From Bank of America®: The U.S. Postal Service Is Changing First-Class Mail Delivery Time Frames

 A heads-up from the good folks at Bank of America®:

The United States Postal Service Began Changing First-Class Mail Delivery Time Frames In October

Bank of America This change may result in mailed statements, new or replacement cards and payments you mail taking longer to arrive. For fast and easy access to your account information and to schedule payments 24/7 for your Bank of America credit card and loan accounts, use our Mobile Banking app1 and Online Banking digital solutions. Make payments quickly and easily using Mobile and Online Banking. You'll get immediate confirmation that your payment has been scheduled. Go paperless to securely view your statements online or from our mobile app. Get Payment Reminders when you set up payment due alerts Help reduce the risk of lost, stolen or delayed mail Receive email notifications when new statements are ready Request a digital card for debit through our Mobile Banking app to use with your digital wallet, if waiting for a new or replacement card.

If you haven't already, enroll today to get started.

Download the Bank of America Mobile Banking app   Enroll or sign in to Online Banking

Watch our guided demos if you need help getting started.

Legal disclosures and information 1 Mobile Banking requires that you download the Mobile Banking app and is only available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply.

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The Apple® Credit Card: Beware

If you're thinking of applying for the Apple® credit card (Apple Card), you should check out the comments section of this Twitter ad before you apply:

            >>>> https://bit.ly/Apple-Credit-Card <<<<

Many of the comments are total garbage, but some are both insightful and actionable...

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The Apple® Credit Card: Beware

===============

See if you are approved with no impact to your credit score. Apply in minutes and use Apple Card right away on your iPhone.

— Apple Card (@AppleCard) January 8, 2021

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How To Freeze Your American Express Card

Here's a short but useful clip on how to freeze your American Express card, by the good folks at AmericanExpress.com:

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How To Negotiate Credit Card Fees

How To Negotiate Credit Card Fees; a segment produced by Nightly Business Report (CNBC):

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Credit-Card Promotions Improving, And Here's The Proof...

Citi® Credit Cards

The Fed lifted the U.S. Prime Rate from 3.25% to 3.5% at the end of last year.

While the U.S. economy is still not as healthy as it should be this far into the post-Great-Recession recovery, the Federal Reserve may still opt to raise short-term rates again as soon as the December 14, 2106 FOMC monetary policy meeting.

And when the Fed demonstrates confidence in the U.S. economy, big banks tend to respond by making their loan products more attractive.  American banks are more profitable when the short-term interest rates controlled by the Federal Reserve rise.

In the credit-card zone, I'm seeing the return of some very consumer-friendly promotions, including extended zero percent introductory APR offers, on both balance transfers and new purchases, and balance transfer offers that don't charge balance transfer fee.

I'm old, and I'm a very responsible borrower, so I always expect the banks and credit unions with which I have an established relationship to offer me nothing but the best. 

According to Equifax®, my FICO® credit score is 814 out of a possible 900.  A brief, FICO credit-score history is a new feature I noticed when I logged into my Citi® credit card account today.

My FICO® Credit Score - Brief History

What My 814 FICO® Score Means To Lenders

FICO® Scores At A Glance

Right now I'm taking advantage of three concurrent Citi promotions with my Citi® Dividend World MasterCard®:

• 0% APR on all new purchases until June 1, 2017.
• 5% cash back on purchases I make at department stores (Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Kohl’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, etc.) and includes the electronics retailer Best Buy, which suits my geeky lifestyle just fine.  This particular promo lasts from October 1 through December 31, 2016.
• And last, but certainly not least, I am currently getting 5% cash back on all online purchases I make with my card, until November 30, 2016.

I understand the timing with the above incentives, with the holiday shopping season in the offing, but I won't be doing much spending.  I'm not rich, and I never spend for the sake of spending. 

