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Bloggerwave Review
2007-08-11 16:22:00
There is a new site in town, Bloggerwave, which functions very similarly with Review Me and PayperPost. As it is not established yet, the first thing that pops into mind, is whether this site is for real. Will payments be a problem?It is natural to be sceptical but anyway, i am determined to give it a try. The signup process can be described as a breeze and there is little hassle in submitting your blog too.Since the site is keen to get in bloggers, the approval time is very quick and they do not have very stringent requirements for the time being. There is a maximum of 5 blogs which you can add.Once your blog is approved, you can take the opportunity to do the review, Buzz or Opinion, and write you own post on your selected blog. Then you wait for your post to be approved and of course to get the payment.I do not see many Offers yet but that is typical of any new site as the advertisers have yet to come in, which is why building up the buzz for Bloggerwave is so important. The rate...
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Credit cards, loans fund purchases
2007-08-09 15:31:00
WASHINGTON - Consumer borrowing rose more than twice as much as forecast in June, as people turned to credit cards and non-mortgage loans in order to maintain spending.Consumer credit increased $13.2 billion during the month, to $2.46 trillion, after a $15.9 billion gain in May that was larger than previously reported, the Federal Reserve said Tuesday. Credit increased at a 6.5 percent annual rate after rising at a 7.9 percent pace in May. Economists expected a gain of $5.8 billion in June.Slumping home values and stricter lending standards have made it harder for Americans to borrow against their homes for extra cash."It's become increasingly expensive, or impossible, to tap into home equity," said Steven Wood, president of Insight Economics LLC in Danville, Calif. "Consumer spending could be soft in the third quarter." Revolving debt such as credit cards rose $6.3 billion in June. Non-revolving debt increased $6.9 billion.
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Benefits of A Travel Credit Card - Part 2
2007-08-04 17:08:00
Beside all the points, though, which is a great incentive, you also need to look at the other features of the travel credit card, too.Look at the interest rate, because if you leave a balance on the card, eventually that is the rate you will be paying.Then look to see if there is a balance transfer option. This is great to use if you have balances on other cards and are paying interest on it.Transfer the amounts and get an interest free period to reduce your debt.Be aware of some little things like when your points expire.This could be bad if you are hoping to get a free trip in a couple of years to a nice vacation spot - only to discover your points have vanished.Also be sure to look and compare the various fees that apply, and the length of time given for the introductory offer – it could be as little as three months or as long as fifteen.One other thing you will want to look for.This involves the availability of the airline. If you get an airline card, then you will want to mak...
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Iraqi Credit Cards
2007-06-07 11:02:00
Credit cards have arrived in Iraq, four years after the U.S. invasion, reports National Public Radio.While credit cards were unheard of under the regime of Saddam Hussein, at least one bank in the country now offers customers the chance to have their very own plastic.The Trade Bank of Iraq has so far issued Iraqi s 15,000 credit cards.But unlike in some other countries, getting a regular credit card in Iraq is a tougher prospect. According to the Trade Bank of Iraq, a credit card is given only is cases where the applicant is known to the bank.For Iraqi consumers with no history, the bank starts them off with a prepaid credit card, instead. The bank explained that unlike in the west, where an applicant's Social Security number is sufficient to check their credit history, lenders in Iraq do not yet have that ability.Cash is still king in Iraq, with consumers even acknowledging that credit cards are most useful for transactions made outside the country. Still, some Iraqi cardholders ar...
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Three Ways To Get Hold of Credit Card Debt
2007-05-31 17:11:00
It is very easy, these days, to run up those credit cards to the max. So many things, and bills that you can easily put on them, that they can tend to get out of control.However, with the interest rate that you are paying on them, and possibly some late fees, getting out of credit card debt is not going to be easy. So, it may be time to stop dreaming about what you don't have, and take some deliberate steps to correcting the problem.Here are some things you can do - and you can use a new credit card to do it.Get A Credit Card With Balance TransfersIt may be a little hard to believe, but another credit card could very well be a key to help you get out of debt. You will first want to apply for a credit card that permits balance transfers. Most credit cards will now have this feature on them, as an introductory offer.It allows you to take the balance from another credit card and put it on the new one. Generally, you will have up to 15 months to enjoy an interest rate of 0% on any amou...
