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]]><![CDATA[10 tips to avoid credit card debt disaster in marriage</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/19/10-tips-to-avoid-credit-card-debt-disaster-in-marriage/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> Money is the number one reason for fights in a marriage. In fact statistics show that 80% of divorced couples indicate that financial trouble was the primary reason for their divorce. So what can you do to avoid destroying your marriage with debt and financial worries? The fact of the matter is few couples actually take the time to talk about money before the fights begin. Many of you probably grew up in a home where money was a deep dark secret. Your parents never talked about it calmly in ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>credit cardsdebtmarriage]]>Mar 19th 2010 @ 12:30PM
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]]><![CDATA[If a company offers to settle your credit card debt, be wary</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/15/if-a-company-offers-to-settle-your-credit-card-debt-be-wary/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> With so many Americans in dire financial straits these days, it's no wonder that advertisers of "settle your debt" services have found an eager audience. These companies promise to slash your debt by thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars. But is it too good to be true? "In my opinion, it's a questionable industry overall," Linda Sherry, director of national priorities for watchdog group Consumer Action, told WalletPop via e-mail. "Why should any company be allowed to take its fees ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>debtdebt collectiondebt collectorsDebtCollection]]>Mar 15th 2010 @ 4:45PM
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]]><![CDATA[Money College: Key differences to credit cards, debit cards</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/13/money-college-credit-cards-debit-cards-the-key-differences/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]>You know how your teachers always say that the "stupid question" you want to ask is probably the same one on everyone else's mind? Well, here's one: What's the difference between credit cards and debit cards? Maybe you thought you were the only one who didn't actually know, but that's where you're wrong. Credit cards and debit cards have real differences, and not knowing what they are can create major problems for college students. ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>bankscollegecollegestudentscreditcreditcardsdebitcardsfinancesmoneyoverdraftfeesspendinguniversity]]>Mar 13th 2010 @ 8:00AM
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]]><![CDATA[Money College: Seven ways to avoid credit card blunders</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/12/money-college-seven-ways-to-avoid-credit-card-blunders/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> Perhaps no area of life affects undergraduate students more than credit. In this article, Money College writer Peter Sachs offers seven essential tips; please check out Money College's Katie Drews' insights into credit and college here. What better way to take advantage of your new-found financial independence in college than to sign up for a credit card ... or two? The feeling of having spending power in your pocket -- even if you're barely making any money -- is thrilling at first. But ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>chargecardcreditcarddebtcreditcardfeescreditcardsfinancechargeinterestmoneycollegerewardscardstorecard]]>Mar 12th 2010 @ 3:02PM
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]]><![CDATA[Money College: New credit card laws address escalating student debt</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/12/money-college-new-credit-card-laws-address-escalating-student-d/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> Perhaps no area of life affects undergraduate students more than credit. In this article, Money College writer Katie Drews relates the stories of college kids in a credit crunch; please check out Money College's Peter Sachs insights into credit and college here. Twenty-two-year old Matthew Alonzo juggles so many credit cards that keeping track of payments is like wrestling a nagging homework assignment that never ends. The senior at Loyola University Chicago is approaching graduation with ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>credit card lawsCredit Card Reform ACTcredit cardscredit cards and college studentsCreditCardReformActCreditCardsAndCollegeStudentsdebtmoney collegeMoneyCollegesallie maestudents and credit]]>Mar 12th 2010 @ 3:00PM
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]]><![CDATA[Credit card rate hikes affect almost all of us</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/12/credit-card-rate-hikes-affect-almost-all-of-us/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> It should come as no surprise that credit card companies have been hitting their customers with ever-steeper rates and fees to make up for revenue lost on now-prohibited practices banned by the CARD Act. But the degree to which Americans are getting socked even shocked one credit card expert. According to a recent user poll conducted by CardRatings.com, 86% of people have had their rates hiked within the past six months. This figure even shot past the pessimistic prediction CardRatings' ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>credit cardcredit cards]]>Mar 12th 2010 @ 1:30PM
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]]><![CDATA[American Express debuts a new, feel-good rewards program</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/11/american-express-debuts-a-new-feel-good-rewards-program/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]>American Express' unimpeachable new rewards program, which everyone will likely approve of, is a piece of good news for an industry that has gotten a lot of negative attention recently. There's plenty not to like about credit cards, so when we hear about a card company such as American Express offering a new perk that benefits their customers, we're happy to spread the news. ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>American Expressamexrewardrewardsrewards programRewardsProgramRewardsProgramsvolunteervolunteeringvolunteerismvolunteers]]>Mar 11th 2010 @ 3:00PM
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]]><![CDATA[Debt charge-offs not consumer payoffs reducing credit card debt</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/10/debt-charge-offs-not-consumer-payoffs-reducing-credit-card-debt/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> We've been hearing for the past 16 months that consumer debt is going down. Well, it's not because people are paying off their debt more aggressively. Instead, we've learned it's because credit card companies wrote down $83 billion of the $93 billion in credit card reductions. Consumer credit card debt declined by just $10 billion with most of that pay down in the first quarter of 2009. That's what Odysseas Papadimitriou, CEO and founder of CardHub.com, concluded after he took a closer look at ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>credit cardsdebtFederal Reserve]]>Mar 10th 2010 @ 2:30PM