Move Free® ULTRA

But I did use my Citi card to purchase some Move Free® ULTRA Triple Action Joint / Cartilage / Bone supplements, which the CVS.com website had discounted at buy one, get one free.  I'm an avid quad skater, and my knees have been complaining so much lately that I had to find a solution.  Move Free ULTRA has lots of very positive reviews online.

I like to use my Citi card every once in a while, just to let the folks and computers at Citi know that I'm interested in keeping the card alive.  The card offers the kind of value I appreciate, so I don't want some algorithm and/or employee to close my card due to inactivity. 

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One-Year Anniversary for EMV (Chip) Cards

A segment from the folks at Nightly Business Report on the status of EMV cards (also known as chip cards) in the United States:

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Citi® Quick Lock

Citi Quick Lock

Citi® Quick Lock: A new and very welcome feature for my +Citi MasterCard®.

And because it is my habit to test everything, I tested it, and it worked perfectly.

I received a very rapid email from Citi when I locked and unlocked my card.

======

I have a business debit card with Chase®, and it would be great if the powers at Chase added this feature to it.  The card is connected with my business checking account so security is of the utmost importance.

And ditto for my Bank of America® business credit card.

======

Somewhat unrelated, but I just want to add a strong kudos to +Bank of America, because during the worst of the 2008 banking crisis and the subsequent Great Recession, my favorite of America's big banks exercised decent and responsible banking with my credit-card accounts.  They did not:

• Lower my credit limit(s)
• Cancel my active account(s)
• Force an interest-rate increase

During the worst of everything, my FICO® credit score either continued sideways or moved up, so I did not appreciate being treated like a subprime borrower by other credit-card banks, some of which no longer exist (go figure.)

Here's what my credit scores look like right now, provided by CreditKarma: TransUnion (808) and Equifax (811.)

Credit Scores

 Responsible banking.

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How to Keep Your Credit Card Numbers and Other Private Information Safe When Shopping Online

credit cards

Submitting credit card numbers and other sensitive information online shouldn't be cause for cold sweats and sleepless nights. Despite the efforts of identity thieves and other Internet criminals, shopping online is still safe, as long as you stay informed about the tools and tricks Internet crooks use to scam the unaware.

Shopping online using credit cards has become so mainstream that it's hard to remember a time when Internet shopping didn't exist. Shopping online makes perfect sense: it's efficient and convenient, and it makes comparison shopping much easier. Though most online retailers utilize sophisticated systems to keep their servers safe from hackers and other Internet fraudsters, there are still a numbers of best practices consumers should heed to ensure that each and every online shopping experience is as safe as possible.

• If your credit card company offers virtual credit card account numbers, then use them. A virtual credit card number is a temporary, randomly-generated number that's attached to your credit card account. You can use virtual numbers to pay for goods or services online, instead of your real credit card account number. If you generate a virtual account number for use on a particular website, the virtual number will be valid for that website and only that website. If you want to buy 3 items at 3 unique sites, you would generate 3 unique virtual numbers.
  
  Having read the above, you might be thinking that it would be a hassle to generate a virtual number every time you arrive at the checkout page of an online retailer. But considering the peace of mind that using virtual numbers affords you, it's worth it. Credit card companies don't charge a fee for generating virtual numbers, and the process of generating a number is quick and painless.
• When shopping online, never submit your social security number, your mother's maiden name or any other secret question/secret answer-related information that credit card companies use to verify your identity. A legitimate online retailer will never ask you for your social security number, your mother's maiden name, the name of your first grade teacher or the name of your favorite pet.
• Purchase an anti-virus software package if you don't have one already, and consider installing an anti-spyware package as well. If you have anti-virus software running on your computer, get into the habit of downloading the latest virus definition files at least 3 times per week, and run a full scan of all your hard drives at least once every week.
  
