Jan 18

Instead they have announced plans that could leave two million vulnerable borrowers paying top rates of interest on their debts.

The Department for Business, Innovation And Skills had proposed a ban on unrequested rises to credit limits, an increase in the minimum borrowers should repay each month, and an end to surprise rate changes.

Credit card firms have rejected all three requests.

A fourth proposal was to change the order in which debts are repaid which could cut the time taken to repay and slash the interest charges.

Banks have accepted only a small part of this. There are 66m credit cards in the UK.

With the majority the most expensive debt you incur is paid off last.

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Jan 16

If you’re like me, my wife, and most of the credit card users in the United States, you received a little note from your lender in 2009 outlining “simple changes” to your card’s terms and conditions. At my house, our lenders’ contract adjustments included:

• Hiking the interest rate on one card to 33%
• Dropping the credit limit on another card from $5,000 to $2,000
• Reducing cash-back rewards by about half
• Adding fees for frequent-flyer-mile participation
• Canceling one credit line without our prior knowledge

Our reaction to each one of these letters was probably like yours: lots of unprintable cussing, followed by the shredding of at least two platinum cards. However, I remember

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Jan 15

There have been a variety of scams people have fallen victim to when trying to redeem their gift cards. Here are a few tips and situations to help you avoid being ripped off of your money.

1. After purchasing the card immediately write your initials on the back of it in permanent marker.

When an unknowing consumer goes to use their gift card at the place of purchase, the cashier will switch the card with a different one containing no value. When the cashier tries to verify the card and the value is zero the consumer is out of luck.

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Jan 12

The chairman of the powerful Senate Banking Committee since 2007, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut), has decided not to seek reelection after 5 terms in the U.S. Senate. Dodd and the Senate Banking Committee were at the center of efforts to deal with the economic meltdown. He also has played a prominent role in the healthcare debate. Considered the most vulnerable incumbent for the upcoming election cycle, behind Sen. Majority Lead Harry Reid, Dodd’s numbers plummeted following the crisis in mortgage lending. 

The key Senate position is to be filled by Tim Johnson, (D-S. Dakota), a champion of credit card issuers and a concern for consumer groups who see him as a foe of tighter regulation of the credit industry. Joh

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Jan 12

Here’s even more proof as if it was needed that supermarkets are pulling ahead of the staid big banks when it comes to great products and customer satisfaction: they are now trumping the major players when it comes to credit cards.

Marks & Spencer and Tesco top the credit card customer satisfaction tables compiled by comparison and switching service uSwitch.com, while Halifax, Lloyds and NatWest come bottom of the pile.

Almost eight out of ten customers were satisfied overall with their credit card, which fell to seven out of 10 when it comes to everyday customer support.

However, almost 2m people or 6% of credit card customers are very dissatisfied with their card.

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