Wealthy Americans don’t really think that good times are here again for the economy. But they’re going on shopping sprees …
American Express
The Rise of the Alterna-Banks: 4 Options Beyond Traditional Banking
Is it time to part ways your bank? There are more options than ever for people looking for a different kind of banking experience — many of them without the onerous fees and requirements of traditional bank accounts.
Study: Credit Card Comparison Sites Don’t Work as Promised
Credit card comparison websites can help consumers pick the best card for their needs, but the services come with a big possible conflict of interest. Most of these sites have a business model that relies on affiliate marketing: …
Can Companies Like Walmart and Google Provide a Better Banking Experience Than Actual Banks?
It was a busy Monday for banking news, with one big company rolling out a new prepaid card and another behemoth launching a small business loan program. There’s just one thing that makes this a little bit weird: Neither of the …
CFPB Cracks Down on Lies in Credit Card Marketing
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has the credit card industry in its crosshairs, and it’s making banks who flout the law pay up.
Yesterday, the CFPB along with other federal regulators fined American Express $112.5 …
Make Sure You’re Not Being Charged This Credit Card Fee
Last month, Capital One was hit with a $210 million penalty for engaging in sneaky marketing practices, including pressuring customers to sign on to pricey services of dubious value such as credit monitoring and “payment …
Back-to-School Bonuses: Free Gift Card Promotions Are in Season
Retailers and manufacturers often prefer to give consumers a little something extra rather than simply offering items at lower prices. When that something extra comes in the form of a gift card that must be used in a separate purchase, the strategy ensures that the shopper must return as a customer. So what seems like a bonus for …
The Credit Card Companies With the Most Consumer Complaints
Consumer advocates cheered and the banking industry fumed when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made its credit card complaint database public last week. Banking analyst Ken Thomas got to work. Thomas sifted through this …
AmEx Gives Prepaid Card Users a Chance to ‘Graduate’ to a Regular Charge Card
Prepaid debit cards catch a lot of flak for being loaded with fees, but that’s not even our biggest beef with them: When people use prepaid debit in lieu of credit cards, they’re not building a credit history, which strands them on the fringes of the financial mainstream. When Suze Orman came out with her prepaid debit card, she said she …
You’re Probably Not Rich Enough For This Credit Card
Will that be credit, debit or 23-karat gold? For a small number of very wealthy consumers, that’s not a hypothetical question. The JPMorgan Chase Palladium card is made out of laser-etched palladium and gold. It makes even the …
Valentine’s Day 2012 Spending, By the Numbers
According to one estimate, 60% of all Valentine’s spending occurs in the five days leading up to and including the holiday. That means we’re in the prime Valentine’s spending period right now. Here are some more factoids related …
Fine Dining on the Cheap: Restaurants on Sale Coast to Coast
It’s easy to see why the start of the year is a slow time for restaurants. Diners tend to stay home and cook not only because the weather’s cold, but because they probably have yet to pay off the credit card debt accrued via …
