Ana Staples

United States

Lead Writer at Bankrate

Lead writer for @Bankrate. Corporate emo. Bylines: @BuysideWSJ @Bankrate @CNBCSelect @NextAdvisor

Featured in: Favicon

cnbc.com

msn.com

wsj.com

cnet.com

flipboard.com Favicon

thestar.com.my Favicon

bankrate.com Favicon

creditcards.com Favicon

newsbreak.com Favicon

mediafeed.org + 94 more

Articles

3 Ways to Use It

1 week ago | bankrate.com | Ana Staples |John Puterbaugh

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, one of the most popular travel credit cards, recently launched a limited-time welcome bonus offer. New cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months with the card. If you redeem the bonus through Chase TravelSM, your points will be worth 1.25 cents apiece, meaning you’ll get at least $1,250 in value. If you transfer these rewards to Chase travel partners, you can stretch this value even further.
You Have a Problem With Your Credit Card Issuer. What Can You Do?

2 weeks ago | bankrate.com | Ana Staples |John Puterbaugh

Robb Sommerfeld used a popular business credit card to help manage finances at National Center for Craftmanship (NCC), a nonprofit where he serves as an executive director — until the bank suddenly closed the account. The sudden account closure put Sommerfeld and his organization in a tough spot, as the credit card played a key role in the regular payment of vendors. Sommerfeld spent nine hours in total talking to multiple people at the bank, over the phone and in person.
Capital One Venture X Business

2 weeks ago | bankrate.com | Ana Staples |John Puterbaugh

One of the best business cards on the market, the Capital One Venture X Business, is launching a new welcome bonus offer. For a limited time, new cardholders can earn up to $3,500 worth of travel after meeting the spending requirements. That’s more than double the amount you could get with the card’s previous intro bonus. The updated welcome offer allows you to offset the card’s $395 annual fee (See Rates and Fees) eight times over, and that’s before you consider the value of rewards and benefits.
Best Tax Software of 2025 | CNBC Select

2 weeks ago | cnbc.com | Ana Staples |Alexandria White |Dan Avery

The best tax prep software allows you to file quickly and accurately while maximizing your refund.
How Card Experts Use Their Chase Sapphire Preferred Bonuses

3 weeks ago | bankrate.com | Ana Staples |John Puterbaugh

Bankrate’s editorial team is full of Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card fans. And there’s a big new welcome offer for the card that Chase just announced this week that provides a timely example of why this card is consistently a staff favorite. For a limited time, the card offers 100,000 points for spending at least $5,000 within the first three months of account opening. That’s $1,250 in value when you redeem your points for travel purchases through Chase Travel.
Capital One Quicksilver Benefits Guide

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Ana Staples |India Davis |Holly Johnson

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offers a flat rate of 1.5% cash back with no annual fee, making it a solid choice for those looking for a simple cash back credit card. New cardholders can earn a cash bonus of $200 after spending $500 on new purchases within three months of account opening.
Guide To The Capital One Premier Collection

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Ana Staples |Liza Carrasquillo |Holly Johnson

The Capital One Premier Collection allows certain cardholders to book luxury properties, including hotels and vacation rentals, and score additional perks and rewards. Benefits include an on-property $100 experience credit, complimentary Wi-Fi and daily breakfast for two. Eligible cardholders can also earn up to 10X miles on these bookings.
Best Secured Credit Cards

1 month ago | wsj.com | Ana Staples

If your credit isn’t quite up to snuff or you don’t have a credit score yet, your credit card options may be limited. Most credit cards from top issuers require a good credit score (or at least 670, according to the ). Luckily, there’s a type of card that can help you get access to a line of credit even if your score is low or you have none—and as you use it. Enter secured credit cards.
5 Ways Not To Use Your Credit Cards On A Spring Break Trip

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Ana Staples |John Puterbaugh

It’s officially spring break season, and I am here for it. As a credit cards writer, my passion for plastic payment methods is matched only, perhaps, by my passion for the travel I often use my cards to enable. So I decided to put together some helpful tips for anyone planning an international spring break trip this year. I use a credit card for practically every purchase I make, but using cards in a foreign country can come with unpleasant surprises if you aren’t prepared.
How To File Taxes For The First Time

1 month ago | bankrate.com | Ana Staples |Andrea Coombes

I remember doing my taxes for the first time. I was 22 and received a bunch of 1099s for doing some background work as an actor. Suddenly those fun jobs didn’t seem that fun anymore. The forms were intimidating, and I didn’t have the slightest idea what I was supposed to do with them. “Filing taxes” was a vague concept to me at the time. Eleven years later, I’m pretty confident doing my taxes. I can’t say I enjoy it (and who does?), but at least I know what’s going on.