Prepaid Debit Card Reviews, Complaints, Etc

Tag: credit card

Are Credit Cards Miles Worth It?
Are credit card miles worth it? We look at a couple of articles in this roundup of frequent flyer credit card news and related tips. If you have seen the movie “Up in the Air” with George Clooney, you have seen some examples of tremendous perks provided by frequent flyer and credit card miles. He criss-crossed the country accumulating miles and tons of perks along the way.

But, for the rest of us that may not travel quite as frequently, are frequent flyer credit cards worth it? The answer, as in many things, unfortunately, is it depends. If you are going to actively go after the miles and have a plan for using them, absolutely.

[box_success]Start Earning Points and Miles Toward Your Next Big Trip – CLICK HERE to Visit our Partner Website and View a Great List of Travel Rewards & Frequent Flyer Credit Cards for GOOD and EXCELLENT Credit[/box_success]

Is a travel reward card worth it?

Commentary: This article does a great job of explaining the ins and outs of travel reward cards. After reading the article, you should be better prepared to answer the question: “Are frequent flyer credit cards worth it?”

Source: CNN Money

Hoping to snag a free trip by opening a travel rewards credit card? You’re not the only one. During the first part of the year and again at the start of summer are the peak times people start searching for travel credit cards. Since 2012, the first weeks in the new year have shown at least a 50% increase in searches for travel rewards credit cards over the rest of the year, according to Value Penguin.

Some of the slickest travel reward credit cards out there offer glamorous perks — access to airport lounges, free nights at hotels, hundreds of dollars in travel credits for baggage — but they can come at a steep cost: annual fees.

Apply Online in Mins for the New PenFed PathFinder Rewards American Express Card and Earn:

(Ad Link)
- All the benefits of a premium rewards card that typically costs around $95, but with no annual fee.
- Our editors have rated this card with 4.5 stars
Can you afford the annual fees for a premium travel card?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Citi Prestige, for example, each have $450 annual fees, while the American Express Platinum card has an annual fee of $550.

“The report just came out that most people don’t have $1,000 to pay for an emergency,” says Robert Harrow, credit card analyst of Value Penguin. “If that is you, you can’t be throwing away $450 on an annual fee for a credit card.”

Here’s Harrow’s rule of thumb: if you spend $12,000 a year or less on your card, you should only look at cards that don’t charge an annual fee.

A travel reward card with no fee, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card, or Discover It Miles card may be a better place to start.

Don’t expect to get miles points immediately. Sign-up bonuses often come with high spending requirements that typically span one to three months and can put card-holders in a bit of a financial pinch. The big bonus points usually come only after new card members have spent a certain amount on the card in the first few months. Once the points are earned, then the bank may take up to eight weeks to process and reward the points to your account. Typically, it takes about four weeks for the points to be added to the account.

Most credit card experts would agree that you do not want to carry balances when using travel cards, but more than half of people with travel rewards cards have carried a balance in the past year, according to a study by U.S. News. Travel cards tend to carry high normal interest rates, so although you could save money on the travel expense, initially, you could pay for it later in interest fees.

Click here for the full article from CNN Money.

Are Travel Rewards Worth the Annual Fee?

Commentary: This article provided a great checklist of factors to consider when deciding whether to get a travel rewards card with an annual fee. It puts the question to the test of whether travel rewards cards are worth the annual fee in comparison to rewards cards without an annual fee.

Source: LowCards.com

There are dozens of travel rewards cards on the market, all with their own unique offers. Most come with an annual fee, and those that don’t usually have loyalty programs which are far less lucrative. Many consumers wonder if the travel rewards cards are worth the annual fee.

Recent research from MagnifyMoney shows the average introductory bonus for travel credit cards is 40,556 points, more than double the 16,050 point average in 2008. But annual fees have also increased significantly. Travel credit cards with a bonus offer currently have an average annual fee of $120, up from $74 in 2008.

To determine if a travel card is worth its annual fee, you must consider several factors:
- How easy is it to earn points?
- Do my spending habits line up with the credit card’s rewards program? (Editor: This is a big one to consider before paying a hefty annual fee.)
- How much value do the points have?
- Do the points expire, and if so, when?
- Can I realistically earn enough points to offset the annual fee? (Editor: This is another big on to consider. If you are just going to break even or barely earn more than the annual fee, what’s the point?)
- Is there a card with a lower annual fee that would still provide the rewards I need?
- Where can the rewards be used? (airline miles, hotels, rental cars, etc.) (Editor: This also ties in with purchasing habits above. If the card does not provide rewards to the services you frequently purchase, you may not get as much bang for your buck.)
If you can earn significantly more rewards than the annual fee, it may be worth applying for that card. If your rewards barely cover the annual fee, you’re not really saving any money. At that point, you may be better off with a cash back credit card or other rewards program to get the best return for your personal expenses.

