Not being able to play the piano is quite OK, but if you can’t play and you’re still playing, that’s a problem. 

Some of you might think at this point, hello?! Why are you still predicting? And hey, I have news for you. I’m thinking the same thing. 

So I decided to stop. But then I got many messages, asking when my 2025 predictions are being released. I guess some of you enjoyed it (or enjoyed the good laughs:). So let’s kick off the year with some of my stomach pains, aka predictions.

1. Welcome bonuses will be on a very upside trend and will reach all-time highs

With the current overall inflation and the general rewards deflation, I think that banks will need to increase the number of points they offer as a welcome bonus in order to convince people to try it out. I predict that in 2025 we will see many welcome bonuses hit an all-time high. 

2. Insurances will be cut from cards

Really, I wanted to predict this last year. But I would have been wrong about it last year, so lucky me that I did not predict it then. But insurance premiums on almost everything have gone up dramatically, and I believe credit card insurances, such as auto rental coverage, cell phone protection, and others, have become much more costly to the banks as well. I think that they will start pinching away at these different insurances over the coming year (years). 

3. Citi Bank will release a business card

Citi bank is slowly upping their credit card game, but they are missing a crucial card. Citi does not have a business card except for some co-branded business credit cards. This is a large empty bald spot that I think Citi would want to fill ASAP . The only reason I think it will happen in 2025 more than any other year, is the ASAP factor I wrote about earlier.

4. Trump is not going to cap interest rates at 10%

One of Trump’s campaign promises was to cap interest rates at 10%. Even though he has a track record of keeping his promises, in this case, I think the chance of this happening is as good as the chance of any of my predictions happening (What did I just say?). 

5. Credit card debt will continue to climb (funding our adventures)

We are seeing credit card debt climb to all-time highs, nationwide. For the time being, I don’t see any indication that this is going to stop any time soon. This is another reason why I think welcome bonuses will reach all-time highs. Since one funds the other. 

6. You will get the Bilt card

The card_name is a newish card. I think Bilt is doing things right and the card just keeps on getting better and better. They have a lot on the agenda for 2025 and I predict that if you do not yet have the card_name, somewhere in 2025, you will end up getting it.

7. More banks will release a similar “Apply With Confidence*” feature

Amex has a great application experience that lets you know if you’re approved or not for a credit card before they do a hard pull. This is different from the standard pre-approval because this is a 100% guaranteed approval*. This is a huge game changer from Amex and I predicted that other banks would follow and also introduce such a feature as well (Goldman Sachs already has this application experience as well). Let’s see if this will become true in 2025. 

*The new application experience is currently available for individuals applying for a U.S. Personal Card via HelpMeBuildCredit, at AmericanExpress.com/us/credit-cards, or by calling American Express, and is not available if you apply for a Card after you log into an existing Card Member Account.

8. The CardRight app will reach 20,000 users

I will call this a wish more than a prediction. But the CardRight app has grown much faster than we could have ever imagined. And even though 2025 is only the second year of the CardRight app, I think I can make a bold wish of reaching 20,000 users. Will it happen? Let’s see!