According to Investopedia, a subprime credit card is defined as:
A type of credit card issued to people with substandard credit scores or limited credit histories. These cards will typically carry much higher interest rates than credit cards granted to prime borrowers; they also come with extra fees and lower credit limits.
In other words, these credit cards are made especially for those with bad credit scores and are seeking credit through any means available. Some may be desperate enough to fall prey to predatory lending practices but I bet even they …

The Internet is your oyster
It cannot be denied that the World Wide Web brings numerous benefits and rewards to people all around the globe. Be it for work and play, we constantly rely on the Internet for our everyday needs and wants, and now it is proven that more and more consumers are looking to the Internet to complete their daily transactions via Internet banking. When Internet banking first appeared on the scene, many were sceptical that this concept will work, what with its myriad of pros and cons. However, …

Just when we thought it was safe to use credit cards this year, the start of 2010 saw predictions that more card issuers in the US will be implementing annual fees. At the moment, only 1 in 5 cards have annual fees attached to them. Bank of America and Chase are said to have implemented the move by reintroducing fees as much as $99 per year. Previously this was a highly unpopular move amongst issuers but industry experts say that while consumers are more careful about what they spend now, …

How would you like to use your iPhone as a credit card reader someday? For some, this may sound like an absurd idea but it has been announced that this could happen in the very near future! An innovative company called Mophie is set to revolutionize the credit card consumer and merchant industry by introducing a device that allows users to “read” their own credit cards when they purchase items. This gadget is connected to the iPhone and ultimately an iPhone app will be needed to make this possible but …

How many times have you said this to yourself: “I swore I had $50 in my wallet before I left the house…” If this has happened to you before, then you are not alone. More of more US consumers are admitting to the fact that they cannot keep track of their expenditure. As a result up to $1000 is unaccounted for annually. This phenomenon is even more worrying in younger Americans whereby as much as $2500 is lost each year.
These findings were made public by Visa recently. Although an increasing …

Prepaid gifts cards – Some love ‘em, and some hate ‘em. They make versatile gifts during the holiday season especially when one does not know what to present to a loved one. Others are not so fond of prepaid gift cards because they seem too impersonal. Whether you love or loathe prepaid gift cards, such as the ever popular Visa prepaid gift cards, you must agree knowing how to utilize them optimally will be advantageous to you in the long run. With the rising popularity of prepaid cards, you may …

Blippy – Inspired by Twitter?
Twitter CEO Evan Williams made it clear through his tweet when he said “Many of the great businesses of the next decade will be about making information about our behaviors more visible.” Transparency is the catchword of the decade, and hot on Twitter’s heels is Blippy. And nope, Blippy isn’t Twitter’s competitor. In fact, what it does is it allows you to share your everyday online transactions with other people.
Just like Twitter, once the Blippy stream is updated with your transactions done in real time, your …

Year after year, more and more consumers are embracing the online shopping trend but there is one major downside affecting the e-Commerce economy: FRAUD. Authorities reported that such frauds are likely to occur around the holiday season. Seeing that Christmas is almost upon us, we’d like to alert both consumers and merchants alike on how to avoid being victims of scams so prevalent on the World Wide Web today.
Hints and pointers for consumers:
1. Avoid being victims of phishing websites. You can do so by logging into your account at websites …

Out of Twitter came forth Square…
Twitter has been heralded as one of the most groundbreaking thing to happen to social media and now things are going to get more interesting. How would you like to possess the ability to pay for things via Twitter? For years consumers have been looking forward to being a part of a cashless society but aside from credit cards, there is still a lack of a really versatile tool that allows people to purchase items they wanted, be it online or offline.
All that is going …

The carrot on the stick
Imagine this scenario: You’ve stumbled upon a spiffy looking website online offering a free trial pack of colon cleansing products together with an impressive looking e-Book. All you need to do is submit your name, address, credit or debit card details (for a nominal “shipping and handling fees”), as well as other personal details, and you’ll enjoy a month’s supply of colon cleansing product, JUST the thing you need to lose some weight in time for Christmas… RIGHT?
A nasty shock
WRONG! Yes, you will receive your trial …