ventures.)

If that's not possible, call the airline. Even if you get sent to an automated system, it may have a call-back function. You can still call if you're already at the airport. Do it while you're in line to talk to an agent and take whichever option is available first.

What does the airline owe you if your flight is canceled?

While some airlines are able to get you booked on a different carrier if your flight is canceled, not all can.

Dmitry Marchenko/Getty Images

In the US, if a flight is canceled because of something that is the airline's fault -- a mechanical issue or a staffing shortage -- the carrier is required to refund your ticket.

"If you get canceled for any reason -- you don't take your flight -- they have to offer you a cash refund," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told NPR. "If you'd rather take miles or a different flight, fine. But that's up to you, not them. They've got to give you a refund. That's a basic rule,"  

The Department of Transportation website mandates airlines must also refund the cost of your ticket after a schedule change or significant delay, but the agency hasn't defined what constitutes a "significant delay."

"Whether you are entitled to a refund depends on many factors -- including the length of the delay, the length of the flight and your particular circumstances," according to the DOT website. Whether a refund following a significant delay is warranted is determined "on a case-by-case basis." 

If you don't request a refund, the airline is still responsible for getting you to your destination. But it could be much later than your original flight. Under most circumstances, carriers should provide vouchers for meals and hotels.

Make your plans quickly, though: Airport hotels fill up quickly amid widespread delays and cancellations.

Some airlines will work to get you on another flight with a different airline, Slotnick said, but not every airline has relationships with other carriers. 

What are airlines doing to address delays and cancellations?

Hiring more employees. "All the airlines are doing major hiring initiatives," Slotnick said. "They're rushing to hire pilots and deploy them." They're also trying to improve work conditions for existing workers: In April, Delta announced it would start paying flight attendants during boarding, rather than just once the plane door closes.

The move, a first for a major US airline, is seen as a countermeasure to a unionization push among workers.

Scheduling more flights. Someairlines are boosting service in popular corridors when they can. "They're trying to strike the right balance between adding flights and creating some slack in the system," Slotnick said.

For example, United Airlines recently launched or resumed 30 flights between the US and Europe, its largest expansion ever. Regular flights from Denver to Munich, Chicago to Zurich and New York to Bergen, Norway, are underway, as well as daily service between Boston and London.

When fully operational, United's transatlantic route network will be more than 25% larger than it was in 2019, before COVID-19 cratered air travel.

Some airlines have ramped up their roster of scheduled flights, while others have pared down to avoid having to cancel them later.

James Martin/CNET

Scheduling fewer flights. Otherairlines are going in the opposite direction, reducing their capacity rather than risk being forced to cancel a scheduled flight. JetBlue has already reduced its May routes by almost 10%, Conde Nast Traveler reported, and will likely make similar cuts throughout the summer.

"By reducing our flight schedule for the summer and continuing to hire new crewmembers, we hope to have more breathing room in the system to help ease some of the recent delays and cancellations that we've seen in the industry," a JetBlue spokesperson told the outlet. 

Southwest Airlines, the world's largest low-cost carrier, cut more than 8,000 domestic flights in June "to adjust to capacity," the company told The Business Journals. 

Delta  "temporarily cut" some Labor Day weekend flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports to deal with a large number of airline crew members and air traffic controllers who have already called in sick, The Washington Times reported.

Giving passengers more notice. All the airlines are making a concerted effort to give passengers as much information as possible, Slotnick said, through text updates and other notifications.

"Even a year before the pandemic, airlines were trying to be proactive about informing passengers, even 24 or 48 hours in advance of a possible cancellation," he said.

Offering waivers
United, Delta and other carriers are offering travel waivers to passengers to encourage them to move their flights out of busy time periods. All waiving the usual flight-change fees and some are even foregoing the usual fare difference.

The Department of Transportation has stepped in to hold airlines accountable

On Sept. 1, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched a new website that lets fliers know what they're entitled to when their flight is significantly delayed or canceled. The Aviation Consumer Protection site has a dashboard that compares what policies are regarding rebooking, meal and hotel vouchers and complimentary ground transportation for carriers including Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United.

The Transportation Department's Air Consumer Dashboard compares offerings from major carriers.

Department of Transportation

"Passengers deserve transparency and clarity on what to expect from an airline when there is a cancelation or disruption," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "This dashboard collects that information in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices, and make informed decisions."

Buttigieg said the goal was to get the airlines to "raise the bar."

"Look, Americans have had experiences with cancellations, delays and poor customer service that just aren't at an acceptable level," he told NPR. "A lot of the airlines are not quite transparent about how and when they'll take care of passengers. "So we're going to put that information out ourselves."

Just knowing that information is out there for air travelers to see has spurred carriers to improve their offerings, Buttigieg added. 

The Department is also collecting comments on a proposed rule requiring airlines to proactively inform passengers about their right to a refund. It would also provide a clearer definition of a "significant change" to a scheduled flight and require airlines to provide non-expiring vouchers to passengers unable to fly because they contracted COVID-19 or other communicable diseases.

The proposal would also mandate carriers that receive pandemic assistance issue those passengers refunds instead of vouchers.

Are any airlines better or worse in terms of cancellations?

In 2021, Delta had the fewest cancellations of any major US airline.

Boarding1Now

Without naming names, Slotnick says that, broadly speaking, low-cost airlines have tighter margins with less slack, so theoretically you're more likely to face a cancellation.

But booking with a big carrier doesn't mean you're immune.

