The National Security Agency isn’t just snooping into phone and online communications. It also appears to be keeping a close eye on credit card transactions. Why? And what can they see?
prepaid debit cards
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.
With Obama Win, Wall Street Cop Stays On the Beat
This week’s election was a cliffhanger for many people, but the stakes were higher than most for the director and staff of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The agency, which opened its doors in July 2011, was a …
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 Growing Debate Over Prepaid Debit Cards
At an event in Durham, N.C. on Wednesday, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray announced that the agency is “decid[ing] how we should go about regulating prepaid cards to better protect consumers and to provide clear rules for prepaid providers.”
The rapidly growing prepaid market is attracting both banks and …
Should You Get a Prepaid Debit Card?
There’s no question anymore: Prepaid debit cards have shifted from the fringe to the mainstream. The tipping point was Tuesday, when JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced a pilot program to launch a prepaid debit card called Liquid. …
4 Ways to Start Your Kids with Credit
Most parents with heavy credit card debt want their kids to avoid the same mistake. But they are not sure how to coach them and, according to a new survey, would love for credit card management to be a required class in high school.
A Quirky Way to Earn 5.1% Interest With a Regular Savings Account
Most bank accounts pay little or no interest these days. Consumers seeking an extra (or any) return on their money could, however, check out high-yield checking accounts, some of which pay 2%, 3%, even 6% APY. But such accounts …
10 Things That Are Actually Getting Cheaper
We live in a time when the costs of things like gas and gold have soared, just as a laundry list of everyday expenses such as coffee, rent, health care, used cars, and bacon are approaching or have already reached all-time high …
Free Movie Tickets Used to Push Prepaid Plastic
The push is on: Financial institutions are doing their darnedest to get consumers into the habit of using reloadable prepaid cards—which can be used similarly to credit cards or standard debit cards tied to bank accounts, but …
Big-Box Banking: Why the Unbanked Are Cashing Checks at Walmart
Walmart, Kmart, and Best Buy are among the big retailers offering customers what are known as “alternative financial services”—allowing consumers to cash checks, pay utility bills, and transfer money without a traditional bank account. And hey, while consumers are in the store cashing a check, it might be possible they’ll be tempted …
The Banks’ Great Plastic Hope: Prepaid Debit Cards
Over the years, the primary way banks make money has shifted from collecting interest on loans to collecting fees from customers using their debit and credit cards and other bank products. As regulations make it more difficult to collect some fees—namely, debit card overdrafts—banks are growing more interested in prepaid debit cards.