Click here for the full article from LowCards.com.

New Barclays Arrival Premier card: Worth a look if you love to travel

Source: Dayton Daily News

Are you trying to earn the most valuable travel rewards for every dollar you spend on your credit cards?

If you’re the kind of person who always avoids interest charges by paying your statement balance in full each month, you should be earning the most valuable rewards you can. Barclays (which used to go by Barclaycard), just introduced the Arrival Premier, a credit card that allows you to earn tens of thousands of bonus miles each year and gives you a chance to transfer your rewards to airline miles. This new credit card allows you to earn tens of thousands of bonus miles each year with a modest annual fee of $150. To take advantage of this card, you really need to consistently spend $15,000 or more per year on credit cards, but for those higher spenders, you can really save. For example, if you used your card to spend $25,000 in your account’s first year, then you’ll earn 75,000 miles which is essentially triple miles.

Click here for the full article from the Dayton Daily News.

6 Easy Ways to Earn Extra Airline Miles and Points Without Traveling

Source: Forbes

In this article, the author shows you six easy ways to earn airline miles quickly without having to fly. These tips can often be applied to hotel points programs and other loyalty programs too.

Sign up for the airline’s dining program – Most airlines and hotel chains have a dining program. These programs let you earn points eating at partner restaurants. Generally, these programs require you to link your credit card to the service and points are automatically deposited in your frequent flier account.

Other tips to consider include the following.
- Bank account bonuses
- Using a shopping portal
- Signing up for a co-branded credit card
- Using gas station points programs
- Switching your power provider (Editor: Who knew? You can get points just for paying your power bill in some locations.)
Airlines and hotel chains often partner with energy providers. Airlines often offer sign up bonuses for switching to their partner and give you a certain number of miles every month for paying your bill. For example, United partners with NRG in the Midwest, and offers 2 miles per dollar spent on energy bills. Some even offer bonuses when you sign up. Geoff Whitmore, the author of the article, reported earning a 12,500 miles bonus when he signed up.

Go travel! You need to use those points somehow!

Click here for the full article from Forbes.com.

These Are the Hotel Credit Cards That Earn You a Free Night Every Year

Source: Travel+Leisure

Hotel credit cards can be a valuable tool in any traveler’s wallet. Not only do they offer large sign-up bonuses and elite status perks, they also often come with stellar earning opportunities to help cardholders rack up points, and thus free stays, even faster.

However, several hotel credit cards go one step further and give cardmembers an automatic free night at partner hotels each year they renew their card. The value of this benefit can be worth hundreds of dollars depending on where you redeem your free night – more than enough to offset the annual fees many of these cards charge.

Here are seven hotel credit cards that guarantee you at least one free night each year just for carrying them or spending a certain amount of money on them.

Click here for the full article from Travel+Leisure.

A new model for travel? Pay a local $25 a day to plan a trip

Source: Madison.com

For a flat fee of $25 a day, travelers can use a service called ViaHero to hire locals on the ground to plan out their trips, arranging everything from lodging and airport pickup to sightseeing and dining. The service combines authentic local recommendations, convenient online booking and the old-school guidance of a travel agent.

So far it’s available in Cuba, Iceland, Japan and Colombia, with plans to add Ecuador and other South American countries this year.

Trips are customized to fit any budget. Travelers can be as independent with as much unstructured time as they like, or ViaHero can hire tour guides, drivers and even personal chefs.

Click here for the full article from Madison.com.

Six Simple Tips for Smooth Travel with a Disability

Source: New York Times

Traveling with a visible or invisible disability doesn’t have to be difficult. A few simple tips can go a long way.

Times have changed for travelers who use wheelchairs, are visually or hearing-impaired or have another disability, says Jayne Bliss, a travel adviser with Tzell, who has more than 30 years of experience in planning trips for those with special needs.

“No place is off limits, and hotels, museums and cultural institutions offer more accessibility than ever before,” Ms. Bliss said. Here are some of her tips to travel smoothly with a disability:

Ask Your Airline for Help

Asking your airline for assistance, either at the time of booking or a few days before your trip, will make your time at the airport much easier. Many airlines will designate an employee to meet you curbside when you arrive or at check-in with a wheelchair (if you need one) and guide you through security. You can also request assistance when you land at your destination.