"The regionals have parked a lot of planes because they don't have enough staff," Bangs said. "And a lot of people who book on a major airline don't realize they're actually flying with a smaller carrier."

SkyWest, a smaller airline out of St. George, Utah, subcontracts for Delta, United, American and Alaska Airlines. So does Indiana-based Republic Airways.

Sometimes, bigger is indeed better: Last year, Delta had the best record in cancellation rates, according to The Wall Street Journal's annual airline rankings. The Atlanta-based airline scrubbed 0.6% of its scheduled departures in 2021, a third of the industry average of 1.8%.

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Source

https://nichols.my.id/how-to-repair-excel-on-windows-10.html

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Why Black Holes Smashing Together Could Settle an Astronomical Dispute

Why Black Holes Smashing Together Could Settle an Astronomical Dispute

In 2019, a conference held at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in California concluded with a fraught statement: "We wouldn't call it a tension or a problem but rather a crisis."

David Gross, a particle physicist and former director of the KITP was talking about the rate at which our universe is expanding. But Gross wasn't worried about the expansion itself. We've already known for decades that the cosmos is exponentially blasting apart, because celestial bodies surrounding our planet continuously drift farther away from us and from each other. 

No, Gross was worried about mathematics.

To determine exactly how quickly this cosmic shift is happening, scientists must calculate an important value called the Hubble constant -- yet, even today, no one can agree on the answer. 

Thus, the astronomy community was permeated with a "crisis," but it was a dilemma that cradled innovation. Since that tense conference, experts everywhere have starkly adjusted the way they look at their Hubble constant equations as an attempt to restore peace among stargazers. 

And on Monday, one such team presented a very out-of-the box idea to settle the dispute, as outlined in a paper published Aug. 3 in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Basically, astronomers from the University of Chicago believe when black holes lurking in deep space smash into one another – which they do sometimes – the gravitational leviathans reverberate ripples across the fabric of space and time that might leave traces of information crucial to decoding the Hubble constant. 

In the end, if scientists can figure out the true Hubble constant, they can also derive answers to some really big questions about our universe like: Howdid it evolve to the stunning realm we see today? What is it physically made out of? What might it look like billions of years from now, long after humanity ceases to exist and therefore can't cast an eye on it?

Reading between the lines of space-time

Every so often, two enormous black holes collide. This means that a pair of the universe's most incomprehensibly massive objects combine into an even more incomprehensibly massive object. 

When this happens, the merger sends ripples across the fabric of space and time -- as coined by Albert Einstein's general relativity -- just like dropping a rock in a pond would send ripples across the water. 

Animation of gravitational waves produced by a fast binary orbit.

NASA

Just four years before Gross and fellow physicists hosted their stressful debate over the Hubble constant conundrum, two powerful observatories managed to capture those black hole-induced ripples from down here on Earth. They're called the US Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and the Italian Virgo observatory. 

Over the past few years, both LIGO and Virgo have detected the ripples from almost 100 pairs of black hole collisions, and those readings might help us calculate the rate at which the universe is expanding, according to Daniel Holz, an astrophysicist at the University of Chicago and co-author of the new study. They might shed light on the Hubble constant. 

"If you took a black hole and put it earlier in the universe," Holz said in a press release, "the signal would change, and it would look like a bigger black hole than it really is."

What this means is that if a black hole collision happened way (way) out in space, and the signal has been traveling for a long (long) time, the gravitational ripples emanating from the event would've been affected by the universe expanding since the incident. If you think about pond ripples again, for instance, dropping a rock in a pond usually creates tighter ripples right at the point of contact. But if you keep watching those ripples extend outward, they get sort of wider and blunter.

Therefore, if we can somehow measure the changes in black hole collision ripples, perhaps we can understand the rate at which some of those changes occur. That would help us understand the rate at which the universe's expansion might've affected them and finally, the rate at which the universe is legitimately expanding. 

"So we measure the masses of the nearby black holes and understand their features, and then we look further away and see how much those further ones appear to have shifted," Jose María Ezquiaga, a NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics Fellow and co-author of the new study, said in the release. "This gives you a measure of the expansion of the universe."

Is there a catch?

But there is a bit of a caveat -- this technique, which the researchers call the "standard siren" method, can't quite be implemented right now. In truth, LIGO and Virgo are going to have to really buckle down and get to work for us to even imagine a future where it becomes commonplace. 

"We need preferably thousands of these signals, which we should have in a few years, and even more in the next decade or two," Holz said. "At that point, it would be an incredibly powerful method to learn about the universe."

Though a pretty promising aspect of the standard siren method is that it relies on Einstein's general relativity theory -- tried and tested rules that are considered unbreakable by many, and thus incredibly trustworthy. 

From left, an illustration of how relative amounts that the moon might warp space-time, then the Earth, the sun, and a black hole all the way on the right.

Zooey Liao/CNET

By contrast, most other scientists tackling the Hubble constant crisis rely on stars and galaxies, the researchers said, which involves a lot of complex astrophysics and introduces an honest possibility of error. But, of note, there have been some other experts zeroing-in on gravitational waves as measurements of the Hubble constant. 

In 2019, for example, a separate crew of astronomers looked at ripples across space and time stemming from a neutron star merger, which was picked up by LIGO and Virgo in 2017. They were trying to understand how bright the collision was when it happened by reverse calculating from the gravitational waves and eventually arriving at a Hubble constant estimate. And in the same year, another team suggested that we need only about 25 neutron star collision readings to nail down the constant to within an accuracy of 3%.