  Computer viruses, trojan horses, worms and other types of malware can cause all kinds of headaches, but when it comes to serious security threats, it doesn't get much worse than a keystroke logger (also known as a keylogger.) If your PC isn't protected by anti-virus software, you computer could get infected with a particular type of trojan horse called a malicious keylogger, a program that will record all your keystrokes, save them to a file and send the information to a criminal. If you get infected with a malicious keylogger, a huge chunk of your sensitive information, like credit card numbers, your social security number, the usernames and passwords you use around the Internet, etc. could end up in the hands of the crook who orchestrated the attack. Your private information could then be used to steal you identity, or worse.
•  Never initiate any online shopping by responding to a spam email message. Bottom line: legitimate online retailers don't send out unsolicited mail. Besides, if you respond to a spam email message, you are supporting the spammers, and you don't want to do that!
• If you want to purchase an item from a website, but you're not 100% confident about the site's trustworthiness, then search Yahoo!, BING and Google to see if you can find any reports of security issues, bad conduct or poor customer support.

Should you be nervous about submitting your credit card information over the Internet? No, you shouldn't. Just remember to use common sense and observe best practices before whipping out that credit card.

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Funniest Credit Card YouTube Video Clip Ever

Here it is folks: the funniest, credit-card related YouTube video clip ever:

Thanks much to Eddie Lawshea for posting this one.

Reading the comments attached to this clip is a must.  Way too many people actually thought Mr. Lawshea was stupid enough to post a real number for all to use.  Ha!

I hope those Nigerian email scammer don't start posting video clips on YouTube.  They'd make a killing.

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Credit Card Rakings for January 2011

Here are the credit card rankings for January 2011. These rankings are based on the cards we recommend here on www.BalanceTransfer.cc. As always, these rank are based on both the volume of applications, and approvals. Here's the list:

1. The Discover® More No Balance Transfer Fee Card (click here)
   
   
2. Discover More Card - 24 Month Promotional Balance Transfer Card (click here)
   
   
3. The Classic Discover More Card (click here)
   
   
4. Slate from Chase (click here)
   
   
5. The Chase Freedom® MasterCard® with $100 Bonus Cash Back (click here)
   
   
6. The Chase Freedom® Visa® with $100 Bonus Cash Back (click here)
   
   

Not surprisingly, Discover's No Balance Transfer Fee card, and its 24 Month Promotional Balance Transfer card, were extremely popular last month, as these two cards are easily the best 0% credit cards in the United States right now. Here what these two cards are currently offering:

Discover® More No Balance Transfer Fee Card

• 0% Intro APR on transferred balances for 12 months.
• 0% Intro APR on new purchases for 12 months.
• No balance transfer fee
• No Annual Fee
  

Discover More Card - 24 Month Promotional Balance Transfer Card

• 0% Intro APR on transferred balances for 24 months.
• 0% Intro APR on new purchases for 6 months.
• Balance transfer fee: 5% of each transfer made, with a minimum transfer fee of $10.
• No Annual Fee

Moreover, both of the above cards come with Discover's industry leading cashback rewards program.

If you want to take advantage of the best 0% credit cards in the market right now, you have until the end of February to do so. Discover plans to shelve both cards on February 28, 2011.

The Classic Discover More card is still popular, because it's still offering a lot of value:

Classic Discover More Card

• 0% Intro APR on transferred balances for 12 months.
• 0% Intro APR on new purchases for 18 months.
• Balance transfer fee: 4% of each transfer made.
• No Annual Fee

And, of course, excellent cashback rewards.

The Blue from American Express® and Blue Cash® from American Express cards both generated a lot of interest from visitors to this site in January. Unfortunately, however, Amex approved a small fraction of the applications generated here at www.BalanceTransfer.cc. We're hoping Amex approvals improve over time, and they should as the economy continues to heal and the jobs picture gets better. But, for now, it's best to try one of the 3 top Discover cards from our January rankings above. Though American Express offers the best customer service around, Discover's customer service record is also very good. Bottom line: If you're attracted to the Blue from American Express or Blue Cash from American Express cards because they offer 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months, you'd probably be better off going with one of the Discover cards discussed above, because your application has a better chance of getting that stamp of approval.