There is usually no charge for this service, but policies vary by airline and may depend on available staff and your disability, so be sure to clarify with your carrier before you fly. Also, many carriers allow guide dogs on board free of charge for passengers who are visually-impaired (as long as you make a reservation for your guide dog at least 48 hours in advance of your flight).

Learn more tips in the full article.

Click here for the full article from the New York Times.

10 Simple Summer Car Care Tips

Source: Autotrader.com

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but car care doesn’t take a vacation between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The warmer months present some challenges to personal transportation and maintenance, but this list will help us all have a summer we can enjoy. Here are our top 10 tips to keeping your car — and its passengers — in good shape this summer.

1. Coolant System

Keeping cool is paramount, not just for ourselves but also for our cars. In addition to checking the level of coolant fluid in your car, go the extra mile and inspect the state of the hoses and the coolant reservoir. Keep an eye out for leaks, especially at joints and connection points, such as where a hose connects to the engine block. Also, squeeze the hoses (when the engine is cool) every once in a while to make sure they feel firm and not excessively squishy or soft.

2. Engine Belts

There is usually a serpentine belt that runs between the alternator, the fan and several other components. It can deteriorate, become loose, start to squeal, and sometimes just break for no apparent reason. It needs to be in good condition and at the right amount of tension. If you see cracks in the belt or small pieces missing, it’s time to replace the belt.

3. Wipers

Yes, it’s summer, but it’s probably going to rain at some point. Worn wipers create nasty streaks across the windshield and can affect your vision while driving. Replacing them doesn’t cost much, but it can be a fiddly operation. If you’re in the habit of taking your car in for oil changes, ask them about the wipers, too. Sometimes a dealership will sell you the wipers and install them for free.

Learn the rest of the tips in the full article.

Click here for the full article from Autotrader.com.

OTHER RESOURCES:

Best Credit Cards for Cheap Travel

Pros and Cons of Traveling with a Prepaid Debit Card

Our Ratings/Disclaimer:

When curating news and tips as well as reviewing cards, we do our best to put ourselves in your shoes. We select articles that we feel would be of interest to people looking for new travel cards, balance transfer credit cards, prepaid cards and the like as well as topics of personal finance that may be of interest as well. When reviewing cards, we choose cards based on such things as maximizing savings through promotional interest-free periods, (lack of) fees, finance charges and ease of use. In other words, if we wouldn’t use these cards ourselves, we wouldn’t recommend them!

* NOTE: We are proud that the majority of cards that we list on articles throughout the site (about 60%) are cards that don’t advertise with us― almost all of our competitors ONLY list cards that advertise with them. About 40% of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation (these cards are listed as such on our site). They are typically noted with an asterisk.

The bottom line is that we don’t know of another site that prominently lists as many non-advertiser cards! Please note that rates are current as of the publishing date of this article and should be verified prior to applying.

Curated and comments by Shane Tripcony, personal finance blogger and web marketing consultant. Curtis Arnold and Shane Tripcony are the founders of BestPrepaidDebitCards.com, which provides ratings and reviews of prepaid cards and credit cards. Curtis is a nationally recognized consumer advocate and founder of CardRatings.com, the pioneering website that started posting the first credit card ratings online around 20 years ago.

(Photos from Pexels.com)

Check out some of the great frequent flyer credit cards at our partner site, CardRatings.com. If you are a bit more laid back about miles or points accumulation, and you really do not have a plan for their use, they may not be as attractive for you. In that case, a cash back credit card may be more useful.

I tend to fall more in line with the second camp most of the time. I don’t travel that much these days, so a cash back card is more useful and convenient for me. If I were planning a large trip, however, getting some great miles sign-on bonuses would be very helpful in easing travel costs.
May 16, 2018
Walmart Card Cash Offers Home For Unwanted Gift Cards

We all know that even Santa Claus misfires from time to time. And the rest of us well-intentioned gift givers are even worse, known for holiday faux-pas such as presenting caffeine averse friends and relatives with a $50 Starbucks gift card. As of Christmas day, though, a program called Walmart Card Cash gives holders of unwanted gift cards from over 200 retailers a chance to exchange them for a Walmart e-gift card that can be used both in stores and online.

Here’s how it works. Visitors to the Walmart Card Cash website can view a list of the cards that the world’s biggest retailer is willing to swap for one of its own gift cards. It includes a who’s-who of the nation’s best known brands, such as airlines like Jet Blue, American and Southwest as well as restaurants like Taco Bell and Olive Garden and even other large retailers like Target. After you select the type of gift card and enter the card’s balance, you receive an instant offer of how much store credit Walmart will give to exchange the card.