---

Source

https://ramiyalari.kian.my.id/

.

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Smart glasses are getting ready for an iPad moment in 2022

Smart glasses are getting ready for an iPad moment in 2022

Many products shown off at CES 2022 were about future tech, like cars that change color, robot butlers or invisible headphones. But with rumors that Apple may announce its own take on an augmented reality or virtual reality device sometime this year, companies already making such products are getting dragged into the present.

Chinese TV maker TCL, for example, announced at CES its RayBan-style NXTWear Air glasses that overlay computer-generated images on the real world. Sony used CES to make a surprise announcement about its hotly anticipated PlayStation VR 2 headset, which promises to trick your brain into thinking you're inside a computer-generated world. Qualcomm and Microsoft, meanwhile, announced a new partnership for head-mounted technology chips.

Indeed, technology built around the digital worlds of the "metaverse" was a central theme of 2022's Consumer Electronics Show, which took place both online and in-person in Las Vegas last week. The roughly 2,300 companies that participated showed off all sorts of products, like backpacks and wallets with beacon locators and shockingly close-to-human robots. But a good deal of the buzz at the show focused on head-mounted technology, particularly the headsets from TCL and Sony.

That buzz was there for good reason. The tech world has repeatedly been surprised by competitors that sweep in and take the industry by storm. Amazon did that with its Kindle reading device, which sold out within hours of its initial launch in November 2007. Smartwatch startup Pebble pulled off a similar surprise with its 2012 Kickstarter campaign that topped $7 million in a matter of weeks. 

And then there's Apple, which regularly influences and upends the industry. That very specifically happened 15 years ago in January 2007 when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs announced his company's first iPhone during the Macworld Expo in San Francisco. That happened the same week as CES, pulling attention away from the show and the new phones, which the iPhone ultimately killed off in the marketplace. 

"The industry doesn't want to be burned like they were with the iPhone," Moor Insights and Strategies analyst Patrick Moorhead said.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs lounges onstage with the newly announced iPad in 2010.

James Martin/CNET

But they were burned again pretty quickly. In 2010, a rush of tech companies including Motorola, Hewlett-Packard and Dell announced competing tablets ahead of Apple's expected introduction of the iPad. More than a decade later, Apple leads the industry with more than 31% market share, according to IDC. Motorola, meanwhile, no longer makes its once-hyped Xoom tablet. HP and Dell, whose devices were stars of CES 2010, sit far below other industry leaders like Samsung, Lenovo and Amazon.

"The industry's a lot more ready for this one, and it's been investing in years," Moorhead said. "You have all these people who are like, 'never again.'"

Apple, which didn't respond to a request for comment, typically doesn't discuss rumors of upcoming products.

Still, Apple CEO Tim Cook has teased his company's interest in AR and VR, either through its software tools offered to developers or statements that the technology is a "critically important part of Apple's future" that will "pervade our entire lives."

"I think AR is one of these very few profound technologies that we will look back on one day and went, 'How did we live our lives without it?'" he told tech YouTuber iJustine in September. "I'm AR fan No. 1. I think it's that big."

The Oculus Quest 2 appeared to sell strongly during the 2021 holiday shopping season.

Scott Stein/CNET

800-pound gorilla

Apple is already one of the most highly valued companies in the world, built largely on the success of devices like the iPhone and iPad, which together make up well more than half its $274 billion in net sales last year.

As longtime tech watchers often note, Apple was a relative latecomer to both markets. Microsoft had built tablet technology into its Windows PC software since 2001. It had also created software for computer-phone hybrids, often called "personal digital assistants," alongside then-market leaders Palm, Handspring and Research in Motion. But when Apple introduced its devices, it offered significantly easier-to-use software and a promise of high-quality apps and data syncing over the internet.

"One thing Apple does differently from everyone else is to create an ecosystem of hardware, software and devices," said Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies, adding that Apple's strengths will likely help it even more in the headset world.

Sony's been slowly revealing its PSVR 2 headset. So far, it's only shown the device's controllers.

Sony

As CNET's Scott Stein notes, VR technology itself is still in flux, "with companies aiming for products that are smaller and more able to be connected to devices like phones." Right now, the Oculus Quest 2, the $299 VR headset from Meta (nee Facebook), is considered the market leader with one of the most popular VR app stores and one of the most affordable devices alongside Sony's $299 PlayStation VR.

Meanwhile, there are no consumer AR headsets that have gained widespread popularity. Microsoft's $3,500 HoloLens 2 and Magic Leap's $2,295 namesake headset are both focused on business customers.

That leaves Apple with an opportunity to jump in, analysts say. "Apple's headset reveal will be a powerful statement that it means business when it comes to metaverse," Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster wrote in December, adding the company's "investing heavily," a sentiment backed by years of reports about prototypes and initiatives coming out of Cupertino.

One more thing...

Apple's headset may face a larger challenge than competitors from Meta, Sony and Microsoft, analysts say. Apple will also need to overcome consumer apathy.

The tech world's gone gaga over VR and AR before, with relatively few sales to show for it afterward. In the 1980s and 1990s, VR experience centers in malls and Nintendo's Virtual Boy excited techies about the promise of the new technology, but the experience didn't come close to the hype, and sales failed to materialize. The industry imploded before it got a chance to get off the ground.

"I'm AR fan No. 1. I think it's that big."