As always, your comments are very welcome.

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Credit Card Rakings for August

Here are the August credit card rankings for the cards we recommend here on www.BalanceTransfer.cc. As always, these rank are based on both the volume of applications, and approvals. This list is important because it gives credit consumers a good read on which banks are approving applications, and which banks are offering the most attractive credit card offers. Bottom line: no one wants to signup for an unpopular credit card deal, and no one likes it when a credit application is denied. Popular cards are popular for a reason, as smart card shoppers always go for the best possible deal. Here's the list:

1. The Discover® More Black Card (click here)
   
   
2. Discover More Card with $75 CashBack Bonus (click here)
   
   
3. The Discover More Card (click here)
   
   
4. The Discover More Biodegradable Card (click here)
   
   
5. The Chase Freedom® Visa with $100 Bonus Cash Back (click here)
   
   
6. Blue from American Express® (click here)
   
   
7. Chase Freedom Credit Card (click here)
   
   
8. Blue Cash® from American Express (click here)
   
   
9. Chase Sapphire® Card (click here)
   
   
10. Chase Freedom Visa with $50 Bonus Cash Back (click here)

It's no surprise that the Discover More Black Card is still #1. It offers the best 0% intro APR deal (12 months), as well 0% intro APR on new purchases for 9 months. And, as always, Discover offers the most generous cashback bonus of all the cards we recommend.

We really like American Express cards, as the customer service is truly excellent and the terms are invariably consumer-friendly. However, Amex has been quite stingy with approving applications lately, and that's why only 2 Amex cards made our list this month.

The Chase Freedom® Visa with $100 Bonus Cash Back Card has been climbing the list, as savvy card shoppers have been keen to take advantage of the bonus cash.

Thanks much for stopping by and reading. Stay tuned for next month's list.

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60% APR On A Credit Card In Mexico

Lots of folks like to complain about how American credit-card banks make big profits by charging high interest, fees and penalties. It's true: before the new credit card rules became law this year, some banks were charging unreasonable fees and interest, mostly to those who have bad credit or no credit history.

But imagine if you lived in Mexico, where the typical APR on a credit card is 30%! Ouch!

And get this: Banco de Wal-Mart, which operates in Mexico (a.k.a WalMex), has a credit card that has an annual percentage rate of 60%. Let me spell that out in case you think it's a typo: sixty percent annual percentage rate.

That 9.99% APR credit card in your wallet isn't looking so bad now, is it?

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Slate: A New 0% Credit Card from Chase

Slate from Chase

The government continues to report positive macroeconomic news. Yesterday, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) released its Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) for October 2009. The PMI came in at 55.7%, better than what Wall Street economists were expecting, and better than the September figure. For the PMI, any figure above 50% is a strong indication that the American manufacturing sector is expanding.

Though an economic recovery appears to be taking hold, too many Americans are still dealing with various forms of oppressive debt, a home mortgage balance that's higher than their home's value, and job insecurity. In fact, earlier today Johnson & Johnson, a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and number 29 on the Fortune 500, announced that the company will be cutting 7,000 jobs (that's between 6% - 7% of its workforce.) National unemployment, already at 9.8%, will almost certainly rise during the fourth quarter and into Q1 2010. A jobless economic recovery? Yes: we're in it right now.

The whole world is relieved that the subprime debt-inspired credit crisis, which precipitated the worst recession since the early 1980's, and which brought the American financial system to its knees, has almost run its course. The liquidity maelstrom of 2008 and 2009 prompted the banks which survived the subprime debacle to cutback on all kinds of loans, including credit cards.

But financial markets are on the mend, as evidenced by low LIBOR rates, a healthy TED spread and the return of generous 0% intro APR credit cards.