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How to Clear your Credit Card Debts
2007-04-29 06:56:00
These days there are so many ways to let credit get out of control that you will probably be constantly aware of the dangers of over spending.So many people have access to far more credit than they think they need or can afford, and it is a constant challenge not to let it get out of hand and fall into the trap of spending it all.For most people, credit cards are probably the most dangerous element of this situation and the one they will keep tabs on most closely. If you can get your credit card debts under control then you will have gone a good way to getting your finances and especially your spending under control.This is vital as credit card debt and other similar short term debts are one of the first places future lenders will look when assessing your credit worthiness for future borrowing. There are a few very simple ways to go about keeping credit card debts under control.They are really just common sense but it is useful to recap over them as many people fall into the trap of...
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Bank of America to Offer "Green" Credit Card
2007-04-22 03:44:00
As part of an environmental initiative launched on March 6, 2007, Bank of America said it plans to offer an eco-friendly credit card later in the year that will provide environmentally friendly incentives and features.For every dollar than is spent on this "green" credit card, Bank of America will contribute to an environmental organization to invest in projects aimed at cutting greenhouse gases.Meanwhile, Bank of America will establish similar programs under its WorldPoints Rewards for existing cardholders, allowing them to donate their WorldPoints rewards to organizations that invest in greenhouse gas reductions or redeem their points for environmentally friendly products.Additionally, BofA will offer the chance to trade carbon emissions in an attempt to let clients reach carbon emission "neutrality" via "existing and emerging market mechanisms."Bank of America's overall plan to spend $20 billion on numerous business activities that include energy efficiency and emissions offsets...
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Benefits of A Travel Credit Card - Part 1
2007-04-15 14:09:00
If business or pleasure frequently take you to other destinations, then you will certainly want to take advantage of a travel credit card.These credit cards offer a number of options which can give you a great deal of savings over time, including free flights, merchandise, hotels rooms and much more.Here are some of the benefits of a travel credit card, and what you need to know to be able to select the right one for your needs.Travel cards, which are usually also called air miles credit cards, are very popular - but are not all the same. Some of these cards will only allow the points earned to be used to purchase other air travel tickets.This is rather limited when compared to what other credit cards will do. The point system will vary, too, as well as most of the other features.If it is just the miles that you want, you will quickly find that you can get miles on many different types of credit cards.While some cards do not particularly give you air miles, the points that they do g...
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Thieves Go "Vishing" for Credit Card Info Over the Phone
2007-04-01 08:38:00
As more and more consumers have become wary of responding to unsolicited e-mails requesting credit card account information and other personal data, thieves have started to move from phishing to use of a new scheme, known as "vishing."With phishing, Internet scammers created fake e-mails that seemed to be from legitimate sources, such as a bank, credit card issuer, or reputable online merchant, asking their intended victims to click on a weblink and then provide personal information for one reason or another.In vishing (short for voice phishing), thieves are making use of the telephone for the same goal of tricking you into providing credit card data, social security numbers, and more. Using the telephone to trick consumers into giving away financial and personal information is nothing new for thieves. But what makes vishing a new phenomenon is the way criminals are getting a hand from current technology.Vishing makes use of Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, the technology that...
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Housing Slowdown Could See U.S. Consumers Turn to Credit Cards
2007-03-25 07:21:00
With the housing market experiencing a slowdown of late, U.S. consumers could switch from using the equity in their homes for expenses to more traditional methods like charge cards. That shift could increase the volume of credit card securitizations in 2007.Recent years saw a double-digit surge in home prices offer a break to some subprime borrowers carrying the weight of household expenses and credit card debt.But with tighter lending standards and stagnant home prices, consumers are likely to return to credit cards. According to Dwight Asset Management of Burlington, Vermont, consumers who no longer can effectively take equity from their homes as they continue to spend will put it back on credit cards as they have in the past.Data from the Federal Reserve shows that revolving credit, made up of credit cards and charge cards, increased at an annual rate of 0.8% in December 2006 to a total of $876.18 billion following a spike of 13.8% in November.Further robust gains in revolving c...
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Credit Card Authorisation Advice
2007-03-18 01:42:00
Most of us use credit or debit cards regularly, and normally there are no problems verifying that these cards belong to us.However, sometimes there are extra security measures or technical problems that make it hard to verify if a card belongs to someone or not. If you find yourself in this situation, there are a number of steps you can take to resolve the situation.Entering the wrong PINIf you have a number of cards or are just in a rush, it can be easy to enter the wrong PIN in a cash machine or retail machine. If this happens, you have two more chances to enter the right PIN.Sometimes software error can cause your PIN to not be authorised, especially in handheld chip and PIN machines. If you are unsure of your PIN then stop trying. If you enter the wrong PIN three times then your card will be locked and you will have to call your card issuer to sort out the situation.Phoning your card issuerWhen you need to sort out any disputes or get some questions answered by your card issuer,...