Tim Cook, Apple CEO

In 2016, VR went through somewhat of a repeat when Facebook's Oculus Rift headset launched after four years of public testing and development. Phone maker HTC introduced its Vive around the same time, as did Sony with its PSVR. Initial sales were lower than expected, according to people familiar with data surrounding Oculus and Microsoft at the time.

Six years later, Oculus appears to have found its niche as a tool for entertainment amid the interminable COVID-19 pandemic. The HTC Vive has largely been used by businesses. VR, AR and the virtual worlds of the metaverse, such as Fortnite, Minecraft and Roblox, have also offered a way to socialize with people amid quarantines and social isolation.

Apple may be able to supercharge that trend, taking advantage of growing interest in the technology for entertainment and social communication, which are among the most popular categories in its App Store.

Until then, CNET's Stein says that even as more and more companies beckon us to join their digital worlds, Apple will remain "the elephant in the metaverse."

---

Source

https://muharramc.costa.my.id/

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Why Black Holes Smashing Together Could Settle an Astronomical Dispute

Why Black Holes Smashing Together Could Settle an Astronomical Dispute

In 2019, a conference held at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in California concluded with a fraught statement: "We wouldn't call it a tension or a problem but rather a crisis."

David Gross, a particle physicist and former director of the KITP was talking about the rate at which our universe is expanding. But Gross wasn't worried about the expansion itself. We've already known for decades that the cosmos is exponentially blasting apart, because celestial bodies surrounding our planet continuously drift farther away from us and from each other. 

No, Gross was worried about mathematics.

To determine exactly how quickly this cosmic shift is happening, scientists must calculate an important value called the Hubble constant -- yet, even today, no one can agree on the answer. 

Thus, the astronomy community was permeated with a "crisis," but it was a dilemma that cradled innovation. Since that tense conference, experts everywhere have starkly adjusted the way they look at their Hubble constant equations as an attempt to restore peace among stargazers. 

And on Monday, one such team presented a very out-of-the box idea to settle the dispute, as outlined in a paper published Aug. 3 in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Basically, astronomers from the University of Chicago believe when black holes lurking in deep space smash into one another – which they do sometimes – the gravitational leviathans reverberate ripples across the fabric of space and time that might leave traces of information crucial to decoding the Hubble constant. 

In the end, if scientists can figure out the true Hubble constant, they can also derive answers to some really big questions about our universe like: Howdid it evolve to the stunning realm we see today? What is it physically made out of? What might it look like billions of years from now, long after humanity ceases to exist and therefore can't cast an eye on it?

Reading between the lines of space-time

Every so often, two enormous black holes collide. This means that a pair of the universe's most incomprehensibly massive objects combine into an even more incomprehensibly massive object. 

When this happens, the merger sends ripples across the fabric of space and time -- as coined by Albert Einstein's general relativity -- just like dropping a rock in a pond would send ripples across the water. 

Animation of gravitational waves produced by a fast binary orbit.

NASA

Just four years before Gross and fellow physicists hosted their stressful debate over the Hubble constant conundrum, two powerful observatories managed to capture those black hole-induced ripples from down here on Earth. They're called the US Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and the Italian Virgo observatory. 

Over the past few years, both LIGO and Virgo have detected the ripples from almost 100 pairs of black hole collisions, and those readings might help us calculate the rate at which the universe is expanding, according to Daniel Holz, an astrophysicist at the University of Chicago and co-author of the new study. They might shed light on the Hubble constant. 

"If you took a black hole and put it earlier in the universe," Holz said in a press release, "the signal would change, and it would look like a bigger black hole than it really is."

What this means is that if a black hole collision happened way (way) out in space, and the signal has been traveling for a long (long) time, the gravitational ripples emanating from the event would've been affected by the universe expanding since the incident. If you think about pond ripples again, for instance, dropping a rock in a pond usually creates tighter ripples right at the point of contact. But if you keep watching those ripples extend outward, they get sort of wider and blunter.

Therefore, if we can somehow measure the changes in black hole collision ripples, perhaps we can understand the rate at which some of those changes occur. That would help us understand the rate at which the universe's expansion might've affected them and finally, the rate at which the universe is legitimately expanding. 

"So we measure the masses of the nearby black holes and understand their features, and then we look further away and see how much those further ones appear to have shifted," Jose María Ezquiaga, a NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics Fellow and co-author of the new study, said in the release. "This gives you a measure of the expansion of the universe."

Is there a catch?

But there is a bit of a caveat -- this technique, which the researchers call the "standard siren" method, can't quite be implemented right now. In truth, LIGO and Virgo are going to have to really buckle down and get to work for us to even imagine a future where it becomes commonplace. 

"We need preferably thousands of these signals, which we should have in a few years, and even more in the next decade or two," Holz said. "At that point, it would be an incredibly powerful method to learn about the universe."

Though a pretty promising aspect of the standard siren method is that it relies on Einstein's general relativity theory -- tried and tested rules that are considered unbreakable by many, and thus incredibly trustworthy. 

From left, an illustration of how relative amounts that the moon might warp space-time, then the Earth, the sun, and a black hole all the way on the right.

Zooey Liao/CNET

By contrast, most other scientists tackling the Hubble constant crisis rely on stars and galaxies, the researchers said, which involves a lot of complex astrophysics and introduces an honest possibility of error. But, of note, there have been some other experts zeroing-in on gravitational waves as measurements of the Hubble constant. 

