Consumerist
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the gift that never stops taking
Your Visa Gift Card Will Self-Destruct If Used Within 24 Hours
Stephanie bought a $100 Vanilla Visa gift card at her local CVS in Richmond, VA. She went right home and tried to use it to make some purchases online. When the card was declined, she studied the fine print that came with the card: "Funds may not be available for 24 hours after purchase." So she waited the 24 hours and tried it again the next day. Still no luck. When she called the customer service number she was told to go back to CVS. At CVS, a manager told Stephanie (and apparently many others before her) that by using the card within 24 hours she had rendered her card agreement invalid. Bang, there goes $100. More » -
street fighter
Blog Gets Some Stupid Capcom Credit Card Fees Removed
It turns out that Chun-Li, of Street Fighter fame, does not want to charge you so many onerous fees on your Capcom credit card that attack over and over on your neck like that stupid bitch, Blanka. Just some of them.
Capcom Unity Card - Part II: Things are Looking Up ^_^ [Cheap Ass Gamer] (Thanks to Josh!) (Photo: friskytuna)
PREVIOUSLY: Visa And Capcom Announce Street Fighter Hyper Fee Edition Card -
money
Get The Best Cash Back Credit Card
Tired of using a two credit card system to maximize his cash back returns, I did an analysis to determine the single best cash back credit card. Here's what I found: More » -
data breaches
Visa Covers Butt By 'Delisting' Breached Credit Card Payment Processors
Visa has removed Heartland Payment Systems and RBS WorldPay, the two huge payment processors that suffered recent data breaches, from its list of companies that are in compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) rules. It says they can get back on the list when they recertify that they have proper security in place. While this may sound like a significant change in the status of the companies, in reality it does little to change how the three companies do business with each other or with merchants. It's just a way for Visa to protect itself from any upcoming lawsuits by banks and credit unions against the payment processors. More » -
capcom
Visa And Capcom Announce Street Fighter Hyper Fee Edition Card
Video game maker Capcom has partnered with Visa to offer a pre-paid debit card with so many fees that it will shrink your wallet from an E. Honda to a Dhalsim. The hurricane kick of fees, inside. More » -
data theft
Another Month, Another Massive Credit Card Data Breach
Don't be too surprised if you get a letter from your bank or credit union in the next few weeks telling you it's replacing your credit card. If your data was among the latest set compromised, Visa and Mastercard are already alerting financial institutions so they can cancel the account number. More » -
visa
Breaking Out In Song Is Now An Acceptable Way To Authorize Visa Purchases
Visa has revealed a darling new feature that will let consumers authorize debit transactions via song. It's all part of Visa's revised but always-exciting operating regulation 6.2.A.7.b, which now lets you "choose to sing to authorize a debit transaction." Don't worry if the merchant gives you an awkward look, they're just sheepish about their cruddy singing skills. Sing louder to encourage them to join in the transaction-approving fun! (Thanks to Barbara!)
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sony
VISA Won't Replace Dusty PS3 After All
Remember that guy with the PS3 Sony said was too dusty to repair? The saga continues. More » -
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money meltdown
Credit Card Squeeze Is Pushing Consumers Toward Foreclosure
USAToday says that panic by the credit card industry is squeezing customers who ordinarily would be able to pay their bills — pushing them toward financial ruin and foreclosure. More » -
rebates
Don't Assume That Rebate Will Be Redeemable For Cash
Companies love rebates because they are difficult to redeem and easy to forget. But you clever shoppers are getting too good at their game, so instead of paying out your rebate in cash, you'll get something different altogether. Take, for example, Buy.com's supposed "$26 mail in rebate..." More » -
apple
Morning Deals
- Apple: Refurbished iPod touches on sale, 8GB for $180, 16GB for $240, 32GB for $320
- Amazon: Rewards points upgrade for existing Amazon.com Visa holders
- Apple: Free Select iTunes TV Shows in HD (requires iTunes 8
- Travelocity: United Airlines Sale: Round-trip flights from $108
- Amazon.com: Amazon.com Men's Watch Deals: Timex, Marc Ecko, more from $40 + free shipping
- Sears: Seven7 Women's Jeans for $18 + $6 s&h, more
- Budget Truck Rental: $50 Gift card when paying w/American Express
- Reverie: T-Shirt Sale: Buy 1 TEE get 1 free TEE
- BestBuy: Westinghouse 42" 1080p LCD HDTV and portable DVD Player for $749.99 + shipping
- Drugstore.com: New Customers: Save $5 or $10 off First Order
- Vann's: Panasonic FZ28 10.2MP Digital Camera $340 Shipped
- Amazon: Get Savings of up to 75% off Bargain Books
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american express
Amex Tops JD Power Credit Card 2008 Customer Satisfaction Survey
JD Power and Associates ranked American Express at the top of their 2008 Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Customers gave the company high marks in interaction, billing and payment processes, reward programs, fees and rates, and benefits and services, with the first three factors standing out in particular. Capital One and HSBC, which target revolvers with lower credit scores, received the worst marks. Oddly, Discover got second place. People must really like their two-cycle billing (see "Two-Cycle Billing And Why It's Evil"). Full rankings inside... More » -
credit card reform
Consumers: We're Mad As Hell And We're Not Going To Charge It Anymore!
