credit card

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>

Visa Corners Debit Card Market—With Higher Fees

Fees on signature debit purchases boost banks, screw merchants

(Newser) - In a bizarre twist, the intense competition among debit card companies has resulted in a race to higher prices, which benefit banks at the expense of retailers, not to speak of consumers. At issue is whether you sign for that debit purchase or enter your PIN instead—the former costing...

Another BofA Debtor Revolts, Threatens to Sue
 Another BofA 
 Debtor Revolts, 
 Threatens to Sue 
NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE
Jan 5, 2010 9:53 AM CST

Another BofA Debtor Revolts, Threatens to Sue

Why'd you cut my limit while paying out bonuses, he wonders

(Newser) - A California lawyer inspired by the rumblings of debtor revolt last year informed Bank of America he won't be making his credit card payments until the bank lowers his rate—and if they try any funny business, he’ll sue. Ben Pavone requested that his limit be raised in October....

Straighten Out Your Finances in 2010
 Straighten Out 
 Your Finances 
 in 2010 
resolutions
Jan 3, 2010 4:53 PM CST

Straighten Out Your Finances in 2010

Some simple moves can net $1K or more

(Newser) - On the eve of the first serious workday of the New Year, take a hard look at your finances and see where you can cut back in 2010. A relatively small investment in time can result in some serious savings, Kathy Kristof writes for the Los Angeles Times :
  • Save automatically:
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Twitter Creator Unveils Phone Credit Card Reader

Dubbed 'Square,' the device will be free

(Newser) - Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey gave the public its first look at “Square” today, a free credit card reader that will plug into the headphone jack on your phone. Small business owners will be able to plug the 1-inch device into their phone, swipe their customer’s cards, and have...

Mint Unwittingly Finances Tahiti Trip, and More

Frequent fliers buy dollar coins—at cost—with credit cards

(Newser) - Crafty frequent fliers have racked up thousands of free miles by buying coins from the US Mint on their credit cards, and then taking them right back to the bank. The Mint, which ships free of charge in order to get more in circulation, finally got wise to “large...

Holiday Shoppers Ditched Credit Cards

Most used cash or debit cards to snag bargains

(Newser) - Recession-strapped Americans may have developed a plastic allergy—only 26% of Thanksgiving weekend shoppers used credit cards. Though consumers proved willing to spend over the holiday weekend, they seem to be changing how they spend: a whopping 39% used old-fashioned greenbacks, with debit cards making up the rest, according to...

Salvation Army Takes Plastic
 Salvation Army Takes Plastic 
Nov 23, 2009 5:55 PM CST

Salvation Army Takes Plastic

Charity tests 'cashless kettle' program

(Newser) - The Salvation Army's red kettles that collect holiday donations—a symbol for over 100 years—are getting an update. Numerous sites across the country will take credit cards this year as part of a pilot program dubbed "cashless kettles." Earlier tests suggest that the program has promise: in...

Credit Cards Rates Jump Ahead of New Regulations

Companies add fees and cut limits in blind cash grab

(Newser) - If your credit card bill just exploded, it wasn’t an accident. Card issuers have been jacking up rates to historic highs—in excess of 30%—cutting limits, and adding new fees in an effort to squeeze money out of customers before new federal regulations kick in Feb. 22. The...

BofA Cardholder Rips 'Thieving Bastards'

Foe of 'usury and plunder' won't pay 'til CEO watches video

(Newser) - A California woman who says she kept paying her credit card bill even after she lost her job has had enough: She's pledging not to pay down her Bank of America account until the creditor lowers her interest rate, the Huffington Post reports.. It’s “the proverbial first...

Credit Cards Cut Deadbeats More Slack

With unemployment rising, companies modify, reduce debt

(Newser) - With unemployment nearing 10%, credit card companies are doing something once unheard of: forgiving debt, or modifying it in the customer’s favor, the Washington Post reports. Companies are loathe to discuss the practice, lest it inspire more delinquencies, but according to one industry report, roughly 3 million people got...

Debit Card Overdrafts Bring Banks Billions

Fees make credit card shopping look like the smarter thing to do

(Newser) - Debit card overdraft fees are helping to pay banks’ bills in the recession—and they're hitting customers hard, the New York Times reports. “Banks will let you overspend on your debit card in a way that is much, much more expensive than almost any credit card,” says an...

Hackers Indicted in Theft of 130M Credit Cards

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors indicted three hackers in Washington today for allegedly snagging more than 130 million credit card numbers from retail and financial organizations, the Wall Street Journal reports. Calling it the greatest US debit- and credit-card data theft ever, feds hit Albert Gonzalez, 28, of Miami, and two accomplices with...

Consumers Blindsided By Card Cancellations

(Newser) - Many credit card users are getting to the register only to discover that their cards have been canceled—without a word of warning, the Wall Street Journal reports. With credit tightening, many issuers give only a cursory rationale for the drops, and then only by mail weeks later. And though...

Hefty Credit Card Debt Fattens You Up
Hefty Credit Card Debt Fattens You Up
glossies
Aug 7, 2009 6:46 PM CDT

Hefty Credit Card Debt Fattens You Up

(Newser) - Heavy credit card debt can take a toll on your waistline, Gourmet reports. A German study of 9,000 people found that 25% of those in debt were obese, compared to 11% not in debt. "In the situation of over-indebtedness, eating can become a compensation and gratification," the...

Arbitration Firms Quit Consumer Debt Biz

Credit card, cell phone companies scramble to collect by themselves

(Newser) - Credit card and cell phone companies are scrambling as two major arbitration firms back out of the business of settling consumer disputes, the Wall Street Journal reports. The National Arbitration Forum—accused in a Minnesota lawsuit of misleading consumers into thinking it was impartial—will stop taking cases this week,...

What Not to Put on Plastic

 What Not to Put on Plastic 
Jul 12, 2009 5:57 AM CDT

What Not to Put on Plastic

(Newser) - Credit card companies know more about you than you think—and if they think you're financially stressed, you're in trouble. American Public Media lists 10 "red-flag" purchases that you shouldn't make with plastic unless you want to give your credit card company the jitters.
  • Traffic tickets: These make you
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More Americans Falling Behind on Loans

Balances surge on bank credit-cards as Americans struggle to pay bills

(Newser) - Delinquencies on consumer and home-equity loans rose in the first quarter as unemployed Americans struggled to pay their bills, the Wall Street Journal reports. The number of borrowers at least 30 days late on their consumer loans, which include auto loans, rose slightly to 3.23% from the previous quarter....

Citi Jacks Up Card Rates on Millions of Accounts

(Newser) - As many Citigroup customers are already painfully aware, the lender has drastically increased rates on some 15 million credit card accounts, the Financial Times reports. Holders of Citi cards co-branded with retailers such as Sears saw their interest rates climb by as much as 24%—or 3 percentage points—between...

Credit Card Firms Cut Deals With Delinquents

Newly relaxed policies allow firms to settle for portion of debt

(Newser) - With countless customers running behind on payments, credit card companies are taking it easy on delinquents, letting them off the hook in exchange for partial repayments, the New York Times reports. The firms began easing up on their previous policies last fall, experts say; now they’re letting frontline workers...

Cities Saddled With the Most Credit Card Debt

Florida, California have credit problem, Forbes shows

(Newser) - The recession has many Americans tightening their belts, but some just can’t seem to put away the plastic. Forbes checked in with Equifax and compiled a list of the country's most credit card-happy cities. Conclusion? Florida might have a problem.
  1. Miami: Average household credit card debt: $9,797, or
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