Credit cards that offer a 0% intro APR period of at least 12 months all but disappeared from the market last year. But they're back. JPMorgan Chase Bank, commonly known simply as Chase, recently revealed a new credit card called Slate. Here are the vitals on Slate:

• 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 billing cycles
• 0% introductory APR on transferred balances for 12 billing cycles
• Balance transfer fee of 3% of each transaction, with a minimum of $5
• NB: The 0% intro APR is reserved for those who qualify for "Elite" or "Premium" pricing. Those who can only qualify for "Standard" pricing cannot take advantage of any interest-free introductory period with this particular card.
• For those who qualify for Elite pricing, the "goto" rate (also known as the ongoing rate) is 13.24% (the U.S. Prime Rate plus 9.99%); for Premium pricing it's 17.24% (Prime plus 13.99%.) For Standard pricing, the introductory and goto rate is 22.24% (Prime plus 18.99%.)

If you have a good FICO® credit score (above 700), you will probably qualify for either Elite or Premium pricing.

Slate is a very timely credit card: it has arrived in time for the fast approaching Christmas shopping season. With Slate, cardholders can do their holiday shopping and have plenty of time (12 billing cycles) to pay their credit card balance down to zero without having to worry about interest charges.

The goto rate with the Slate card, however, is relatively high when compared to consumer-friendly credit card offers that were available before the global credit crisis (likely a direct result of new rules included in the Credit Card Act of 2009.) For the consummate borrower who qualifies for Elite pricing, the rate charged on any balance remaining after the interest-free, introductory period ends is Prime (currently 3.25%) plus 9.99%, which translates to 13.24%.

But the U.S. Prime Rate is as low as it can possibly go. As the economy heats up, it will certainly rises, and it will likely do so at a relatively fast clip as the Fed works to contain future inflation. There is no way of knowing exactly how high the Prime Rate will be a year from now, but if we plug in the median U.S. Prime Rate -- 8.75% -- then we get a rate of 18.74%, which anyone would agree is not consumer-friendly. In fact, any rate above 15% would be too much of a financial burden for the typical credit card consumer.

That's why we recommend Slate for anyone who can pay their balance down to zero over 12 months or so, which shouldn't be that hard to do (no need to go crazy with the Christmas shopping!)

As always, your comments are welcome and appreciated.

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Subprime Credit Cards Are Still Profitable, So They Aren't Going Away

With the country in a deep recession, and a new law that has many banks concerned about the profitability of their credit card products, you might be thinking that subprime credit cards are on their way out. To the contrary: it seems that subprime cards are performing relatively well for certain banks, thank you very much.

Consumers who have a limited credit history or no credit profile at all, and those who have bad credit, may be glad to know that subprime cards are still profitable for banks, so they aren't going to die out any time soon.

Here's a clip from a recent Wall Street Journal article:

"...British bank HSBC Holdings PLC, which has a large portfolio of U.S. credit-card customers, now generates better results with its subprime credit-card businesses than the portfolio that includes more-creditworthy customers, North America Chief Executive Brendan McDonagh said in a conference call Monday.

HSBC's subprime credit-card customers generally have lower credit limits than prime customers, averaging less than $500, and are defaulting at a lower-than-expected rate. The reason: For many of those borrowers, a credit card is their only form of noncash payment.

About a quarter of HSBC's $41 billion credit-card portfolio is considered subprime, and the delinquency rate on that is 10%, a 21% increase over last year. But because of higher interest rates charged to these borrowers, HSBC says that business is profitable.

One reason prime delinquencies are up is rising unemployment. When these borrowers lose their jobs they typically focus on making their mortgage payments and, because they tend to have multiple credit cards, they are more likely to let some of them default..."

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No Fee Balance Transfer

0% Intro APR credit cards that don't charge a fee on introductory balance transfers, and that are being offered from reputable American banks, are the best credit card deals in the American market today. This article offers some timely and useful advice for those who are looking for the best possible 0% credit card deal.

• Caveat #1: Make sure to note the interest rate that you'll pay once the interest-free period ends (this is sometimes referred to as the "go to" rate.) If you end up paying a significantly higher interest rate on your balance once the interest-free period ends, then you could end up with a much worse deal than you had before. So pay attention to all the numbers and, if you can, payoff your entire credit card balance once the interest-free period terminates.
  
