Treated Like a Criminal at Checkout? Don’t Put Up With It
June 9, 2010 – 10:53 am | No Comment

Credit card fraud is a serious issue, and retailers and credit card issuers have enacted a number of measures to help protect your identity and their bottom-lines. But the backlash of tighter security is that …

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Articles in Credit Cards

Five Ways to Make Your Credit Work for You
August 20, 2010 – 3:06 am | No Comment

If it always seems like your credit cards have the upper hand, it’s time to take a closer look at making your credit work for you. By taking a few moments out of your day, you …

Smartphone: The New and Improved Credit Card
August 5, 2010 – 9:38 am | No Comment

Waving your phone in front of a cash register in order to pay for an item may seem unimaginable, but phone payments are coming soon to a retail store near you. According to Bloomberg, AT&T, …

The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace is Totally Silly
June 30, 2010 – 10:12 am | No Comment
The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace is Totally Silly

Have you heard of this? The Whitehouse, along with “key government agencies, business leaders and privacy advocates” have cooked up a blueprint for a voluntary, centralized identification system that will  somehow clamp down on identity …

Merchants Score Victory In Swipe Fee Battle
June 23, 2010 – 2:13 pm | No Comment
Merchants Score Victory In Swipe Fee Battle

The longstanding battle between merchants and the banking industry has netted at least one victory for merchants on Capitol Hill. This week, the House and Senate came to an agreement over the issue of debit …

New Credit Card Rules: Brace Yourself for the Backlash
June 16, 2010 – 3:09 pm | No Comment
New Credit Card Rules: Brace Yourself for the Backlash

On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve Board enacted additional consumer protections for credit card users in the ongoing game of legislative whack-a-mole. These new rules, which won’t go into effect until August 22, may bring some …

Treated Like a Criminal at Checkout? Don’t Put Up With It
June 9, 2010 – 10:53 am | No Comment
Treated Like a Criminal at Checkout? Don’t Put Up With It

Credit card fraud is a serious issue, and retailers and credit card issuers have enacted a number of measures to help protect your identity and their bottom-lines. But the backlash of tighter security is that …

Travel and Credit Cards: 7 Tips Before Hitting the Road
June 2, 2010 – 8:13 am | No Comment
Travel and Credit Cards: 7 Tips Before Hitting the Road

Heading overseas this summer? Don’t forget your credit card. Whether you’re in a pinch or simply picking up the tab on the road, credit cards can be your best friend–or worst enemy. Before hopping on …

Who’s Stealing Your Credit Card? Five Quick Portraits of Identity Thieves
May 26, 2010 – 9:59 am | One Comment
Who’s Stealing Your Credit Card? Five Quick Portraits of Identity Thieves

Credit card thieves. We know they’re out there. We know we’re supposed to fear them, be ever vigilant against them, and, if given the opportunity, finger them so the authorities can haul them into prison. …

Smart Credit Cards 101: Chip-and-PIN FAQs
May 19, 2010 – 7:51 am | 2 Comments
Smart Credit Cards 101: Chip-and-PIN FAQs

In Europe, they’ve transitioned away from signature-based credit card authorizations and are instead using credit cards with built-in chips that require a PIN for most transactions. The system is called EMV, named for the three …

Trends in Oversharing: Social Payments and Swipely
May 12, 2010 – 8:00 am | One Comment
Trends in Oversharing: Social Payments and Swipely

Oh boy. What follows is a rant from a non-believer. So, take it with a grain of salt.
There’s this hot new trend on the horizon that folks like The Wall Street Journal are calling “social …

Five Things That Are (Nearly) Impossible Without Credit Cards
May 5, 2010 – 6:29 pm | One Comment
Five Things That Are (Nearly) Impossible Without Credit Cards

If “Things You’d Find in a Wallet” were a survey question on Family Feud, chances are that “credit card” would be right up there just below “driver’s license” and cash. It says something that credit …

Four Ways to Get Your Money Back from a Credit Card Purchase
April 27, 2010 – 7:31 pm | No Comment
Four Ways to Get Your Money Back from a Credit Card Purchase

The Credit CARD Act that recently kicked into high gear this year is often hailed as one of the more consumer-friendly legislations passed on credit card reform, but it’s important to give due credit to …

Credit Cards Going Extinct? We Don’t Think So
April 7, 2010 – 6:26 am | No Comment
Credit Cards Going Extinct? We Don’t Think So

Okay, okay, we usually don’t hesitate to declare credit cards dead (Five Futuristic Ways to Pay without Credit Cards and Death of the Credit Card Signature) but our musings are more like utopian “what-ifs” from …

Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit, Average Credit, Good Credit and Excellent Credit
March 17, 2010 – 4:35 am | No Comment
Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit, Average Credit, Good Credit and Excellent Credit

If you grew up in an egalitarian society with a loving family, you’ve probably been told over and over to reach for the stars and set your sights high. You can achieve anything if you …