In 2019, for example, a separate crew of astronomers looked at ripples across space and time stemming from a neutron star merger, which was picked up by LIGO and Virgo in 2017. They were trying to understand how bright the collision was when it happened by reverse calculating from the gravitational waves and eventually arriving at a Hubble constant estimate. And in the same year, another team suggested that we need only about 25 neutron star collision readings to nail down the constant to within an accuracy of 3%.

---

Source

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• Why Black Holes Invisible
• Why Black Holes Are Said To Be Black
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• Why Are Black Holes Important To Our Universe
• Why Black Box Approach In Dld

How to Pick Your First Credit Card to Start Building Credit

How to Pick Your First Credit Card to Start Building Credit

Applying for your first credit card can involve a considerable learning curve. With hundreds of card options, lots of jargon and navigating the complexity of the US credit system, there's a lot to learn at once. And once you understand it, it can seem counterintuitive. For example, how are you supposed to build credit to get a credit card if nobody will issue you a card without credit history? It can be dizzying, to say the least.

Still, there are many reasons to want a credit card, chief among them is the ability to build credit history and improve your credit score. Your credit score, a three digit-number that represents your creditworthiness, can affect everything from whether you are approved for an apartment, your interest rates for auto loans and a mortgage and how many financial options you will have in the future.

Below, we review everything you need to know before applying for a credit card: the basics of how credit cards work, how to pick the right card for you, how to apply and how to use your card to build credit.

Read more: Best Debit Cards for College Students

The basics: How credit cards work

First, credit cards are not free money, sadly. What they are is a financial tool that, when used responsibly, lets you space out payments for purchases, build credit history and, in some cases, earn rewards like cash-back or airline miles. But credit cards can be extremely easy to misuse if you accidentally charge more than you can afford to pay back by the end of your billing statement. And if you miss payments, you risk crashing your credit and racking up interest charges.

The best way to avoid these pitfalls is to understand how credit cards work. Credit card issuers, typically a bank or credit union, will lend you a certain amount of money called credit, which you agree to repay. Payment processing networks, like Mastercard or Visa, act as the middleman and help facilitate payments and benefits.

Every card has a credit limit, which is the highest amount of money you can borrow in total. Your credit limit is usually determined by your credit score, income and the credit card issuer. So if you're applying for your first card and don't have a long credit history, you will probably be given a lower credit limit. Once you show responsible card use (paying balances on time and/or in full), you can request a credit limit increase.

At the end of the billing cycle -- which usually lasts about a month -- the credit card company will send you a bill that lists all your purchases made with the card. You can pay either the minimum payment that's due or pay off the bill in full. While paying the minimum payment will keep your account in good standing, the remaining unpaid balance will carry over to the next month, and you'll likely start accruing interest charges on any unpaid balance. Every card has its own annual percentage rate (APR), which is the total amount of interest and fees it charges on unpaid balances.

If you miss the payment due date, you may incur late fees, adding even more dollars to your debt. It's in your best interest to avoid this scenario by only charging what you can afford and paying your bill in full each month. Fees and interest charges can add up quickly and prevent you from paying off your debt as quickly.

How to pick the right credit card

With hundreds of credit cards available, picking the right credit card for you will depend on your current financial status, your future financial goals and your lifestyle. Many credit cards come with rewards like welcome bonuses, cash-back offers, discounts on certain purchases and travel points or airline miles. Cards with rewards typically come along with annual fees -- a yearly expense you pay to own the card -- though some do not.

The right card for you depends on your financial situation and goals. If you're just starting out, building credit with a student or secured credit card -- one that requires a security deposit that acts as your credit limit -- can help you build credit. If you're looking to earn rewards, look for a card with the most relevant perks for your spending habits and an annual fee you can recoup from your rewards. 

Some credit card companies will solicit you directly or allow you to see if you are preapproved for a card. Since card companies run a hard check on your credit when you apply for a card, a move that can temporarily cause your credit score to dip, preapproval lets you see if you're likely to be approved before you apply. Preapproval doesn't guarantee you'll be approved -- it just means the credit card company thinks you're a good applicant for a particular card.

For those currently in school, there are specific credit cards made for students. These cards usually have a smaller credit limit, and may have a scaled-down combination of benefits and fees compared to traditional credit cards. Student cards usually have relaxed credit requirements, since many students don't have a significant credit history, thus making it easier to get approved.

A secured card is another option for those with no or low credit, looking to boost their credit score. Secured credit cards require a security deposit that acts as your credit limit. It is also a form of collateral, ensuring that the card balance will be paid even if you miss payments.

How to apply for your first credit card

Once you determine which card is best for you, you can begin the application process. While every credit card company has its own application, you will probably be asked to provide similar personal and financial information, like your name, age, employer, annual income and housing payment. With this information, the credit card issuer will run a credit check on you to decide if you fit the criteria for card approval.

After you apply, you will either be approved and granted a card or denied. CNET outlines steps to take to figure out why you're denied for a credit card in the worst case scenario.

How to build credit with your card

Your credit score reflects how good or bad you are at managing debt. It shows lenders your creditworthiness, or how much risk is involved when lending you money. Your credit score is determined by a few factors, including your payment history, amount of debt owed, the length of credit history, how much new credit you've taken on, and your credit utilization ratio, which we'll explain below.

