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Living with credit (277)
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New, interesting products (73)
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Research, regulation, industry reports (185)
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Rewards (27)
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Protecting yourself (122)
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The fine print (42)
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Credit card miscellany (306)
February 2009 Archives
This week's round-up from the best of the blogosphere celebrates the 75th birthday of Ralph Nader, a controversial figure who has spent his life advocating consumer rights.
The small size and convenient shape of a credit card hasn't gone unnoticed, with inventors and innovators working to shrink various devices down to pocket-sized perfection. Consider the following wallet-ready calculators, Best Buy gift cards with built-in audio speakers and PIN pads -- all resembling plastic payment cards and all easily portable.
Any common criminal can snatch a credit card and attempt to make some charges, but it takes a special breed of fraudster to hatch a plan and then follow through with it. For this week's edition of Criminal Charges, I've pulled together several tales of organized criminal activity that involved multiple individuals who orchestrated more complex attempts to defraud.
A week after turning 24, I received my first debt collection letter. Is this a sign I'm becoming an adult? Fortunately, it was a mix-up.
This week's credit card roundup focuses on two famous old-school socialites who live very different lives than most of us. Few of us have their ability to spend recklessly.
After getting my landline installed, I found another "benefit" that I hadn't expected -- becoming popular with debt collectors.
The coverage of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's meaty speech yesterday rightly focused on his remarks about the overall economy. But he did give some insight into the Fed's actions regarding credit cards, and since we're CreditCards.com, I figured it would be worth presenting those remarks in depth here.
There's a bank in California that wants you to celebrate black history, and all you have to do to celebrate is use their debit card. Blaxploitation anyone?
The stories of espionage and international intrigue in this week's abbreviated Criminal Charges round up would make James Bond proud. We've got a former spy who decided to let the CIA pay for his luxurious lifestyle, as well as a international murder in Dubai where a credit card may help identify the killer.
An alleged criminal trio were arrested last Monday for their participation in a major theft ring. According to a press release from the Leon County Sheriff's Office, the three men used credit card information stolen from the records of New Jersey-based Heartland Processing Center to electronically encode Visa gift cards. Police say those gift cards were then used to make fraudulent purchases at local businesses, including several Tallahassee Wal-Marts, with the merchandise then sold for cash.
Don't go into debt just to show your honey a good time this Valentine's Day! This week's round-up features articles on having a fun but frugal Valentine's Day and making wise financial decisions with your romantic partner.
As the names of customers affected by the Heartland Payment Systems breach continue to trickle in, despite few if any actual losses of money from the breach, banks across the country are choosing to close customers' accounts and issue new cards to be on the safe side.
The following credit card criminals were most certainly doing some bad business.
Check out the Carnival of Personal Finance -- Wizard of Oz edition. Among the personal finance blog posts rounded up there, carnival host Dollar Frugal has seen fit to include my Criminal Charges post involving tales of criminals caught on videotape.
Whether you are religious or not, the concept of Lent is useful for many people, especially for those looking for make financial cutbacks. This round-up features posts that help readers determine where they can trim the fat and make changes to improve their financial health.
Last week, I was concerned about being a potential victim of a major data breach. This week, I've received two phishing attempts, one over text message and one over e-mail. Is there something phishy in the air?
Legislative proposals in New Jersey and Illinois might restrict those pesky credit card offers plaguing students on college campuses. It also might force issuers to teach students about the risks of signing up. Will they pass?
This week's assortment of crime stories shares one thing in common -- credit card thieves who were caught on camera attempting to use stolen plastic. Aside from that shared element, we've got some unusual items that include an ice pick, a thief who tried to use a car as a deadly weapon and marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms.
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They're the pieces of plastic we love, and love to hate. Get the latest news, tips, research and more from the CreditCards.com staff.
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