Although the site boasts that consumers can get up to 97 percent of the face value of the card, most exchange offers are not that generous. For instance, a $200 Home Depot gift card will fetch $172.20 while a Target card of the same amount brings in $193.20.

Walmart Card Cash is a partnership with the discount gift card marketplace CardCash.com and is in a test phase, meaning that it will be available for the first few weeks of 2015, and possibly longer if the response is strong. According to an article in Kiplinger, the payout rate offered by Walmart Card Cash is more generous than other gift card exchange sites like GiftcardZen.com and Cardpool.com, though those sites offer cash to people redeeming their unwanted cards while Walmart provides store credit.

Still, for those who want to salvage that holiday present that is more a token of goodwill than it is useful may find Walmart Card Cash to be a gift in and of itself.

January 8, 2015
CFPB Proposes Prepaid Card Rules

After a great deal of speculation, on November 13 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) unveiled its proposed rules to govern the fast-growing prepaid debit card market. The proposed rules, which are open for public comment for 90 days, are an acknowledgment that more and more Americans utilize the cards to do their everyday banking.

The CFPB’s proposed rules are an effort to provide mainstream consumer protections to products that are no longer on the financial margins. “Consumers are increasingly relying on prepaid products to make products to make purchases and access funds, but they are not guaranteed the same protections or disclosures as traditional bank accounts,” CFPB director Richard Cordray said. “Our proposal would close the loopholes in this market and ensure prepaid consumers are protected whether they are swiping a card, scanning their smartphone, or sending a payment.”

As proposed, the CFPB rules would safeguard consumers under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act in ways that many credit card holders are already protected. Among the rules are:

• Access to account information: Prepaid card issuers must now either provide periodic statements of account activity or make information about account balances, transactions and fees available for free online. According to the CFPB, nearly half of all prepaid cards currently charge consumers to view their statements.

• Unauthorized charge protection: Today, when some prepaid cards are lost or stolen consumers have no protection for money lost due to fraudulent use of their account. This new rule would limit a consumer’s responsibility to $50 when a card is lost or stolen.

• Error resolution: Financial institutions must now work with prepaid card holders who find errors with their account. Specifically, the new rule obligates card issuers to investigate and resolve errors reported by customers in a timely manner. In cases when an issue can’t be resolved quickly, financial institutions must temporarily credit the disputed amount to a consumer until an investigation is complete.

• “Know Before You Owe”: One of the more nettlesome problems consumers shopping for a prepaid card encounter is an inability to compare and comprehend fees. This rules aims to change that by requiring standard disclosures, including fees for monthly account maintenance, ATM withdrawals, reloading an account and other important fees. In addition, the proposed rule also requires card issuers to make their account agreements online.

November 30, 2014
Apple Pay No Slam Dunk

Apple is not big on subtlety. Its announcement party unveiling the new iPhone 6 and Apple Watch included a mini-concert by none other than U2, whose new album was also given away for free on iTunes, as part of the big rollout. The company’s introduction of Apple Pay, the new digital wallet that will be available to millions of iPhone users, while not quite as flashy, was also significant.

Apple Pay, which will use near field communication (NFC) to allow shoppers to utilize tap and pay technology to purchase items with their phones, was introduced with the news that American Express, Visa and MasterCard had all signed on in support, along with retailers representing 220,000 American stores. “Working with Apple, we’re excited to bring Apple Pay to tens of millions of Capital One customers,” said Frank LaPrade, the Capital One Chief Enterprise Services Officer, in the sort of enthusiastic vote of support that accompanied Apple Pay’s debut. “We are laser focused on the evolution of digital products and services.”

Even though Apple Pay received a big embrace from banks, credit card companies and many retailers, it faces plenty of hurdles before it becomes a mainstream payment option. For one thing, consumers who have been barraged with news about data breaches and thefts could very well be leery of a new payment choice – even if, as Apple points out, it is more secure than debit or credit cards. Retail consultant, Cathy Hotka, was quoted in a recent Forbes story asserting that adoption of Apple Pay would be slow, largely due to uncertainty around security. “A lot of consumers will have to be convinced that their data will remain protected,” she said. “With the choice between shaving off a few seconds and having a safer transaction, consumers will choose safety.”