Once upon a time, Peter Finch won an Oscar for telling us to go to our window, open it, and yell, "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take this anymore!" Now thousands and thousands of consumers are doing just that, but instead of yelling out their windows, they're yelling at the Federal Reserve in the form of a record breaking number of public comments about some proposed credit card reforms. Not as sexy as yelling like a madman, but far, far more effective.
More »
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target
Do You Want To Save 10% By Opening A Target Visa? Just Kidding!
Reader Nancy says that Target rejected the 10% coupon she received for being a Target Visa card holder. When she asked why, the cashier told her it had probably been used, but had no more information.
More » -
rental insurance
Which Credit Cards Have The Best Rental Car Insurance?
One of the tricks that seasoned travelers know is to always deny the insurance when renting a car. Why? Because the credit card that they are using already comes with insurance that they are familiar with, and because you are required to deny coverage from the rental car company in order to take advantage of your credit card's insurance. But how do you pick a credit card that has good rental insurance? More » -
your rights
More On Minimum Purchases, Surcharges, And Other Credit Card Merchant Agreement Violations, From The Companies Themselves
We've posted a lot of stories of businesses requiring customers who pay with a credit card to make minimum purchases, or pay a surcharge, or show ID. And as we've repeatedly said, the businesses' merchant agreements with the credit card companies forbids these practices. A reader wrote in to argue that this might not be true, as many businesses contract with third-party credit card processors, and are not bound by the merchant agreement. So we did some investigating. More »
2:42 PM on Wed Jul 30 2008
By Alex Chasick
0 views, 126 commentsMost discussed Televiper: Personally, I think the merchant agreements with regard to minimum transactions is unfair to the merchant. We should be more »
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credit cards
10 Things You Might Not Know About Your Credit Card
As you might imagine, we get a lot of questions about using credit cards. Based on those piles of emails we've put together a list of 10 things a lot of people don't know about credit cards. Enjoy!
1) Unsigned Cards Are Not Valid And Merchants Can And Will Refuse Them
You might think that everyone knows that you have to sign your credit card in order for it to be valid — after all — there's a panel on the back that says "Not Valid Unless Signed," but you'd be shocked at the number of angry emails we get from people who have tried to use an unsigned credit card with "SEE ID" or "CHECK ID" written on it and were turned away when they refused to sign their card. More »
8:45 AM on Thu Jul 10 2008
By Meg Marco
0 views, 233 commentsLatest by SargentHapiloons: I have a business gold American Express card that I put company related expenses on. There is suppose to not more »
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debt
A Debt Collector Offers You A Credit Card, What's Wrong With This Picture?
Like countless others, reader Ryan is in debt. His debt is to the tune of $1,364. He received an interesting offer from the debt collector who is offering "debt reduction" in the form of a pre-approved Visa card in which his $1,364 debt would be reduced to a $1,200 balance if he accepts the card. He would need only to to pay off the balance under the terms of the credit card to eliminate his debt. Ryan wisely wrote to us to ask if this is a good idea. Actually Ryan, it's a really really really bad idea. His letter and our advice, inside... More »
visa
New York, 6:16 PM
Sun Jul 5
6 posts in the last 24 hours
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