Recent Articles by Curtis Arnold
Why Speeding Up the Implementation of the New Credit Card Law Is Bad for Consumers
Wednesday Oct 28, 2009
One the surface, moving the CARD Act deadline up from Feb. 2010 to this December sounds like a another victory for consumers over credit card companies. But, further investigation reveals that the move would only be a band-aid for bigger problems.
Closing Your Credit Card Without Warning: Your Card Issuer "Holds All the Cards"
Monday Oct 5, 2009
The latest twist on credit card account closures involves card issuers closing out select credit card accounts without even warning you beforehand. Even consumers with good credit aren't immune.
Is the Credit Card Balance Transfer Game Over?
Monday Aug 31, 2009
Credit card transfer offers for 12+ months with no fees and 0% used to flood our mailboxes. Then the credit crunch changed everything. What will balance transfer offers look like in the future considering the rules of the game have changed dramatically?
Why Paying Higher Credit Card Minimum Payments is in Your Best Interest
Monday Aug 10, 2009
Chase will be raising mimimum payments on some of their credit card accounts to an eye-popping 5% this month. Some consumer advocates and legislators have cried foul. Chase's actions, however, should viewed as tough medicine.
Fees and Growing Restrictions Make Airline Miles Reward Credit Cards Less Appealing
Tuesday Jul 28, 2009
Fees and increased restrictions, coupled with more competition from cash back credit cards, mean that airline reward credit cards are becoming the dinosaurs of the rewards card market
How Consumers Benefit from Credit Card Merchant Fees
Thursday Jul 16, 2009
Credit card merchant fees are the latest target by legislators, consumer groups and retail trade groups, but I for one don't particularly mind these "behind the scene" fees for several reasons.
5 Reasons Credit Cards Offer More Consumer Protection than Debit Cards
Friday Jun 26, 2009
Although debit card growth recently eclipsed credit card growth, credit cards still have many advantages over credit cards. Five primary advantages center around consumer protection issues.
Five Drawbacks of Reward Credit Cards
Thursday Jun 11, 2009
Credit card rebates, including cash and bonus air miles, come at a steeper price for many credit card customers. Here's some tips on how to benefit from the upside of these popular reward programs while limiting the downside.
New Credit Card Law Won't Be Perfect Panacea for Consumers
Tuesday Jun 2, 2009
The new credit card legislation promises consumers some desperately needed relief from the notorious credit card gotchas that the industry has become so closely become associated with, but may not be a cause for much of a celebration after all.
Popular American Express Blue Cash Card Drops Most Rebates to 1.25%
Thursday May 14, 2009
American Express recently scaled back their most popular cash rebate card. Scaling back card reward programs is the trend these days. What are the implications for cardmembers?
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The Your Money Bus Tour Created 3 months ago with 25 members in this group.
The second largest expense at Target stores after payroll are interchange fees. Talking about 2-3% doesn't sound like much, but for many small merchants like myself, interchange fees turn out to be 8-10% of the markup of a product I sell. That cuts into my profits really fast.