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Charge That Condo!
2007-03-11 05:04:00
At a time when an increasing number of landlords are letting tenants pay their rent with credit cards, American Express is expected to announce a plan to allow some customers to use their AmEx plastic for condominium down payments.Currently, the service looks to be restricted to luxury-condo buyers in New York City. American Express is introducing the program with New York real-estate firm Moinian Group for its currently-under-construction Atelier condominium in Midtown Manhattan, although both companies indicate that they plan to expand the service to other properties and partners.The deal will enable condo buyers to earn one point for each dollar charged, allowing them to rack up reward points or frequent-flier miles on major transactions. Additionally, the ability to pay with an American Express credit card lengthens the amount of time buyers have to meet the down-payment requirements and removes the difficulty of getting certified checks. According to Chief Executive Joseph Mo...
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What You Need To Know About Credit Card Rates
2007-03-04 03:57:00
Going through the plethora of credit card rates isn't exactly a breeze -- and the credit card companies make it that way on purpose. The more murky the waters, the more room they have to make money (and money is the name of the game for the credit card industry).In order to fully understand credit card rates, you have to keep the following seven credit card fundamentals in mind:1. Corporate Office vs. Used Car LotIf you had to picture the average employee at your credit card company, what type of individual do you imagine? Is it a professional in a suit? If so, you'd better change that perception in order to understand the world of credit card rates.Think of the credit card company as a used car lot -- they want to razzle you and dazzle you with low credit card rates in one hand and then pile on the hidden charges with the other hand when you're not looking.2. The Rate May Not Be Set In StoneWhen it comes to credit card rates, the interest you pay in the beginning may not be set ...
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Are Smart Cards Really Smart - Part 2
2007-02-18 16:41:00
Where your personal information is concerned, you always make sure it is protected; you have your address and zip code which is known by you.You also have your pin stored mentally, not known to other people, but what about these smart cards? Just how smart are they? This can be best answered by understanding how smart cards work.Smart cards store your information in a chip embedded in the credit card. It transmits your information to the scanner by means of WiFi frequency. So when you flash it in front of the scanner all your information is passed from the chip to the scanner which processes the card based on the information it receives.The problem lies in the passing of the information.Since it is passed by WiFi frequency it exposes your information to just about anyone with rudimentary technical expertise. Anyone with any crudely homemade WiFi reader can actually steal your information if they can get as close as four inches from you. Their basic WiFi reader will import your infor...
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Are Smart Cards Really Smart?
2007-02-06 14:40:00
Been a long time in posting. Quite busy of late. Anyway, here is an article on smart cards for readers.If you have not stayed indoors all this while, you will have noticed the ads promoting smart cards as the next best thing in the line of credit cards. You do not need to stand in line to have the store clerk walk you through the swiping of your credit card and wasting your valuable time.Imagine being stuck in a queue while the person in front of you fumbles with his/her credit card, maybe inputs the wrong credit card pin, the transaction gets cancelled so it can be redone, all the time you have only one little item and want to be in and out. You stand there getting frustrated while the drama plays itself out.The smart card is supposed to help in this regard making it a cinch to get your business in the store through as fast as you can wave your card at a scanner. Everybody wants speed when carrying out your purchases, right?Recently a new technology was invented for credit card con...
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Credit Card Offers: What to Know Before You Accept One
2006-09-21 12:52:00
Credit card offers, we all receive them. They appear in our email inbox, our mailbox, and they are constantly advertised on television. At one point in your life, it is likely that you will be interested in accepting one of these offers.Before you make the decision to accept a credit card offer, you are encouraged to know what you are getting yourself into. Many individuals regret not fully examining their credit card offer before accepting it, you do not want to be one of those individuals.As previously mentioned, credit card offers come in a wide variety of different forms. The credit card offers most often accepted are the ones that come in the mail. There is just something about having a piece of paper in our hand that makes us more likely to act.Credit card offers in the mail are a great place to obtain a great credit card, but not all offers are as great as they claim to be. Before signing a credit card contract, you are encouraged to examine interest rates, fees, and other re...
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Can You Afford Credit Cards?
