Credit Card Now

For a while there, it seemed like there was no legal minimum age for a credit card at all. We’ve all heard tales of babies getting credit card applications, and I personally know someone whose young goat got one. (I’m not kidding here).

Things are still nebulous on this front, even in the wake of the infamous Credit CARD Act of 2009, which straightened out a lot of things credit card related. Let’s take a brief gander at the issue.

Well, legally…

Remember the heady days when credit card companies tempted college students with the promise of nectar and ambrosia–that is, beer and pizza–if they’d just sign up? I do, and before February 2010 many a young adult started down the slippery slope to financial penury that way.

Before the Credit CARD Act, you were considered financially responsible at the age of 18. Not anymore.

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Tags: Card, Credit Card, Minimum Age

Have you ever had the strong urge to give your hard-earned money to someone strumming “Dust in the Wind” out of key at a vacant intersection? Well, neither have I. But London-based issuer Barclays hopes our apprehension will disappear with its new approach to street charity: a wireless, touchless, credit card accepting guitar.

The financial institution unveiled the instrument Thursday, Aug. 26, in London during a publicity stunt promoting its “contactless technology.” People passing by a street musician — known as a “busker” in the UK — were handed prepaid cards loaded with £5 and were instructed to wave it near the head of the guitar. The money was then taken off the card and donated to the Help a London Child charity.

Contactless cards aren’t exclusive to Barclays’s, but they all work the same: By using radio-frequency identification, or RFID.

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For the fourth year in a row, American Express has topped the charts in the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study.

Released last week, the study indicates that AmEx received a customer service ranking of 769 on a 1,000 point scale, which was 12 points higher than the runner up—Discover Card. In addition, AmEx was the only credit issuer to receive five out of five J.D. Power.com Power Circles. Bringing up the rear for the ten major credit issuers analyzed in the study was HSBC, which received a ranking a 686 and just two out of five power circles.

I can’t say I’m surprised to see American Express at the top of the list again. In the credit card world, AmEx has always been a brand that’s stood for the highest level of customer service. In my personal opinion, they more than deserve this title.

I’ve been an AmEx customer ever since I was eligible to have my own credit card. In fact,

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Tags: Amex, Amex Reigns

Despite officially starting June 1, hurricane season is about to kick into high gear.  While meteorologists have scaled back their predictions a wee bit, there are still some major storms coming our way, according to Reuters. There is double the chance this year that a hurricane will hit the U.S. Northeast Coast, making the area just as risky as Florida and the Gulf Coast.

The Weather Service International has predicted that we will see 18 named storms, 10 of which will go on to become hurricanes. Five of those are expected to be category three or higher (111 miles per hour or more), says Reuters.

My colleagues Dan and Connie know a thing or two about hurricanes; before they moved to Texas, they both lived in Florida and dealt with major hurricanes every year. Read more…

Tags: Hurricane Season, Season

A cash back reward credit card is designed to allow you to get cash back as a reward for using a certain credit card company’s card. However, as is usually the case with a deal that seems to be too good to be true these cards may not save you as much as you think, unless you know what to look for when deciding which of these cash back cards to choose. Here are some features you want your new cash back card to have.

No Spending Limit

Some cash back cards have high threshold limits, meaning you have to spend a certain high dollar amount with your credit card before you can even begin to start getting cash back points. Look for a cash back reward credit card that has a very low threshold limit or none at all. That way you can start earning those cash back points sooner.

No Annual Fees

You also want to find a cash back card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. Pay

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Tags: Card, Credit Card, Reward Credit, Reward Credit Card