We stumbled across a very interesting article in the Des Moines Register that discusses the methods public universities’ alumni associations (in this case, the University of Iowa and ISU) use to obtain and sell student data.
credit cards
Alumni Associations And Public Universities Profit By Selling Student Data To Bank Of America
By 9.24.07
Ohio Attorney General Sues Credit Card Marketers Over Ohio State "Free Burrito" Event
By 9.24.07
Ohio Attorney General, Mark Dunn, is suing Citibank-affiliated credit card marketers for violating Ohio’s consumer protection laws during a “Free Burrito” event at Ohio State University.
Credit Card Companies Slashing Credit Limits
By 9.22.07
The continuing subprime meltdown is leading jittery creditors to reduce cardholder credit limits at the first sign of trouble. According to a recent survey, up to 75% of banks are cutting credit limits to minimize their exposure to risk. The move can adversely affect credit scores, which are determined by considering the percentage of available credit used. From the Chicago Tribune:
A change can stem from late payments of any kind, a drop in your credit score or the addition of new lines of credit. Bryan found out limits on three cards were actually cut after he took out a home equity loan to pay off some debt.
Food Stamp Users Subsidize Your Credit Card Rewards Programs
By 9.21.07
Food stamp users are helping pay for your credit card rewards programs, according to “Priceless? The Social Costs Of Credit Card Merchant Restraints” (PDF), a paper by Gerogetown professor Adam Levitin published in the Harvard Journal on Legislation.
Roundup Of Various Credit Card Late Fees
By 9.20.07
“ConsumerMan” Herb Weisbaum over at MSNBC says that banks have messing around with their late fee structure lately—adding a third tier of pricing, raising fees, etc. Those of you with higher balances might be paying more if you’re late. We think that’s not cool, so we’re posting a round-up of current fees.
Credit vs Debit
By 9.19.07
What’s better, debit or credit? Red Tape Chronicles examines the pros and cons. For our money, debit cards are better for controlling spending, but credit cards protect the buyer better, much better, and so we use debit cards to withdraw cash from ATMs and credit cards for transactions.
Make Credit Card Companies Your Bitch
By 9.16.07
Blueprint for Financial Prosperity reminds us that savvy consumers can take advantage of credit card companies hellbent on turning a profit. Most credit card companies will go to great lengths to keep their customers happily spending away. Use these tips to make them cater to your every financial desire:
CellHut Can't Understand That You Didn't Order The iPhone, Thieves Did
By 9.16.07
UPDATE: CellHut disagrees with this version of the events, writing, “Mr. Laurence has played this dirty game to cheat small businesses and to get away from a sudden price drop on the iPhone, which are sold as final sale at Cellhut.com.” They threaten various legal hijinx.
By 9.14.07
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People with a lot of credit cards, such as those who are regular players of credit card arbitrage, can use baseball card holders to help organize them. [My Money Blog]
Uninsured? New Service Lets You Pay Off Medical Bills Without Interest
By 9.14.07
A reader pointed us to a recent article in the WSJ abut CarePayment, a new financing option that provides a way for the uninsured to pay off their hospital bills in monthly installments, without incurring interest rate charges or finance fees.
Don't Like RFID In Your Credit Card? Ask 'Em To Turn It Off
By 9.11.07
While the danger of someone long-distance slurping the account information communicating out the RFID chips being increasingly embedded in credit cards is, for the time being, remote, reader Eyebrows McGee reports success in asking AmEx to turn it off…
Max Your Cashback Combining American Express Blue Cash And Chase Freedom Cash Visa Credit Cards
By 9.11.07
Free Money Finance has a good post on combining the cashback powers of American Express Blue Cash and Chase Freedom Cash Visa Credit Cards for maximum moolah back in your pocket.
Citibank Recruits Students To Become "Credit Card Pushers"
By 9.10.07
BusinessWeek has been examining one of the fastest-growing segments of credit card debtors, college students. Last week, they profiled a young man from the University of Pittsburgh who was recruited by a Citibank rep, at his university’s student union building, to get other students to apply for credit cards with free t-shirts and lines like “Even if you apply, you can always cut up the card,” and “It’s easy to pay off your balance once you graduate and get a great job.” For every completed application, he’d receive $5-10, and probably a tiny dark spot on his soul.
By 9.7.07
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American Airlines announced that beginning next week, they will begin testing credit card only flights out of San Francisco. Jet Blue has said that it will stop accepting cash on flights next quarter. Other airlines that already don’t accept cash: AirTran, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Midwest, ATA Airlines, Virgin America and Hawaiian Airlines. [Kansas City Star]
Verizon Installs FiOS, Won't Tell You Your Account Number, Keep Charging An Unauthorized Credit Card
By 9.7.07
Dan ordered Verizon FiOS and used a credit card to pay for the installation. He told the CSR specifically he didn’t want his monthly bill to be debited from this credit card. Guess what Verizon is doing?
New Hampshire Bankruptcy Receivers Forced To Use Credit Cards
By 9.7.07
The main parking garage for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Hampshire only accepts credit cards, reports Credit Slips.
The World's Worst Credit Card
By 9.6.07
Golb at Money, Matter, and More Musings has located the worst credit card in the world. It is designed to prey on subprime borrowers who, sadly, cannot get a better card…
Opt Out Of USAA's Arbitration Clause
By 9.4.07
USAA dropped a goose-egg in my mailbox today, a letter informing that there’s a new arbitration agreement being added to my AMEX contract. Lovely, I just love being stripped of my rights to a trial with due process.
