January 6, 2012 – 8:30 am | One Comment

Your best defence against making credit card mistakes is knowledge, and understanding some of the most common myths and misconceptions about credit cards can help you know what you need to manage the plastic in your wallet.

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Credit Card Debt

How to get out and stay out, as well as other sticky issues like dealing with debt collectors and loan consolidation.

Credit Cards

Reviews, Tips & Tricks, and everything else you need to know about getting the most out your credit cards.

Personal Finance

Budgeting, frugal living, saving, and all kinds of other money and finance related subjects.

Credit Report

Learn how to repair and improve your credit score. Learn about Beacon and Fico scores, and much more!

Debit Cards

Don’t like the idea of spending money you don’t have? Get the scoop on bank and prepaid debit cards.

How to Pull Off A Successful Credit Card Dispute
November 3, 2010 – 7:07 am | 4 Comments
How to Pull Off A Successful Credit Card Dispute

It’s happened to all of us. You buy something in a store, and when you get it home, find out that it just doesn’t work. Maybe you’ve made a purchase online and it arrives damaged …

How Your FICO Score Impacts Your Life
October 28, 2010 – 9:28 am | 7 Comments
How Your FICO Score Impacts Your Life

Your FICO score is more than just a credit score – it can have a big effect on areas of your life that, at first glance, completely unrelated to it. No, it’s not just your …

Who’s Stealing Your Credit Card? Five Quick Portraits of Identity Thieves
October 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. …

Control Your Budget – With A Little Help From Your Credit Card
October 6, 2010 – 9:01 pm | One Comment

In the near future, you may no longer be able to blame your debit or credit cards for that gaping hole in your monthly budget. As the New York Times reports, MasterCard and Citigroup have …

Is Overspending Hereditary
September 15, 2010 – 9:59 am | No Comment

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article that discussed the work of Jan-Emmanuel De Neve and James Fowler (London School of Economics and University of California, San Diego, researchers). De Neve and Fowler conducted …

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 | One 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 …

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 …

Smart Credit Cards 101: Chip-and-PIN FAQs
May 19, 2010 – 7:51 am | 5 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 …