Tag: Credit Cards
4 Signs Your Credit Card Debt Is Getting Out of Control
It’s easy to dig yourself deep into credit card debt, but with a little attention to detail and self-discipline, you can catch yourself before a small problem becomes a life-altering debacle. If you’re ever carrying a balance on your credit card, instead of paying the statement in full each billing cycle, you need to closely watch that balance and make plans to pay it off. Most people take on debt with the intention of paying it off, but the longer you procrastinate making a debt payoff plan, the more difficult that will be. Here are some telltale signs that you’re on the path to troublesome credit card debt. 1. You’re Afraid of the Truth The last thing you want your credit card
Pay for Your Honeymoon With Credit Card Rewards
Taking advantage of lucrative credit card sign-up bonuses and putting some of your wedding expenses on those rewards cards can help you earn travel rewards for a dream honeymoon. Photo: Westin Dawn Beach via Facebook More and more newlyweds are putting off their honeymoons. A lot of busy couples reach this decision because of scheduling conflicts, while others simply see no hurry to rush it. But other soon-to-be-married couples are putting off their honeymoons for one reason only: money. In many cases, that’s probably an excellent decision. While it’s certainly possible to have a frugal wedding, the average wedding now costs more than $30,000; it’s a wonder that many couples get to take any kind of honeymoon, let alone a big,
How to Graduate From a Secured Credit Card
When you have bad credit, it can feel like no one will give you a loan, even though you can’t rebuild your credit history without one. Secured credit cards can offer a way out of this conundrum because issuers typically approve nearly all applicants for these kind of cards, regardless of credit history. But in order to open a secured credit card account, you first have to submit a refundable deposit, which typically becomes your credit limit. Naturally, many secured card users look forward to later opening a standard credit card account, and receiving their security deposit back. Here are some important steps to take in order to graduate from a secured credit card to a standard one. 1. Make Every Payment on Time Your payment history
5 Credit Cards for New Homeowners
As any homeowner will attest, buying a house is one of those purchases that only comes with more expenses. Maintaining a budget and shopping around for the best deals on big expenses like furniture and home-repair services will help you save money as a homeowner, but taking advantage of good credit card offers can be another way to accomplish the same goal. You may be surprised to learn about all the different credit cards out there that meet the money-saving needs of homeowners — there are a lot of options, but you generally need a good or excellent credit score to take advantage of the offers. Before applying for any new credit, take a look at your credit scores to see if you have a
The World’s Sexiest Looking Credit Cards
We all already know what the most exclusive credit cards are: the Amex Centurion and Chase Palladium. Have we ever stopped and wondered who did the best in designing the aesthetic looks of their cards? We’ve examined hundreds of credit cards and compiled a list of the sexiest looking cards. We’re not judging these cards by how exclusive they are, but rather how much effort and time was put into the design. So without further adieu, here are our top picks of the world’s sexiest credit cards. The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Visa It’s clean. It’s simple. And brings sexy back. The lion and crown logo represents the British royal seal (the crown) and the logo of a financial backer (the lion). This
Eight Tips to Make Credit Cards Work for You, Not Against You
Stay in control of your credit cards — don’t let them control you. A credit card can be a valuable tool if you know how to use it properly. Likewise, using credit cards irresponsibly can lead to a world of hurt. If you need an example of how badly things can go, look no further than your neighbors, friends, and relatives. According to the most recent statistics, the average American household carries around $7,200 in credit card debt. Even worse, that figure tends to increase with each passing year, even as household incomes struggle to keep up with inflation. Further, a 2001 study by Drazen Prelec and Duncan Simester titled “Always Leave Home Without It” surmised that individuals using credit are often willing to spend twice
What’s your position on debt? Read this first
This article is by staff writer William Cowie. You hear it all the time, here and many other places: Debt is bad — evil, even — you know, like smoking and drinking and gambling. Yet, despite overwhelming evidence that smoking is bad for us, almost one person out of every five still smokes. And in the past year, that number has not declined significantly. The government even has campaigns to get people to stop doing what’s bad for them. Beer companies have to add “Please drink responsibly” to their ads and, in many states, gambling is flat out illegal. People aren’t borrowing enough? So, if debt was bad for you like those other vices, you would expect your government to have some educational program
The New Visa Clear Prepaid Program Simplifies Prepaid Card Fees
Visa just simplified the confusing world of prepaid debit card fees. In order to help consumers avoid the complex maze of fees sometimes charged by prepaid cards, Visa recently announced a new designation for prepaid products with simple fee structures and no “gotchas.” The new set of standards, called the Visa Clear Prepaid Program, aims to make prepaid cards with simple monthly fee plans easily identifiable for the average prepaid customer. This move comes on the heels of a recent proposal from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) which called for strong, new federal protections in the prepaid market. According to the CFPB, an unprecedented surge in the use of prepaid cards (from $1 billion loaded in 2003 to $65 billion in 2012) has left consumers without
Half of the Cardholders Will Avoid Stores Hit by Data Breaches
A study of a randomly selected 865 American adults who use debit or credit card showed that nearly half of them are reluctant this holiday season to return to hacked stored. We all know that data breaches are very common nowadays and people just want to protect their personal information.The study,conducted by landline and cell phone from 2 – 3 October by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for Credit.Cards.com showed that,Five percent of the respondents who use credit or debit cards would avoid stores that experienced a data breachSixteen percent of the respondents said that they would definitely not return to a store that had experienced hacking and twenty nine percent stated that they would probably not return to a hacked store.We have been
