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How to Get a Credit Card if You Have Bad Credit

Written on January 21, 2010 – 7:02 pm | by admin

There are many ways you can get a credit card, even if you have bad credit.

Open checking and savings accounts. When you’re starting on the long road to obtaining credit cards, you will want to begin in a very obvious place: your local bank. Open a checking account and keep it in good standing. Add a savings account at the same bank, even if you only keep $10 or $20 in it.

Place utilities in your name. When possible, transfer some household utilities to your name including the cable and electric bills. Having a phone in your name is also beneficial for your credit score and report.

Comparison shop. Shop around for the best interest rate and terms before applying for a credit card. Do not cast a wide net and apply for multiple credit cards at once in hopes that one will bite. Instead, compare each credit card’s annual percentage rate (APR), up-front fees, rewards programs or cash back bonuses, as well as convenience of payment methods. Also be aware of:

APRs: The U.S. Fed Read more…

Tags: Bad Credit, Credit, Credit Card

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Massachusetts Senate upset may have ripple effects on financial reform

Written on January 21, 2010 – 2:16 pm | by admin

Could Republican Scott Brown’s election to fill Ted Kennedy’s Democratic U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts derail pending Wall Street financial reforms?

Although much of the attention about Brown’s election has focused on the fate of the health care bill, there’s another piece of pending legislation that may be affected: creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) with powers to safeguard consumers’ welfare with credit cards, mortgages and other financial products.

President Obama originally proposed creating a financial watchdog agency earlier this year. The U.S. House gave its stamp of approval to a version of Obama’s plan that was part of a huge Wall Street reform package passed in December 2009. A Senate version of the plan is still in draft form and in the midst of compromise negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans.

The 41st voteWhat does this have to do with Brown’s election in Massachusetts? The Democrats currently have a so-called “super majority” in the Senate. That means they have 60 votes and can easily quash Republican efforts to block passage of bills.

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Tags: Financial Reform, Reform

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Britney Spears swipes bodyguard’s credit card

Written on January 21, 2010 – 5:50 am | by admin

Pop icon Britney Spears is in the headlines again. This time, for credit card misdeeds. It shows that, once again, celebrity trumps all.

According to TMZ, Spears used her bodyguard’s credit card to buy two pairs of boots on a recent shopping spree. The problem: Spears signed her own name to the receipt.

Signatures don’t matchAccording to the report, the sales clerk gave her a hard time because the signature didn’t match the name on the card. Spears apparently talked the clerk into accepting the transaction anyway, saying that since the bodyguard was an employee of her company it was OK.

Huh? OK, in the real world, if you or I try to use someone else’s credit card to make a purchase and signed our own name to the receipt, it probably would be a different scenario entirely:

Clerk: Is this your card?

Me: Well, it’s a company card. It’s OK if I use it.

Clerk: May I see some identification please?

Me: I don’t have any ID. You k

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Tags: Britney Spears, Card, Credit Card

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Contactless bank cards ‘to flood UK’, says Visa

Written on January 20, 2010 – 1:27 am | by admin

Visa hopesthe new technology will replace cash for small purchases

Speaking as the payments group unveiled its annual results, Peter Ayliffe, chief executive of Visa Europe, said 2010 would be “the tipping point” when the British consumer finally adopts the new technology, which it hopes will replace cash for small purchases.

“A number of banks want to issue contactless cards in the UK this year. We’re also seeing it across Europe,” he said.

If the roll-out is a success, Visa hopes to move contactless technology off cards and into mobile phones. Mr Ayliffe said: “This year is important as it gets the infrastructure in place for mobile payments.”

Visa cardholders in Europe used their cards more but spent less last year. The number of transactions rose 8.2pc to 17bn but the point of sale spend per card fell 1.6pc to €2,397 (£2,100). Growth was driven by debit cards, which now account for 77pc of Visa Europe’s transactions.

Online purchases using Visa have doubled in the past four years to account for 20pc of all spending, Mr Ayliffe said, with Christmas putting in an exceptionally strong performance. “We saw a growth r

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Tags: Uk Says, Visa

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Two million Britons delay having a family due to high housing costs

Written on January 19, 2010 – 7:38 pm | by admin

The findings suggested 18 per cent of 18 to 44 year olds, equivalent to 2.4 million people, are actively putting off having children because of high housing costs. This rises to 24 per cent among 18-34 year olds.

One in five 18-44 year olds have waited for as long as six years to start a family, while 37 per cent expect housing costs to continue to delay their plans for another four years, according to the survey by the charity Shelter.

Kay Boycott, director of policy and campaigns at Shelter, said: “These figures show just how pervasive the housing crisis is. While it is responsible to ensure that you can afford to support a new baby, it is completely unacceptable that housing costs are changing important life decisions like starting a family in such a significant way.”

Shelter warned delaying starting a family could affect the fertility of women who put off having children until they can access an affordable home.

Susan Seenan, of Infertility Network UK, said: “If people are delaying having children because of housing costs then this could have long-term implications for their ability to conceive.”

“It is extremely important that people are aware of the effects of age on their fertility, not only for the woman but for both partners, and particularly for women over the age of 35. Success r

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Tags: Costs, High Housing, High Housing Costs, Housing Costs

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College Credit Card Debt (Pay It Off)

Written on January 18, 2010 – 6:29 am | by admin

So you have college credit card debt. You want to pay it off. (You are taking a great first step by reading personal finance sites like Credit Card Outlaw, by the way.)

You can share your exact circumstances in the comments section below if you want advice tailored to your own personal debt situation in an upcoming post on college credit card debt pay-off strategies.

But here are some generic strategies that apply to most college students in credit card debt, which might help you as well:

1. Cut down your expenses dramatically. Cut them down to the bone, and then some. College is the “poorest” section of your life. You don’t have to live like a rockstar. Take pleasure from reducing expenses, buying generic items instead of brand name ones at the grocery store, borrow friends’ clothing. Cook your own food; don’t eat at Chipotle every meal. Don’t buy $250 jeans. Don’t go to Cancun or Amsterdam until you can afford it. Neither place is going anywhere. 

2. Chop up the cards that have gotten you into debt. Use only a debit card or ATM card; this way, you spend only what you earn. And if you don’t earn enough…

3.

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Tags: Card Debt, Credit Card, Credit Card Debt, Pay

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