Here are some common blunders to avoid to keep your credit score healthy: 

• Not paying your minimum payment on time. In addition to being penalized with late fees and interest charges, late payments reported to credit bureaus indicate to future lenders that you are an unreliable borrower. Over time, consistently paying on time will build a strong credit history that will boost your score, making you eligible for better credit cards and interest rates.
• Using too much of your credit limit. Using more than 30% of your total credit line can affect your credit score negatively. This percentage is called your credit utilization ratio. So if your credit limit is $1,000, you would want to keep all your credit card purchases under $300 as a best practice. Using more of your credit lines indicates to lenders that you are a risky borrower.
• Closing credit card accounts. While it may seem reasonable to close an account for a card you don't use, it can actually lower your total available credit, lowering your credit utilization ratio and shorten your length of credit history. Depending on your situation, it may be better to keep the card open and use it occasionally. But, there are ways to cancel a credit card without destroying your credit.

Best picks for your first credit card

Intro Offer Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 into $200. There's no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.

APR14.49% - 23.49% Variable

Intro Purchase APR0% for 6 months

Recommended Credit Fair/New to Credit

Reward Rates

• Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
• Earn 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APR10.99% for 6 months

Balance Transfer APR14.49% - 23.49% Variable

Balance Transfer Fee 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*

Late Payment Fee None the first time you pay late. After that, up to $41.

Foreign Transaction Fees None

• Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
• Earn 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Our Take

The Discover it® Student Cash Back* card offers the best rewards spread of student credit cards. You'll earn the 1% flat rate on all purchases, but you can also earn 5% cash back with the bonus quarterly rotating category, on up to $1,500 in combined spending per quarter (then 1%). From now through September, the bonus category includes restaurants and PayPal purchases. For October through December, it includes Amazon.com purchases and purchases made through digital wallet apps. You do have to manually activate these bonus categories through your account to earn this higher rate, though.

We also like that this card offers an Unlimited Cashback Match welcome bonus -- Discover will match your cash back earned for your whole first year, essentially doubling your cash back at the end of your first year.

For more details, see our full review of the Discover it Student Cash Back.

Intro Offer N/A

APR15.24% - 29.24% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit Limited/Fair/Good/Excellent

Reward Rates

• Up to 1.5% cash back on eligible purchases after making 12 on-time monthly payments.
• 1% cash back on eligible purchases right away.

Annual Fee$0

Foreign Transaction Fees $0

• Up to 1.5% cash back on eligible purchases after making 12 on-time monthly payments.
• 1% cash back on eligible purchases right away.

Our Take

The Petal 2 Visa Credit Card, issued by WebBank, is designed for applicants of various credit types -- whether it's fair, excellent or you're just getting started. It offers a credit line between $300 and $10,000 and 1% back on all eligible purchases. 

To incentivize good credit-building behavior, your cash-back rate can increase to up to 1.5% on eligible purchases after 12 on-time monthly payments. There are no annual fees, security deposits, late fees or foreign transaction fees, making this a flexible option for anyone's first credit card.

Intro Offer N/A

APR26.99% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit Average, Fair, Limited

Reward RatesN/A

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APRN/A

Balance Transfer APR26.99% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee $0 at this Transfer APR

Late Payment Fee Up to $40

Foreign Transaction Fees None

Penalty APR None

Our Take

The Capital One Platinum Credit Card doesn't offer many perks, but it could be a good backup option for your first credit card if you don't want to put down a security deposit and aren't a student. This card is designed for people with fair, average or limited credit -- typically a credit score between 580 and 669. Though you won't earn rewards or a welcome bonus, you can build up your credit score with responsible use and there are no foreign transaction fees -- meaning you can use it abroad without facing additional costs.

For more details, check out our full review of the Capital One Platinum Credit Card.

Intro Offer Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! There's no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.

APR24.49% Variable

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit New/Rebuilding Credit

Reward Rates

• Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter.
• Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APR10.99% for 6 months

Balance Transfer APR24.49% Variable

Balance Transfer Fee 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*

Late Payment Fee None the first time you pay late. After that, up to $41.

Foreign Transaction Fees None

• Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter.
• Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Our Take

All secured credit cards require a security deposit -- but not all of them enable you to earn rewards on your purchases. With a credit limit range of $200 to $2,500, you can earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants with the Discover it® Secured Credit Card*, on up to a combined $1,000 in spending per calendar quarter (then 1%). You'll earn 1% cash back on other purchases, and you'll still get the Unlimited Cashback Match as with the other Discover credit cards. This card will also let you see if you're preapproved before you apply if you so choose.

For more information, see our full review of the Discover it Secured Credit Card.

Intro Offer Limited Time Offer: Earn $100 when you spend $100 in the first three months

APR16.49% - 26.49% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit Average, Fair, Limited

Reward Rates

• Earn 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal
• Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
• Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
• Earn 1% on all other purchases.

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APRN/A

Balance Transfer APR16.49% - 26.49% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee $0 at this Transfer APR

Late Payment Fee Up to $40

Foreign Transaction Fees None

Penalty APR None

• Earn 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal
• Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
• Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
• Earn 1% on all other purchases.

Our Take

If you eat a lot of takeout or go to restaurants often, the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card can maximize cash back on your meals and entertainment. You may be able to get preapproved for this credit card to test the waters, though as a student credit card, it has more relaxed credit requirements than its traditional counterparts.

You'll earn 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Target and Walmart). Entertainment covers movie theaters, sports promoters (professional and semiprofessional live events), amusement parks, tourist attractions, aquariums, zoos, dance halls, record stores, pool halls and bowling alleys. Streaming services include Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. For other purchases, you'll earn a standard 1% cash back.

