Make no mistake. They are watching. The big credit card companies and banks – many of whom readily took government “bailout” money – watch consumer spending habits. Ever eager to protect their bloated profits, they pay attention to certain types of purchases, which may influence them to lower your credit limit and cause your credit [...]

It appears that credit availability is starting to loosen up a bit these days. After a long dry spell, I am starting to receive credit card offers in the mail once again. Many of these are the ever-popular 0% balance transfers where the credit card company is offering you no-interest payments for a certain period [...]

This may be just a coincidence, a manifestation of my cynical view of the world. Then again, maybe not.
I’ve been noticing recently that the due dates on my credit card payments seem to fall on weekend days quite a bit. The dates are always dancing around. One month the due date is the 28th, the [...]

Everyone knows the economy stinks. Thousands, if not millions of people have lost their jobs and even their homes. In cases like this it is easy to see how someone could fall back on using credit cards to pay for things you might not normally pay for with a credit card. Let’s face it, if [...]

For many consumers, using credit cards to pay for things they otherwise would not use them for has become a way of life. The recession has resulted in job losses for many, and credit cards are a last resort for many who have lost their income, but need to continue paying for life’s necessities.
Some consumers [...]

If you’ve been receiving a lot of credit card offers in the mail lately, it may actually be a good sign. An article in the Wall Street Journal cited new data from a market research firm that revealed a 46% increase in solicitations during the last quarter of 2009 when compared to the previous quarter.
What’s [...]

Credit card companies continue to anger and frustrate customers with higher fees and ever-changing terms and conditions. At times it seems like every other statement has something else enclosed to revise the terms and conditions yet again.
Wonder where you might go for a better deal? Although it may come as a surprise to some, credit [...]