When the Credit Card Act was passed years ago, many thought it would be the end of credit card rewards programs. Despite increased costs of operations, credit card issuers continue to beef up their attempts to attract new customers, with bonuses for signing up and growing perks. The best cards you’ll find today seem to ... Continue reading this article…

According to the Center for Responsible Lending, the Credit CARD Act of 2009, which designated the Federal Reserve Board to introduce new regulations for the credit card industry, has been successful in increasing transparency for consumers. As a result of the new regulations, the actual interest rates cardholders pay is now closer to the advertised ... Continue reading this article…

Hundreds of Consumerism Commentary readers have written in to this website to complain about FreeCreditReport.com. Many customers believed they were signing up for a free service, but the fine print indicated that accessing one’s credit report for free led to automatic credit card charges that were difficult to reverse. A new service promises to monitor ... Continue reading this article…

Citigroup is the third largest bank holding company in the United States, and Citibank is the consumer banking entity owned by this behemoth company. Sometimes, size is an advantage. Citibank’s size allows it to have a massive credit card division, branded as “Citi Cards.” The size helps the bank offer some of the best deals ... Continue reading this article…

If you’re a celebrity, politician, or otherwise in the public eye, you may be on VIP lists maintained by the credit reporting bureaus, granting you a different level of customer service. According to lawyers who have sworn testimony from employees, this two-tiered system favors the well-connected by granting them access to immediate corrections on erroneous ... Continue reading this article…

In 2009, Congress passed enacted laws that require credit card issuers to be more direct with their terms and conditions. Companies can no longer get away with double-cycle billing and hidden fees, which were costing customers millions of dollars every year. There are still a few items found in the fine print that customers often ... Continue reading this article…

When the magnetic stripe on the back of your credit card stops being effective more than two years before the card’s expiration date, you may take this as indication that you swipe the credit card fairly often. Maybe this is a frequent occurrence, but this is the first time this has happened to me. Over ... Continue reading this article…

When looking for a new credit card to place in your wallet, there are a variety of factors you should always consider. First of all, credit cards are not for everyone. In order to take advantage of the rewards that some credit cards provides, you should honestly evaluate whether increasing your use of credit cards ... Continue reading this article…