Credit Card Now

Here’s 10 $20 bills, and a $5 bill. Take them. They’re free. You want them?

Apparently you don’t.

In a time when saving is in vogue, you’d think $205 would be enough money to care about. Yet the average household that participates in a credit card loyalty program fails to redeem $205 of $622 in rewards each year, be it airline miles or points, accrued from shopping and credit card use.

Overall, of the $48 billion in rewards issued in America each year, about one-third of that amount — $16 billion — goes unclaimed, according to a joint study by Colloquy, a loyalty industry research organization, and Swift Exchange, a marketing group.

When you read this, you may scoff like I did: Who doesn’t want to spend “free” money?

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NFC chip technology is a market with huge potential for growth as smartphones and other mobile devices begin to replace cash and plastic in consumers’ wallets. In fact, there are some stepping stone applications which are particularly noteworthy in the move toward mobile credit card authorization.

One company that can’t be overlooked is Squareup.com, or “Square” as it’s commonly called. Founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Square is nothing more than a shift away from the traditional use of credit card authorization terminals.

Traditionally, credit card merchant services have been set aside for business-only transactions with a hard-wired connection. But what about the guy who runs a taco stand? What about if you want to split the tab on your dinner at Applebee’s with a couple of friends? Square has n

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Tags: Market, Market Credit

I can thank my mother for helping me become the tightwad that I am today. I’m not alone.

As a new CreditCards.com poll shows, the family member identified the most for influencing our financial habits and money management prowess is dear ol’ Mom. The poll of 1,004 adults found that more than a quarter (26 percent) chose mom as the chief influencer of their money handling skills. Dad was second with 21 percent.

But as several financial literacy and credit counseling experts pointed out during interviews, parental influence on our money management skills can be both positive and negative.

“What if mom and dad have poor personal finance habits?” asked Gail Cunningham, spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. “It is highly likely that those habits are passed along to the children, thus perpetuating the problem.”

She added: “Whether it’s mom or dad who most influences you, now that you’re an adult it’s important to evaluate whether or not that influence was a positive one.

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Customers who have excellent credit scores are being flooded with offers from card companies. The rewards and perks that are being offered are the best since 2008, stated Bill Hardekopf, CEO of a consumer website.

There are a number of enhanced rewards for the new cardholders which include the limited time incentive where they can earn 100,000 miles with Chase British Airways Visa Signature Card.

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Tags: Card Companies, Companies, Excellent Credit

Jedi fans will be roaming college campuses and city streets tomorrow wielding lightsabers and sporting their most authentic costumes in celebration of the unofficial Star Wars Day, May 4th.

Stemming from a play on one of the film’s most popular quotes, “May the Force be with you”, fans worldwide have twisted the phrase into “May the 4th be with you” and set aside this day to honor all things Star Wars. So don’t be alarmed if you see people speaking weird guttural languages to each other, trying to open their car doors using the Force, or acting like their arm just got cut off in a lightsaber duel. It’s all part of the fun.

For a true Star Wars fan, however, the celebration lasts longer than a single day.  You may have been embarrassed about your obsession with Jar Jar Binks action figures when you were in high school, but now that you’re in college, there’s no shame in letting your true colors shine through. In fact, there’s n

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Tags: May 4th, Star Wars, Wars