*All information about the Discover it Student Cash Back and the Discover it Secured Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.

---

Source

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How to Pick Your First Credit Card to Start Building Credit

How to Pick Your First Credit Card to Start Building Credit

Applying for your first credit card can involve a considerable learning curve. With hundreds of card options, lots of jargon and navigating the complexity of the US credit system, there's a lot to learn at once. And once you understand it, it can seem counterintuitive. For example, how are you supposed to build credit to get a credit card if nobody will issue you a card without credit history? It can be dizzying, to say the least.

Still, there are many reasons to want a credit card, chief among them is the ability to build credit history and improve your credit score. Your credit score, a three digit-number that represents your creditworthiness, can affect everything from whether you are approved for an apartment, your interest rates for auto loans and a mortgage and how many financial options you will have in the future.

Below, we review everything you need to know before applying for a credit card: the basics of how credit cards work, how to pick the right card for you, how to apply and how to use your card to build credit.

Read more: Best Debit Cards for College Students

The basics: How credit cards work

First, credit cards are not free money, sadly. What they are is a financial tool that, when used responsibly, lets you space out payments for purchases, build credit history and, in some cases, earn rewards like cash-back or airline miles. But credit cards can be extremely easy to misuse if you accidentally charge more than you can afford to pay back by the end of your billing statement. And if you miss payments, you risk crashing your credit and racking up interest charges.

The best way to avoid these pitfalls is to understand how credit cards work. Credit card issuers, typically a bank or credit union, will lend you a certain amount of money called credit, which you agree to repay. Payment processing networks, like Mastercard or Visa, act as the middleman and help facilitate payments and benefits.

Every card has a credit limit, which is the highest amount of money you can borrow in total. Your credit limit is usually determined by your credit score, income and the credit card issuer. So if you're applying for your first card and don't have a long credit history, you will probably be given a lower credit limit. Once you show responsible card use (paying balances on time and/or in full), you can request a credit limit increase.

At the end of the billing cycle -- which usually lasts about a month -- the credit card company will send you a bill that lists all your purchases made with the card. You can pay either the minimum payment that's due or pay off the bill in full. While paying the minimum payment will keep your account in good standing, the remaining unpaid balance will carry over to the next month, and you'll likely start accruing interest charges on any unpaid balance. Every card has its own annual percentage rate (APR), which is the total amount of interest and fees it charges on unpaid balances.

If you miss the payment due date, you may incur late fees, adding even more dollars to your debt. It's in your best interest to avoid this scenario by only charging what you can afford and paying your bill in full each month. Fees and interest charges can add up quickly and prevent you from paying off your debt as quickly.

How to pick the right credit card

With hundreds of credit cards available, picking the right credit card for you will depend on your current financial status, your future financial goals and your lifestyle. Many credit cards come with rewards like welcome bonuses, cash-back offers, discounts on certain purchases and travel points or airline miles. Cards with rewards typically come along with annual fees -- a yearly expense you pay to own the card -- though some do not.

The right card for you depends on your financial situation and goals. If you're just starting out, building credit with a student or secured credit card -- one that requires a security deposit that acts as your credit limit -- can help you build credit. If you're looking to earn rewards, look for a card with the most relevant perks for your spending habits and an annual fee you can recoup from your rewards. 

Some credit card companies will solicit you directly or allow you to see if you are preapproved for a card. Since card companies run a hard check on your credit when you apply for a card, a move that can temporarily cause your credit score to dip, preapproval lets you see if you're likely to be approved before you apply. Preapproval doesn't guarantee you'll be approved -- it just means the credit card company thinks you're a good applicant for a particular card.

For those currently in school, there are specific credit cards made for students. These cards usually have a smaller credit limit, and may have a scaled-down combination of benefits and fees compared to traditional credit cards. Student cards usually have relaxed credit requirements, since many students don't have a significant credit history, thus making it easier to get approved.

A secured card is another option for those with no or low credit, looking to boost their credit score. Secured credit cards require a security deposit that acts as your credit limit. It is also a form of collateral, ensuring that the card balance will be paid even if you miss payments.

How to apply for your first credit card

Once you determine which card is best for you, you can begin the application process. While every credit card company has its own application, you will probably be asked to provide similar personal and financial information, like your name, age, employer, annual income and housing payment. With this information, the credit card issuer will run a credit check on you to decide if you fit the criteria for card approval.

After you apply, you will either be approved and granted a card or denied. CNET outlines steps to take to figure out why you're denied for a credit card in the worst case scenario.

How to build credit with your card

Your credit score reflects how good or bad you are at managing debt. It shows lenders your creditworthiness, or how much risk is involved when lending you money. Your credit score is determined by a few factors, including your payment history, amount of debt owed, the length of credit history, how much new credit you've taken on, and your credit utilization ratio, which we'll explain below.

Here are some common blunders to avoid to keep your credit score healthy: 

• Not paying your minimum payment on time. In addition to being penalized with late fees and interest charges, late payments reported to credit bureaus indicate to future lenders that you are an unreliable borrower. Over time, consistently paying on time will build a strong credit history that will boost your score, making you eligible for better credit cards and interest rates.
• Using too much of your credit limit. Using more than 30% of your total credit line can affect your credit score negatively. This percentage is called your credit utilization ratio. So if your credit limit is $1,000, you would want to keep all your credit card purchases under $300 as a best practice. Using more of your credit lines indicates to lenders that you are a risky borrower.
• Closing credit card accounts. While it may seem reasonable to close an account for a card you don't use, it can actually lower your total available credit, lowering your credit utilization ratio and shorten your length of credit history. Depending on your situation, it may be better to keep the card open and use it occasionally. But, there are ways to cancel a credit card without destroying your credit.

