Subprime credit cards are issued to customers with bad credit or no credit history. They are sometimes referred to as "fee harvester cards" in the credit card industry. These cards typically carry low credit limits of $250 to $500 and are designed to help cardholders launch or re-establish payment histories. However, subprime cards also carry upfront fees that the Federal Reserve board contends are not clearly disclosed to customers. For example, a card with a $250 credit limit may have fees or security deposits assessed at the opening of the account that reduce the available credit to less than $100. |
Po Bronson, 43, has struggled to find meaning in work. He founded The Grotto, a collective workspace community for writers, filmmakers and other narrative artists in San Francisco, and fictionalized his sojourn as a bond salesman at an investment bank in his 1995 novel, "Bombardiers," a No. 1 best-seller in the U.K. In his best-selling nonfiction book, "What Should I Do With My Life?" he chronicled the aspirations of others. In his 2005 book, "Why Do I Love These People?" Bronson explored the mysterious bonds of familial love. Bronson's next book, due out in 2009, will explore the science of praise and other aspects of parenting. "Modern parents soak up ideas that we get very attached to, but are not supported by what the research scientists find is valid," says Bronson, father of two. He and his co-writer want to "correct the zeitgeist" of parenting. |
Tyler Wood and business partner Jim McBride decided to hit their company's image and direction "upside the head" in February 2005. J&J General Contracting, the remodeling business they'd started nearly six months earlier with credit cards, looked like every other remodeling business in the phone book. |
Credit card debt is an epidemic in the Western world, most notably in the United States. The combination of large outstanding balances, penalty pricing and late fees often conspires to keep consumers in a vicious cycle. It doesn't help that 74 percent of Americans put holiday gifts on their credit cards, according to a 2006 survey by the Family Credit Counseling Service. |
Thought you couldn't get a rental car if you didn't have a credit card? That's probably what you've heard for years from rental car agents at airports, but it may be getting easier for some travelers to rent a car without a credit card. A CreditCards.com survey of the top rental car companies indicates that nearly all of the companies allow you to rent their vehicles without credit cards. However, it may take some work on your part -- and patience -- to get the vehicles. |
Don't have a credit card or don't want to use one to rent a car? A CreditCards.com survey of the major rental car companies found it's difficult but not impossible to rent a car without plastic. Keep these 12 tips in mind the next time you approach the rental car counter with no plastic in hand. It just might help you avoid a frustrating rental experience. |
During the holidays, you showered your loved ones with gifts, whether you could afford it or not. You would have felt guilty if you couldn't give them what they wanted.That's what a credit card is for, right? Unfortunately, now that the holidays are over and the bills are arriving, your new year may be off to a rough start. According to Consumer Reports, only 65 percent of credit card users predict they will have holiday debt paid off by the end of January. Nineteen percent expect to still be paying off holiday debt in March or later. These sets of articles will help you understand why you keep finding yourself in holiday debt, how to get out of this mess and how to prevent it from happening again next year: |
The holidays bring a flurry of emotions and obligations, and people find it easy to get lost in holiday spirit. You may feel guilty if you can't afford to buy your loved ones what they want, so you put presents on the credit card. Come January, the holiday joy turns into debt regret. It's important to shed this debt quickly, and to learn how to prevent the same troubles next year. Drowning in debt after the holidays is all too common. "It's important to first take a deep breath and realize you're not the only one struggling with looming holiday debt," says Michael Gold, a certified financial planner who works in investments at Wachovia Securities. The average American household is already saddled with debt before holiday spending, so "digging an even bigger hole of debt during the holidays is a major concern for most." |
Federal regulators have taken a first pass at creating rules to stamp out illegal online gambling via credit cards. Judging from the reaction, the Feds came up snake eyes. The rules are an attempt to block online gambling by requiring banks and credit card companies to prevent "illegal" transactions. A public comment period on the rules ended in mid-December, and the reviews were harsh. The payment industry is up in arms, claiming the act is vague and unenforceable, while gamblers feel it is an attack on their personal freedom. |
Hi, I have a delinquent credit card for $10,000 and I want to fix my credit again but I don't want to pay 30.99 percent interest on the card and I don't have 10 grand lying around any more. What should I do? My son has one of those Amex cards and has offered to add me to the account and transfer the balance to it. Should I do it that way? Or should I just wait for it to charge off because it has been delinquent for over a year? |
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