  
• Caveat #2: Read the fine print carefully. Many zero percent balance transfer deals offered these days come with a catch: if you make any new purchases on the card to which you are transferring your balance(s) during the interest-free period, the annual percentage rate (APR) on those new purchases can be very high, as much as 29%! What's more, any payments you make toward the new card will very likely be applied to the lower interest, transferred balance(s) first, further exacerbating any lack of discipline on your part. So be careful. Balance transfer deals are a great way to save a lot of money in the long term, but if you have to make any new purchases, you are better off using cash, a debit card or a prepaid credit card.
  
  
• Caveat #3: Be careful when using convenience checks! With most credit cards, those convenience checks that you often find packaged with your credit card statement can get you into real trouble if you are not careful. With most cards, use of those convenience checks is tantamount to a cash advance, and credit card cash advances always have very high interest rates associated with them. Some credit cards will give you a favorable interest rate if you use their convenience checks to transfer balances from other credit cards. But read all the fine print carefully. Make sure that you understand exactly what you are getting into before using any convenience checks.
  
  OK, now for the good news: certain credit card companies will send you blank checks that you can use with their 0% APR balance transfer offer. These checks are really great because you can use them for anything you like. Many money-savvy consumers use these 0% balance transfer convenience checks as a way of getting an interest-free loan, but you can also use them to open a high-yield savings account or purchase a Certificate of Deposit*. Just remember: once the 0% intro APR period ends, interest charges will start to accrue on that "loan," so it's best to return any money that you intend to use with a zero APR convenience check back to the credit card account once the interest-free period terminates.
  
  Of course, all convenience checks have their limits, usually equal to the credit card account's credit limit.
  
  If you are not 100% sure as to whether or not the checks you'll receive with your new credit card are in fact 0% balance transfer convenience checks, then take 5 minutes and call the credit card company to find out (NB: I think it's always a good idea to write down the name of the representative you speak with just in case he/she makes a mistake.)
  
  
• Caveat #4: Don't overdo it! It doesn't matter if you are approved or rejected: too many applications for credit within a brief time span can result in a downgraded credit rating. Look for balance transfer deals that offer at least a 6 month intro APR on balances transferred (12 months or more is better) so that you don't end up transferring balances too often.
  
  
• Caveat #5: Before you submit an application for a credit card balance transfer, make sure that the credit card companies that you are dealing with are in fact different. If you try to transfer a balance from one credit card to another and both credit cards are owned by the same bank, then you application will almost certainly be rejected. If, for example, you try to transfer a balance from a Discover it® for Students card to a Discover it® credit card, your balance transfer application will most likely be rejected because both credit cards are issued by Pulaski Bank. This might not seem like a big deal, but remember: Inquiries into your credit report can have a negative effect on your credit rating, especially those inquiries that result in any kind of rejection.
  You can usually consolidate two or more credit cards that have been issued by the same bank into one aggregate credit card, with the resulting aggregate credit card having a credit limit equal to the sum credit limits of the consolidated cards. You should call your credit card company for more information about consolidating credit cards.
  
  
• Caveat #6: Make sure that the credit card account to which you'll be transferring your balance(s) has a credit limit that won't get you into trouble with fees. For example, if you are planning to transfer a total of $5,000 via a zero percent intro APR offer, the credit limit of the receiving credit card account should have a credit limit that's above $5,000. Some zero APR offers charge a fee for transferring balances, and if you don't have enough breathing room, the credit card company may smack you with an over-the-limit fee once the balance transfer transaction fee is added to your account (of course, you first priority should be to find offers that don't charge a fee for transferring balances.)
  
