With all the talk about CitiBank’s limitations in its online payment services, I neglected to mention an actual improvement that I noticed through the ordeal. (Luckilly, they sent an reminder of the new feature via email.) In the past, when users went to pay their credit card bill online, CitiBank would process the payment immediately. ... Continue reading this article…

About a week ago, I linked my CitiBank Platinum Dividend Rewards credit card to my ING Direct account with the intent of keeping more of my cash in an interest-bearing account. I knew from the last time I made a change to my CitiBank card, I had to wait some time before paying my bill ... Continue reading this article…

The rest of the country was given this benefit at varying times earlier this year, but it finally has come to the east coast. I was going to wait until September 1, the official “release date,” but as MyMoneyBlog noted, the floodgates have opened a few days early. I’m talking of course about free credit ... Continue reading this article…

According to the New York Times, Bank of America is buying MBNA. This is another reason why consumers should avoid carrying a balance on credit cards if they are being charged interest. As more credit issuers merge, there will be less competition. With less competition, annual fees and interest rates will rise. Update: CNN answers ... Continue reading this article…

Today, I received an American Express Card statement in the mail. That wouldn’t be too strange if not for the fact I haven’t used the card in over a year. So I took a look and apparently I’ve been awarded a settlement in a class action lawsuit, and I now have a credit in my ... Continue reading this article…

Many years ago, as a reader of The Motley Fool, I came across a community of people who repeatedly jump from one 0 percent APR credit card offer to another 0 percent offer. It sounds like a good way to maintain a credit card balance without paying interest, if you don’t slip up and miss a payment. ... Continue reading this article…

According to the Federal Reserve, credit and debit payments surpassed check payments last year. Between credit and debit transactions, debits have been gaining popularity. A Reuters article states that for those with financial discipline, credit cards are the best option for every day purchases. The Citibank Dividend Platinum Select MasterCard is mentioned as a great ... Continue reading this article…

Selena Maranjian from The Motley Fool writes about credit card rates going up in an article aptly titled, How to Owe $40,000 by Doing Nothing. She includes tables showing just how damaging having a 40 percent APR on your credit can be. That’s a pretty high rate, and apparently it’s a more common penalty rate for ... Continue reading this article…

I checked my credit card statement online today and discovered that my APR has increased from 11.7 percent to 14.7 percent. Now, I don’t think I’ve paid a finance charge in several years because I pay my balance off every month, but still the change disturbed me slightly. I sent a note to customer service asking for ... Continue reading this article…