2006-09-11 08:08:00
These days, it seems that nobody can do without a credit card. Anytime you plan to do anything that requires spending more money than you actually have, your credit has a lot to do with whether or not you will be approved.The "buy now, pay later" marketing pitch has been taking the world by storm since the early 50s. If you don't have a credit card and your credit isn't that great, it's very difficult to qualify for one.Although, there are always a few credit card companies that will jump at the opportunity to give almost any who has a job a credit card, those companies usually have higher interest rates, which mean you will pay way more. Is the hassle even worth it?The buy now, pay later method of purchasing sounds very appealing to pretty much anyone you will ever meet. It's very convenient and gives you the opportunity to buy things you may have never thought of ever being able to afford. Buying something that costs anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000 in cash is a steep price for...
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Cut Down On Credit Card Debts
2006-07-29 12:44:00
It is no surprise if credit card debts are crushing you and you can't sleep at night from all the worries, but do not despair as you're not alone. Take charge of your life and adopt positive steps to eliminate these debts would be the right approach.There is no need for extremes like cutting up all of your credit cards. Of course, if you can discontinue the dependence on them, you are likely to be debt free and financially stable in the long run.The less drastic approach is to keep your major bank cards, but stop charging unnecessary temptations on them. If you are doing business or intending to make a mortgage loan, you need a couple of major bank credit cards to maintain or build strong credit scores.The credit cards you should throw away are departmental store credit cards as they cost you too much in interest. Plus, these types of credit cards lower your credit scores. When mortgage lenders compute your credit worthiness for real estate financing, they deduct points for unfavo...
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Choosing Your New Credit Card
2006-07-25 05:18:00
Nowadays, there are hundreds of credit cards to choose from and savvy shoppers will want to choose credit cards that suit the way they spend and the things they want to do. It is no longer a matter of financial decision but a lifestyle for many.Why Do You Need A Credit Card ? This is the first question to ask but you will be surprised that many people never do that. For example, some people may be using the credit card to improve their personal cash flow. They do this by banking their salary, putting all purchases on the credit card and paying it off before the interest is due. Meanwhile, their salary sits in a current or savings account earning interest.For others, it may be luxury purchases on their credit cards, such as new furniture, laptops, plasma TVs, tour packages, etc. When going on holiday, they will need ready access to cash and this is where the credit card comes in again. For cash advances using credit cards, they will need to choose a card that has a low rate for this...
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Other Costs and Features of a credit card
2006-07-05 18:12:00
The terms and conditions of credit card issuers do vary, so before you shop for a card, ask yourself a few questions to know more clearly what is it you really need.1. How you plan to use it.Your decision to pay the bills in full or partially each month will determine which factors are more important. Say you intend to make full payment for your bills at the end of each month, then the annual fee may be more important than the periodic rate and the APR if there is a grace period for purchases.However, if you are hard up for cash and use the cash advance feature, it may be wise to consider APR and the balance computation methods. This is because many cards do not permit a grace period for the amounts due - even if they have a grace period for purchases.Or if you plan to pay for purchases over time, the APR and the balance computation method will again be the major considerations.2. Credit Limit, acceptance and other features.You'll probably also want to consider if the credit lim...
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Increased Volume of Credit Card Offers
2006-06-15 06:05:00
Just saw an interesting article the other day.Written by By Rebecca Lindsey, Card Ratings.com Senior ReporterIf Americans have noticed an increased volume of credit card offers in their mailboxes recently, they’re not imagining things. Mail Monitor, the direct mail offer tracking service from global market research firm Synovate, announced that over six billion credit card offers were mailed to U.S. citizens in the year 2005. That’s an increase of 16% from 2004, when ONLY 5.23 billion were mailed! Ten years ago in 1995, a scant 2.7 billion credit card offers were mailed (yes this statement is laced with sarcasm). “Over the past few years we keep saying 'this is record mail volume' but it continues to grow at a high rate,” says Brent Stratford, Vice President of Competitive Tracking Services in the Financial Services Practice at Synovate.He continues, “This type of mail volume gives consumers more options. The mailbox is where consumers will most likely find ‘test’ off...
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Balance Computation Methods
2006-06-11 06:20:00
As i mentioned in the previous post, here are some examples of the balance computation methods:1. Average Daily Balan ce .The ADB is the most common method of calculation. Your account is credited from the day payment is received by the issuer. To arrive at the balance due, the card issuer totals the beginning balance for each day in the billing period and subtracts any credits made to your account that day. While new purchases may or may not be added to the balance, depending on your plan, cash advances typically are included. The resulting daily balances are added for the billing cycle. The total is then divided by the number of days in the billing period to get the "average daily balance." 2. Adjusted Balance.This is usually the most advantageous method for card holders. Your balance is determined by subtracting payments or credits received during the current billing period from the balance at the end of the previous billing period. Purchases made during the current billing ...
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