A common question consumers have about American Express and the standard Visa and Mastercard is “What is the Difference From American Express and Visa or Mastercard?” As far as functionality goes, there is no difference, they are both considered “charge cards” or “credit cards”. They both offer a line of credit that can be used through merchant accounts, and you are required to pay a bill at the end of each month. The downside... 

The good news, is the debate between choosing a rewards MasterCard versus the rewards Visa card is not the issue. Almost every merchant that accepts Visa will accept MasterCard also. So the real debate depends on the rewards that the credit card offers. Believe it or not Visa and MasterCard do not actually issue credit cards. They are simply a method of payment, and they make their fees, by charging the banks. The rewards, fees, points, miles etc. are actually... 

When the new laws go into effect regarding the 2009 CARD act, that congress passed into law Feb 22, 2010. One of the major changes that you will see on your credit card statement, or a letter from your credit card company is a change from a fixed rate to a variable rate. A fixed rate is simply that, a rate that is fixed at a certain percentage. Your card may have a fixed rate of 15.99%, when the CARD act goes into effect, credit card companies cannot change... 

The CARD act (Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure) of 2009 is supposed to help consumers, protect them for bad practices and keep the credit card companies in line. The credit card companies are anticipating the quick Feb 22, 2010 effective date. You may have already seen effects of this, but… How will this affect you. Lower Credit Lines Credit card companies have already lowered millions of customers credit limits, not only to protect... 

With the new CARD act of 2009, consumers were supposed to get credit card breaks, however, it seems this is not the case. In response to credit cards having tougher restrictions placed on them, fees have been added, and rewards are being slashed. Because of this, your rewards may not be as valuable this month as they were a year ago. Credit card companies are lowering the value of points, miles and cash back you earn, so the recommendation is to use your rewards... 

Your rewards credit card is racking up new rewards each month with more and more purchases. Do you know what is included and what is not? Most rewards credit cards give you a point for every dollar spent, or a mile or percentage back as cash. There are a few transactions that do now allow you to earn rewards. Cash advances are one of them, either from an ATM or through your bank teller. Not only do they not count, but they are usually much higher in the interest... 

Credit Unions seem to get overlooked in the banking and financial world. For those of you that don’t belong to a credit union, the first thing you want to do is look and see if you have a local credit union, or a credit union in the county or city that you work, learn or worship in. To find a credit union near you visit http://www.creditunion.coop/cu_locator/quickfind.php. From there you can get addresses, apply online for an account, and even get loans... 

Your banks and credit cards are pushing rewards credit cards now more than they ever have. Most cards have some sort of reward linked to them, if they don’t, they are the minority. There are several types of rewards credit cards, and choosing the right one requires a smart credit card shopper to compare rewards credit cards before applying for just any. Currently there are cash back rewards cards, travel rewards credit cards, hotel rewards credit cards,... 

I was shopping at Kohls today and ran into a dilimma. Use my Kohls card, or use my Discover® Miles Card. The dilemma was very short lived, might I add. Discover gives me 1 mile for every dollar spent, and Kohls… well it was a good deal on the clothes I bought. I have cards for Macys, Sears, Best Buy, Kohls, Target and Dillards. I can get 10-15% off when I use my Macys card, which really doesn’t matter, when the prices are about 25-50% higher anyways.... 

An example of a free flight from Southwest airlines If you have a checking account, a mailbox, or the internet, you will see that credit cards are upping the ante with rewards. Cash back rewards, airline miles rewards, gift card rewards, hotel rewards, and the list goes on. Which card should you choose and how can you make sure you maximize the rewards you can earn on the card. When choosing a rewards card, lets limit the choices down. Do you travel a lot?...