  
• Caveat #7: Sometimes, a balance transfer offer is so good that even with a balance transfer fee, it's worth doing a balance transfer to the card, especially if you have high balances to transfer. However, watch out for these two pitfalls:
  
  
  • A decent balance transfer offer that includes a transaction fee will cap the fee at a reasonable level, usually between $75 and $99. If the deal has no cap, then you may end up regretting the decision to transfer your balance(s) when your statement arrives.
    
    
  • Read the fine print and find out if the balance transfer fee is subject to finance charges. Believe it or not, with certain deals out there, you could end up paying finances charges on a balance transfer fee. Bottom line: there are still a few consumer-friendly, 0% intro APR balance transfer offers available in the American market, so there's no reason to signup for a deal in which you'd be paying interest on a balance transfer transaction fee.
    
    
• Caveat #8: This may seem obvious, but make sure you pay all your bills on time -- not just your mortgage and credit card bills: you need to stay on top of your household utility bills as well (cable, phone, natural gas, etc.) Bottom line: the banks and credit card companies will offer the best 0% deals to customers with the best credit scores, plain and simple. Having a high FICO® credit score (shoot for a FICO score of 720 or higher) will also minimize the risk of having your credit application rejected.
  
  For your credit card accounts, use payment scheduling and automatic payments online, and keep those paper statement coming as a backup payment option just in case.

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Predatory Lenders on College Campuses Teach the Wrong Lessons About Credit

My husband likes to tell me about his college days, in the early 90s, before I knew him. One of his favorite memories is about his first experience with credit cards. He remembers being a college freshman, new to northern Michigan, stepping onto the campus for the first time. Expecting to be greeted by helpful upperclassmen and faculty who were there to escort him into the beginning of the rest of his life, he had a rude awakening - he was greeted by ‘the credit card guy’.

Still a fairly new marketing tactic at that time, campus recruiting by credit card companies was not looked down upon as the sleazy and unscrupulous predatory practice that it is. Older brothers, sisters, and cousins did not yet know to warn their younger relatives about ‘the credit card guy’ that would find them in the student center. The idea that you could get a free long distance calling card, T-shirt, or pizza just for filling out a short application was too good to pass up. Credit card companies know that starting college is an exhilarating experience; you feel empowered to make adult decisions, typically for the first time in your life. So, ‘the credit card guy’ makes sue that the very first ‘adult’ decision you make is to get a credit card you know nothing about because you want free pizza. Although the credit card companies claim that they are providing a valuable service to studnets, U.S. News and World Report agrees that this practice is questionable at best:



Just like many other unsuspecting freshmen, this campus recruiter convinced my husband that he needed a credit card, so he applied and was easily approved. Happy about his newfound freedom and means, he told his older brother about his credit card, expecting a good pat on the back. Instead, his brother was outraged. He had a steady job and living arrangements, paid his utilities on time, and was basically doing everything he could do to be financially responsible, but he couldn’t get a credit card to save his life. He was repeatedly denied because he didn’t have enough assets or income, according to the credit card companies. His little brother didn’t even have a job, and he just waltzed onto a college campus and got a card with a $500 limit? How unfair! Living on his own, he really needed credit to take care of business, yet his little brother, with absolutely no way to repay his debts, was able to get what he had been working hard for by simply checking “yes” in the box marked, “Are you a student?”

Needless to say, my husband was shocked and confused.

Now, in hindsight, he can see why his older brother was so angry. While his brother had intended to be responsible with credit he could not attain, my husband was absolutely irresponsible with credit that he did not have to work for at all. It helped to warp his idea of the purpose and proper use of credit, which took years to undo. However, because it caused him to plummet into debt so quickly, he can see why he and other college studnets were targeted. Low income plus easy credit equals a lifelong customer for credit card companies. With mass marketing of financial products to and predatory lending becoming a part of mainstream American culture over the past 20 years, young people and people with low incomes can almost expect to be able to get something for nothing. That’s why the mortgage industry crisis has crippled our economy. Sub-prime mortgage lending was ‘the credit card guy’ of the housing market.

Except no one got a free pizza.

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