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]]><![CDATA[Customers rely less on credit cards when buying online</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/10/customers-rely-less-on-credit-cards-when-buying-online/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> In spite of the recession, online purchases have held up remarkably well. According to a new study from Javelin Strategy & Research, Americans spent $205 billion online last year, a rise of 10.8% over 2008. What's interesting, though, is that we're relying less on credit cards to make those purchases. While credit cards are still the most popular form of payment, debit card usage is on the rise. This reflects both our desire to better control our spending by avoiding "buy now, pay later" ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>credit cardsCreditCardsdebit cardsJavelin Strategy ResearchJavelinStrategyResearchonline shoppingshoppingtechnology]]>Mar 10th 2010 @ 9:00AM
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]]><![CDATA[Heidi Montag speaks out against plastic</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/09/heidi-montag-speaks-out-against-plastic/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> The "plastic" Heidi Montag's got in her sights is actually credit cards, in case you were scratching your head in puzzlement at the prospect of the reality TV and tabloid fixture denouncing plastic surgery. The star of MTV's The Hills and (in)famous cosmetic surgery devotee made a spoof video for the website FunnyOrDie.com that's actually a humorous, tongue-in-cheek PSA for the creation of a Consumer Finance Protection Agency. Although better-credentialed (albeit less, er, enhanced) ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>consumer financial protection agencyConsumerFinancialProtectionAgencycredit cardsCreditCardsHeidi Montag]]>Mar 9th 2010 @ 7:30PM
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]]><![CDATA[Some credit card customers pay more but get better perks</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/09/some-credit-card-customers-pay-more-but-get-better-perks/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> Sometimes it feels like WalletPop is the official "bad news about credit cards" website. And granted, there's plenty of bad news to go around when it comes to the sneaky ways banks are still trying to get their pound of flesh, even after passage of the landmark CARD Act. But a new report indicates that some Americans are managing to get a few, new perks out of their card issuers. According to this article, a handful of big banks have started increasing the perks on their reward cards. For ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>credit cardCredit Card Actcredit cardsrewardreward cardrewards]]>Mar 9th 2010 @ 3:00PM
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]]><![CDATA[Is your latest credit card statement as shocking as mine?</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/08/is-your-latest-credit-card-statement-as-shocking-as-mine/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> My recent credit card statement came in the mail, as it always does, and I opened it, as I always do, but this time...well, if I were a cartoon character, my eyes would have bulged out, my jaw would have dropped to the floor, and then exploded into a million tiny fragments. That's because, just as the Credit CARD Act of 2009 promised, banks are now required to exactly spell out the terms of your agreement on your credit card statements. As regular readers of WalletPop might know, after almost ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>Credit CARD Act of 2009credit card statementscredit cardsCreditCardActOf2009CreditCardsCreditCardStatements]]>Mar 8th 2010 @ 2:00PM
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]]><![CDATA[Regulators let you challenge merchants — after a seven-year wait</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/08/regulators-let-you-challenge-merchants-after-a-seven-year-wait/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> Beginning in July, consumers burned by a merchant erroneously reporting something to a credit reporting agency can take their case directly to that company as well as to the credit bureaus. CreditCards.com has a story summarizing the news (we've also written in more detail about how to dispute an error on your credit report and shared stories of fellow Americans who've gone through this). In a nutshell, if a mistake shows up on your credit report -- say a department store card reports you as ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>credit reportcredit reportingcredit reportsCreditReportCreditReportingCreditReports]]>Mar 8th 2010 @ 9:00AM
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]]><![CDATA[Southwest Airlines, Chase reaching out to a new audience for credit cards: Toddlers</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/05/southwest-airlines-chase-reaching-out-to-a-new-audience-for-cre/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> Kemper doesn't have a job, but he does like to stack things up and knock them down. He knows his letters, but can't read -- certainly not credit card solicitations. But he gets them nonetheless. A curious thing to send to a 2-year-old. His mom, Frances Sayers, was none-too-happy to read a recent offer for Kemper for a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit card from Chase. "I was surprised and a little bit angry," she said. "Kemper's only two, after all. He has a piggy bank, not a credit ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>chasecredit cardCreditCardsouthwestsouthwest airlinesSouthwestAirlines]]>Mar 5th 2010 @ 8:00PM
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]]><![CDATA[Interchange fees cost you more than you realize</a></h3>]]>]]>http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/04/interchange-fees-cost-you-more-than-you-realize/]]>]]>]]>]]>
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]]> It's a fee we pay every day, but it's invisible. And if Robert Johnson is correct, it's strangling the economy. For those of you who don't know what an interchange fee, a little introduction is in order. Interchange fee, meet the person reading this, whom you already know, if they have a pulse and a credit or debit card. Reader, meet the interchange fee, a charge that's billed to a merchant on every purchase you ever make with a credit or debit card (if you're using that debit card as a credit ...

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]]>More WalletPop Blog Posts]]>credit cardsCreditCardsinterchange feeinterchange feesInterchangeFeeInterchangeFeesswipe feeSwipeFee]]>Mar 4th 2010 @ 3:30PM
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