Credit Cards Articles

News that book retailer Barnes & Noble may be up for sale shouldn’t send consumers speeding to the nearest store, gift card in hand.

Barnes & Noble announced on Aug. 3 that it was considering a possible sale of the company. But a potential change in ownership won’t leave its gift cards valueless, Barnes & Noble and an independent expert say.

“The fact that the board is exploring strategic alternatives has nothing to do with the day-to-day business,” says Mary Ellen Keating, the company’s senior vice president of corporate communications. Barnes & Noble is continuing to accept its gift cards as usual, Keating says.

And it will likely continue to redeem store-issued plastic. Read more…

You know that a relationship exists between your three-digit credit score and your credit card habits.

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A recent TransUnion study found that the percentage of Americans behind on their mortgage but current on their credit cards increased nearly 55 percent between early 2008 and the third quarter of 2009.

And while the amount of consumers we’re talking about is still relatively small (6.6%), I find the overall trend to be quite compelling. Clearly, consumers are beginning to think differently about the priority of their debts.

When I bought my first home in 2005 (at the peak of the market in my area- grrhh!), it was ingrained in my mind that no matter what, I would always strive to pay my mortgage first. I

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Having your credit card stolen is one thing but having your credit card subject to a slow bleed of petty card fees is another scam altogether. The Federal Trade Commission has uncovered a massive credit card fraud ring that parlayed small individual charges of $10 or less into millions of dollars in fraudulent charges.

The latest in a well developed scheme of cyber crimes, the fraudsters would set up fake companies and put small charges, usually under $10, to legitimate credit cards.

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