Another issue is how quickly consumers will upgrade to Apple devices that are equipped with the NFC technology that allows Apple Pay to function. Larry Negrich, a vice president of marketing at nGage Labs was quoted in the Forbes article saying that he expects it to take four years for all iPhone users to have the technology required to utilize Apple Pay. Even when that happens, Negrich notes that will still only account for 50 percent of all consumers. “I think Apple has created a better total solution to the security issue. However what about the other 50 percent of consumer mobile transactions?” he said. “Retailers will surely be faced with supporting Apple Pay and multiple other mobile payment solutions all seamlessly-integrated into their years-old POS (Point of sale) software.”

Ultimately, though, even many of the skeptics about Apple Pay’s immediate adoption think it has great long-term potential. Tom Redd of SAP Global told Forbes that it’s easy to see why Apple will succeed. “Hey, the Millennials live by Apple, and if Apple says, ‘Do it,’ consider it done.”

September 18, 2014
Credit Card Breach Doesn’t Compel Action
The past year has seen an unprecedented level of attention devoted to the many problems that result from data theft. Countless news articles and opinion pieces have followed in the wake of the high profile theft of customer information at big name retailers such as Target, Neiman Marcus and, more recently, Home Depot. So what is the response to a credit card breach on the individual level? Much of the time it is simply this: just hope for the best.

That’s one of the main findings from a recent CardRatings.com survey of 2,000 Americans aged 25 and older. Among the Americans who were surveyed, only 25 percent believed they had fallen prey to a data breach. Of those who reported being a victim of data theft, the response was hardly uniform and often not the proper steps to take in order to protect their credit and finances. Here are the actions people took:
- 51 percent checked their credit card statement
- 45 percent checked their credit report
- 54 percent checked their bank account
- 38 percent stopped using their credit card
- 33 percent stopped using their debit card
- 24 percent signed up for credit monitoring
- 24 percent put a credit freeze in place
Actually reviewing one’s credit report – an essential step after a data breach – not only occurred less than half the time among survey respondents, younger and older people were least likely to do it. Only one-third of those between the ages of 25 and 34 and just 40 percent of those 65 and older checked their credit report.

The survey also revealed widespread ignorance of card security basics. Just over half of respondents could correctly identify that a credit card is safer to use than a debit card. Furthermore, only 20 percent of those asked could say with certainty whether or not an EMV chip, a technology that boosts card protection significantly, currently protected their payment card. Although not asked in the survey, it’s unlikely many respondents would have been able to note that prepaid debit cards offer more protection than credit or debit cards in the event of a data breach – identity thieves can only steal the amount of money that has been loaded onto the card.

“Given how widespread data breaches have become, every consumer in America is likely to be affected at some point. We simply can’t afford to stick our necks in the sand and hope the problem will go away,” says Curtis Arnold, editor-in-chief of CardRatings.com and founder of this site. “The bottom line is that we all need to get more involved and educated.”
September 13, 2014
Survey: Americans Need To Get More Financially Fit
It can often seem like there are a bewildering number of things to do in order to stay financially fit. Don’t borrow too much money. Create a budget and stick to it. Save for retirement. Squirrel away money for your children’s education.

Now add this to the list of to do’s required in order to be financially fit: Be clear on what your credit status is. It may seem like something that can be easily relegated to the bottom of your pressing financial concerns, but that notion is misleading. Having good credit, after all, is a prerequisite for qualifying for a mortgage or a car loan or even a credit card. Furthermore, lenders look at your credit – usually your credit score – to determine how risky it is for them to hand money over to you. If you’re deemed a big risk, you either won’t qualify at all or you’ll have to pay a sky-high interest rate.

Sadly, a new survey conducted by the financial services company Capital One found that when it comes to credit, Americans are not nearly as financially fit as they need to be. Indeed, the survey discovered that a great deal of education needs to take place for many of us to improve our financial IQ, at least as it relates to credit. Among Capital One’s findings were:
- About one-third of Americans surveyed believe that a credit score only matters when they need to buy a house. This misconception is particularly pervasive among young Americans. Almost half of those under 35 who were polled believed this to be true.
- The survey also pointed towards widespread confusion about the factors that go into determining a credit score. For example, over a quarter of respondents mistakenly believe that having one late payment on a bill will not damage their credit. Another 24 percent of those polled wrongly believe that age is a factor in a credit score, while 19 percent asserted that where they live is considered.
- Although it’s free and a very smart thing to do only 30 percent of respondents had requested a copy of their credit report in that past year. Doing so allows consumers to check for and correct any errors that may be harming their credit. By contrast, 66 percent of respondents had their car’s oil changed and over half had been to the dentist.
- Despite all of this, the survey also found that 81 percent of parents believed that their kids would have better credit than they do by the time they reach their age.
September 3, 2014