Best picks for your first credit card

Intro Offer Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 into $200. There's no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.

APR14.49% - 23.49% Variable

Intro Purchase APR0% for 6 months

Recommended Credit Fair/New to Credit

Reward Rates

• Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
• Earn 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APR10.99% for 6 months

Balance Transfer APR14.49% - 23.49% Variable

Balance Transfer Fee 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*

Late Payment Fee None the first time you pay late. After that, up to $41.

Foreign Transaction Fees None

• Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
• Earn 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Our Take

The Discover it® Student Cash Back* card offers the best rewards spread of student credit cards. You'll earn the 1% flat rate on all purchases, but you can also earn 5% cash back with the bonus quarterly rotating category, on up to $1,500 in combined spending per quarter (then 1%). From now through September, the bonus category includes restaurants and PayPal purchases. For October through December, it includes Amazon.com purchases and purchases made through digital wallet apps. You do have to manually activate these bonus categories through your account to earn this higher rate, though.

We also like that this card offers an Unlimited Cashback Match welcome bonus -- Discover will match your cash back earned for your whole first year, essentially doubling your cash back at the end of your first year.

For more details, see our full review of the Discover it Student Cash Back.

Intro Offer N/A

APR15.24% - 29.24% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit Limited/Fair/Good/Excellent

Reward Rates

• Up to 1.5% cash back on eligible purchases after making 12 on-time monthly payments.
• 1% cash back on eligible purchases right away.

Annual Fee$0

Foreign Transaction Fees $0

• Up to 1.5% cash back on eligible purchases after making 12 on-time monthly payments.
• 1% cash back on eligible purchases right away.

Our Take

The Petal 2 Visa Credit Card, issued by WebBank, is designed for applicants of various credit types -- whether it's fair, excellent or you're just getting started. It offers a credit line between $300 and $10,000 and 1% back on all eligible purchases. 

To incentivize good credit-building behavior, your cash-back rate can increase to up to 1.5% on eligible purchases after 12 on-time monthly payments. There are no annual fees, security deposits, late fees or foreign transaction fees, making this a flexible option for anyone's first credit card.

Intro Offer N/A

APR26.99% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit Average, Fair, Limited

Reward RatesN/A

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APRN/A

Balance Transfer APR26.99% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee $0 at this Transfer APR

Late Payment Fee Up to $40

Foreign Transaction Fees None

Penalty APR None

Our Take

The Capital One Platinum Credit Card doesn't offer many perks, but it could be a good backup option for your first credit card if you don't want to put down a security deposit and aren't a student. This card is designed for people with fair, average or limited credit -- typically a credit score between 580 and 669. Though you won't earn rewards or a welcome bonus, you can build up your credit score with responsible use and there are no foreign transaction fees -- meaning you can use it abroad without facing additional costs.

For more details, check out our full review of the Capital One Platinum Credit Card.

Intro Offer Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! There's no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.

APR24.49% Variable

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit New/Rebuilding Credit

Reward Rates

• Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter.
• Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APR10.99% for 6 months

Balance Transfer APR24.49% Variable

Balance Transfer Fee 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*

Late Payment Fee None the first time you pay late. After that, up to $41.

Foreign Transaction Fees None

• Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter.
• Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Our Take

All secured credit cards require a security deposit -- but not all of them enable you to earn rewards on your purchases. With a credit limit range of $200 to $2,500, you can earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants with the Discover it® Secured Credit Card*, on up to a combined $1,000 in spending per calendar quarter (then 1%). You'll earn 1% cash back on other purchases, and you'll still get the Unlimited Cashback Match as with the other Discover credit cards. This card will also let you see if you're preapproved before you apply if you so choose.

For more information, see our full review of the Discover it Secured Credit Card.

Intro Offer Limited Time Offer: Earn $100 when you spend $100 in the first three months

APR16.49% - 26.49% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit Average, Fair, Limited

Reward Rates

• Earn 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal
• Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
• Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
• Earn 1% on all other purchases.

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APRN/A

Balance Transfer APR16.49% - 26.49% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee $0 at this Transfer APR

Late Payment Fee Up to $40

Foreign Transaction Fees None

Penalty APR None

• Earn 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal
• Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
• Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
• Earn 1% on all other purchases.

Our Take

If you eat a lot of takeout or go to restaurants often, the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card can maximize cash back on your meals and entertainment. You may be able to get preapproved for this credit card to test the waters, though as a student credit card, it has more relaxed credit requirements than its traditional counterparts.

You'll earn 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Target and Walmart). Entertainment covers movie theaters, sports promoters (professional and semiprofessional live events), amusement parks, tourist attractions, aquariums, zoos, dance halls, record stores, pool halls and bowling alleys. Streaming services include Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. For other purchases, you'll earn a standard 1% cash back.

*All information about the Discover it Student Cash Back and the Discover it Secured Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.

---

Source

Tags:

• How To Pick Your First Credit Card To Start Building Floating
• How To Pick Your First Credit Card To Get
• How To Pick Your First Tattoo
• How To Pick Your Own Phone Number
• How To Pickle Jalapeno Peppers
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• How To Take A Screenshot
• How To Lower Blood Pressure
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