November 13, 2009
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Many people are aware of how hard it is to stay on top of the monthly debt repayments, particularly with the crisis still wreaking havoc on their life. Even before the onset of the worldwide financial crisis, many cardholders have struggled in their credit card payments, and the rate of defaults has long since been rising.
A number of industry experts have warned that credit card defaults may continue to increase, and that most families could find themselves dealing with troubles when it comes to making on time repayments on their credit cards and debts. With this in mind many experts are now reiterating the significance of careful budgeting to make sure that credit card payments will be made on time. (more…)
November 7, 2009
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Remember where our economy was a year ago? During the fall of 2008, the charts of the Dow and Nasdaq looked like some sort of intense rollercoaster ride; slow climbs and steep drops. As the finance sector collapsed, so did credit card deals. Offers for balance transfers and low interest rates quickly disappeared. Even reward cards were having their rebates chopped down. To make matters worse, our spending limits were being slashed “Freddy Krueger” style. Although we’re not out of the woods yet, we are seeing credit card deals make their way back onto the market. Finally, we are seeing banks offer 0% promotions and signup bonuses once again.
Signup Deals
A couple years ago, credit card companies would actually pay us to sign up fro their cards. Many would offer a $50 to $100 bonus simply for applying and being approved. Some cards were even more generous; American Express gave a staggering 25,000 membership reward points to new Gold Card members, plus they waived the annual fee for the first year. Those 25,000 points were enough to get a domestic roundtrip ticket! (more…)