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CARDNEWS FOR CONSUMERS
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(11/24/99)
Xmas 99 Sales
Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell how much consumers will spend after all. The
world of holiday guesstimates was unleashed this week. Amazon.com says
consumers will spend $8 billion online for the holidays.
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(11/23/99)
Xmas 99 Card Usage
American consumers will rack up a record $126.5 billion on credit and
debit cards this holiday season. General purpose credit cards (VISA, MasterCard,
Discover and American Express) will account for $92.6 billion of the total holiday charges.
-READ MORE |
(11/23/99)
MasterCard Gift Cards
Prepaid gift cards from MasterCard are now available from a Newport Beach,
CA-based firm called CardEx Incentives. The company released a special
Millennium MasterCard GiftCard and two other holiday-themed MasterCard
GiftCards this week
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(11/19/99)
Fed Xmas Gift
Credit card rates continue to march up. For the third
time this year the Federal Open Market Committee
voted to raise the federal funds rate to 5.5% and the
Federal Reserve Board of Governors approved an
increase in the discount rate to 5%.
-READ MORE |
(11/19/99)
Xmas Online
Computer keyboards and credit cards will be smokin' this holiday season. VISA
says more Americans plan to shop online this holiday season than ever before. Fifty-five percent of respondents to a VISA survey said they plan to shop
online for gifts this holiday season compared to 46% for 1998.
-READ MORE |
(11/17/99)
Instant Chase
While some card issuers are now offering very quick approvals online, a few
issuers have taken it a step further with instant credit. Chase Manhattan and
ShopNow.com announced this week they have teamed up to launch the ShopNow.com
MasterCard from Chase.
-READ MORE |
(11/15/99)
Biz Card Winners
Twenty lucky business owners will have their business card balances paid off at the start of 2000. American Express announced the Corporate Optima Card Millennium Sweepstakes this week that will wipe out outstanding card balances, up to $20,000, of twenty business owners.
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(11/15/99)
Digital Wallet Winners
Somebody is going to win a $1 million VISA card on New Year's Eve! America
Online and e-Visa launched a new sweepstakes that will make one online shopper
an instant millionaire.
-READ MORE |
(11/10/99)
Credit Bureaus & Y2K
Will Y2K clean your credit slate? It could, but unlikely. Nevertheless it is
prudent to get a paper copy of your credit bureau report between now and the
end of this year.
-READ MORE |
(11/10/99)
Phone Card Ripoffs
What you see is not what you get when it comes to any type of phone card.
Several months ago a senior CardWeb.com executive was charged by AT&T $11.86
for a one minute phone card from Australia when the prevailing rate is 53
cents per minute.
-READ MORE |
(11/9/99)
Online Profiling
A penny for your thoughts. How about a cookie for your clicks? The Federal
Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce are very concerned about
"online profiling".
-READ MORE |
(11/8/99)
Y2K Travel Tips
The Y2K bug can creep up on you if you're planning to travel around the dawn
of the new year. With a little planning you can swat the Y2K pest away. For
example do not rely on an airline e-ticket, get a paper ticket. Here is a list
of other recommendations from VISA and Rosenbluth:
-READ MORE |
(11/5/99)
Green Xmas
Santa will be in a very jolly mood this year thanks to a strong American economy and the slow, but sure, migration to Internet shopping. American shoppers are projected to spend $1,558 for gifts, entertaining, decorations and travel during the upcoming holiday season.
-READ MORE |
(11/4/99)
Hottest Card
The VISA Check Card has become the fastest growing product in VISA's history and has re-shaped consumer behavior in regards to money management. VISA has also whipped MasterCard and all others in the debit card windfall.
-READ MORE |
(11/2/99)
Student Credit Week
The infiltration of plastic credit into college campuses has raised a
personal responsibility issue. Approximately 75% of college students have at least one
credit card, and 70% of them obtain a card by their first year of
college.
-READ MORE |
(11/2/99)
AeroCorporate VISA
Canadian business owners can have their cake and eat it too. CIBC and Aeroplan have teamed up to launch the new CIBC AeroCorporate VISA. Under the business card program cardholders will earn one Aeroplan mile for every two dollars spent for eligible travel and entertainment expenses.
-READ MORE |
