If you answer yes to at least of these eight questions, you may be addicted to debt, according to Debtor’s Anonymous.
credit cards
Visa Tap-N-Go Ads Piss Us Off
By 7.11.07
We loathe these Visa commercials. They show commerce going along like clockwork. People paying with their tap-and-go Visa card. Getting their donuts. Until one guy pay with cash. Everything screeches to a halt. He gets looks from the cashier and other customers.
By 7.11.07
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A 56-year-old elementary school teacher’s story about how he got in— and out — of $61,000 in debt. [MySanAntonio via Blogging Away Debt]
By 7.9.07
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Straight talk about the convoluted world of credit scores from author Evan Hendricks, who says it’s all a game to make you cough up more dough.
By 7.6.07
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This is pretty much the quintessence of how many people get stuck in debt (it was certainly true for us): “…we were spending more than we made because we thought we would make more money later to pay it off.”
How Frank Abagnale Protects Himself From Identity Theft
By 7.4.07
How does Frank Abagnale, an infamous check forger in the 60’s, protect himself from modern day identity thieves?
By 7.3.07
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If you want to successfully challenge a charge a debt collector says you owe, you’ll want to understand the doctrine of “account stated.”
Target Horror Story: Lies, Misprints, Credit Cards, Gift Cards and Accusations Of Theft
By 7.3.07
It was $999 but you got 10% off for applying for a Target card making it $899. Not too shabby I thought. The picture looked good, it sounded good, and I liked the style of it. The sign talking about the Target card said that you just had to apply for the card and that it did not need to be used for the purchase. We said that we had $100 in Target gift cards with us and that we’d take it. They rang it up and we handed them the gift cards. They scanned them through the computer. It popped up on the screen and said that the Gift Cards could not be used as the item was on Sale. Well that’s a load of crap…gift cards are supposed to be as good as cash.
Which Credit Card Best For A Beginner, Best For An Intermediate Seriously Thinking About His Options?
By 7.2.07
“I had this thought a few days ago, I have 2 credit cards (that I keep paid off, woo!) and my woman who just graduated college is thinking about getting one. Now the question I had was, I got my cards without too much thought involved as to what would be the best option for me, they are OK cards, maybe the best, but i don’t know this. When I read your “10 commandments of credit“, I realized that consumerist would be the perfect place to ask the question: what credit card is best for a first time CC? Are there other cards that are more fitting for someone with more established credit history? What is the consumerist card of choice?!”
30 Free Personal Finance eBooks
By 7.2.07
Mint has collated a collection of thirty free ebooks on personal finance and money management. The selection ranges from budgets to credit cards to mortgages to general consumer advice. Each one is in PDF format. Check ’em out and get your learn on.
Consumerist's 10 Commandments of Credit
By 6.30.07
Keeping a balance on a credit card is a sin in the eyes of the Consumerist. If you have a balance, make it your priority to pay it off as quickly as possible.
By 6.29.07
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Money Crashers shares some ideas for fighting Universal Default, the practice whereby if you fall behind on your payments with one lender, they alert other lenders, who then use that as an excuse to jack up your rates.
Capital One Cutting 2,000 Jobs
By 6.27.07
Capital One, the credit card company notorious for slamming its customers with huge fees (and encouraging them to open multiple cards with low limits so that they can incur more huge fees) is cutting 2,000 jobs. “As a broadly diversified bank, we now compete across multiple businesses and channels with some of the biggest players in financial services in massively consolidating industries,” Chief Executive Richard Fairbank said in a memo to employees. “They’re increasing their scale and driving down costs every year. To win in each of our businesses, we must create a sustainable cost discipline.”
Eloping Nearly Ruined By Bank Blocking The Entire "State" Of Las Vegas
By 6.25.07
I know a lot of your readers believe that local, mom and pop operations are the way to go — that big corporate companies are universally evil and local is almost always filled with nice, smiling workers who are far superior to their sell-out counter-parts. I’m here today to show you that, at least in banking, size doesn’t matter.
A Lie A Debt Collector Once Told Us
By 6.25.07
One time we had this huge credit card debt that we just let sliiiiiiiiiiide. When we finally owned up to it, the debt collector told us that the credit card company said we could just pay 85% of it if we paid it all at once.
How To Do Credit Card Arbitrage
By 6.25.07
“Credit Card Arbitrage” is when you take out a 0% balance transfer check from your credit card use it to make money. Here’s the basic gist of how to do it, and some of its dangers.
Hot Consumerist Forums Threads
• Amazon.com offers $30 credit if you get their Visa card. Are there reasons not to get it?