credit cards

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Cash-Strapped Americans' No. 1 Priority: Car Payment

Yep, ahead of paying off credit card bills and the mortgage

(Newser) - Americans really don't want to lose their rides. A study finds that the cash-strapped among us are paying off their car loans before they pay credit card bills and make mortgage payments. It used to be that Americans would pay their home loans first, then their credit card and...

PayPal Unveils Mobile Payments Service

'Paypal Here' will compete with 'Square'

(Newser) - PayPal has launched a mobile payments service that lets businesses accept credit cards using a small triangular card reader attached to an iPhone. Called PayPal Here, the service is similar to existing mobile payments services such as Square . Customers will be able to pay using credit cards, their PayPal accounts,...

Hackers Spill Israelis' Credit Card Info

Hackers claim to be Saudis

(Newser) - Israeli credit card companies say hackers claiming to be Saudis disclosed credit card information of thousands of Israelis on the Internet. The companies, however, disputed the hackers' claims that 400,000 credit card holders were affected; Israel's central bank put the number at 15,000. The Ynet news website...

Hackers Rob US Security Think Tank

'Anonymous': We stole credit cards for charity

(Newser) - Hackers say they stole credit card numbers from a US security think tank today and began using them to make donations to charity, the AP reports. The hackers are members of the loose-knit movement known as "Anonymous." The victims are members of a highly guarded list of clients...

Mastercard, Visa to Use Purchases in Ad Targeting?

Companies also hope to mine your DNA

(Newser) - What you buy in the real world could eventually determine the ads you see online. Visa and MasterCard are studying ways of tracking consumer purchases in order to target online advertising—a plan that could take a heavy toll on online anonymity, the Wall Street Journal reports. One example offered...

Citi Goes Wild With Credit Card Offers

Have they sent you one yet?

(Newser) - Citigroup is moving aggressively to expand its credit card business, hoping to capitalize on rivals who are toning down their efforts in the area. The bank sent out a whopping 346 million card offers to North American customers in the third quarter alone—which, the Wall Street Journal observes, is...

Paying Cash? Credit Cards Are Still Costing You Money

Rebates drive up prices for all but reward only users of plastic: Economist

(Newser) - Credit card rebates and rewards may seem like a great thing—like getting free money. The problem is that they're driving up the prices of everything we buy, writes economics professor Larry Harris. What's worse, people who pay cash—maybe because they're too poor to qualify for...

PlayStation Hackers: We’ve Got 2.2M Credit Cards

Users report fraud, but it may be coincidence

(Newser) - Chatting in online forums, hackers are citing a huge haul from the attack on Sony’s PlayStation Network : They claim they now have access to some 2.2 million credit cards. The assertion can’t be verified, say experts—but a number of users are reporting suspicious charges on their...

Credit Card Fine Print Remains Indecipherable

... but at least there's hope on the way

(Newser) - Read any good credit card agreements lately? Didn't think so. A follow-up to a July report on the readability of those contracts finds some improvement, but they're still mostly indecipherable and, in fact, beyond the reading comprehension of the average American, reports CreditCards.com . Consumers groups hope the new protection...

Debtor’s Prison Makes Its Ugly Return

Government 'shakes down' citizens for collectors

(Newser) - Strongly worded letters and menacing phone calls aren't enough, it seems, to whip America's debtors into shape. Instead, the country's collection industry is turning to civil courts, using taxpayer money and government resources to pursue "low level deadbeats," finds Reason . The process pits debtors against a system that...

Ignore the Stats: Credit Card Debt Still a Big Problem

Michelle Singletary: Numbers look good because of bank write-offs

(Newser) - A recent spate of reports suggests that consumers are finally getting smart about plastic by paying down their credit card debt. Hold the celebration, writes Michelle Singletary. A closer look shows that one of the big reasons overall debt is shrinking is not because consumers are paying it back but...

Credit Card Debt Drops to 8-Year Low

Falls to an average of $4,951

(Newser) - The average American’s credit card debt hit an 8-year low in the second quarter of the year—even as rates hit a 9-year high . The average combined credit card debt fell to $4,951, down 13% from $5,719 over the same stretch last year, according to figures from...

Watch Out for These New Credit Card Traps

Banks invent ways to circumvent regulations

(Newser) - As expected , banks are coming up with creative new ways to recoup money lost to new regulations on credit cards. The Wall Street Journal runs down a handful:
  • "Professional" cards: These are being aggressively marketed to, well, professionals. The catch: They're not covered under the new consumer regulations.
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