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(8/29/03) Do-Not-Call Deadline Americans who register their phone numbers in the new "National Do-Not-Call Registry" by Sunday night, August 31st, will see a reduction in unwanted sales calls after October 1st. Those who register September 1st, or afterward, will not see a reduction until at least December 1st, or three months after registration. -(READ MORE)	(8/28/03) Marathon Gas Card Chase has added another gas card to its product lineup. This week Ohio-based Marathon Ashland Petroleum teamed with Chase to roll out the "Marathon Platinum MasterCard" which enables users to earn a 5% rebate on all Marathon purchases and a 1% rebate on all other purchases. -(READ MORE)
(8/26/03) WorldPoints vs MilesOne When it comes to rewarding your credit card activity with air mileage, there is big difference between programs directly-sponsored by airlines and those not linked to any specific airline. Nearly all credit cards with an air mileage program award cardholders one air mile for each dollar charged, but when it comes to redemptions, there is a lot of air space between airline programs and generic programs. -(READ MORE)	(8/22/03) 800-DO-NOT-CALL The Federal Trade Commission says Do Not Call 1-800-DONOTCALL to register phone numbers in the new national "Do Not Call Registry." The FTC says its 1-888-382-1222 is toll-free while the commercially-run 1-800-DONOTCALL hits consumers with a $2.95 fee. -(READ MORE)
(8/21/03) Bankruptcy Record Americans continue to head to bankruptcy court in record numbers. Over the past five years, more than five million consumers have filed a Chapter 7 or full liquidation bankruptcy. Over the same period two million Americans have filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. -(READ MORE)	(8/20/03) SideCard MasterCard International has launched a miniature card to compete with the likes of the "Discover 2GO" and the Bank of America "Mini VISA." However, unlike its rivals, the new "MasterCard SideCard" is capable of using contactless chip technology. -(READ MORE)
(8/18/03) Paycheck Anytime FleetBoston has deployed six check-cashing machines to process payroll checks for non-customers in three pilot sites in Connecticut and Massachusetts. To conduct transactions, consumers are issued a "Paycheck Anytime" card with a PIN. -(READ MORE)	(8/15/03) Fee Revolt If U.S. merchants were permitted to charge an extra fee for using a credit card to make a purchase, the impact on domestic credit card activity could be enormous. More than 95% of Americans say they would switch back to checks and cash if merchants added a 1% to 3% fee to their credit card purchases, a practice now permitted under Australian law. -(READ MORE)
(8/14/03) Credit Repair One of the country's largest credit-repair operations, which sold services to more than 183,000 consumers, taking in more than $53 million, has agreed to pay more than $1.15 million in consumer redress to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated federal law. The credit repair firm told consumers that they had a one-of-a-kind computer disk that was able to identify inaccuracies in the entry process employed by the credit reporting agencies. -(READ MORE)	(8/13/03) Q2 Card Profits The nation's three largest issuers reaped nearly $1.5 billion in profits for the three months of April, May, and June of this year. Add in profits from the largest issuer of charge cards and business cards, and the figure handily tops $2 billion for the second quarter. -(READ MORE)
(8/12/03) E-Checking According to a new survey, the most common reason cited for choosing electronic checking was to avoid late payment fees. Not surprising when you consider the average credit card late fee is more than $30, and that grace period for card payments has shrunk from 30 to 21 days since 1990. -(READ MORE)	(8/11/03) BanXcard Maestro A multi-purpose payment card has been introduced for Americans without bank accounts. The new "BanXcard Maestro Card" combines a prepaid debit card, ATM card, and telephone card. Under the program, unbanked consumers simply go to a BanXcard retailer to have their cash or payroll check loaded on the card. -(READ MORE)
(8/7/03) June Bug Consumer revolving credit took a turn south in June as Americans chopped-off $1.3 billion in total revolving debt, which is mostly credit card debt. The decline may be partially driven by record home refinancings, which shifted unsecured credit card debt to home mortgages. -(READ MORE)	(8/6/03) Best Western MC The world's largest hotel chain has teamed with Juniper Bank to issue a rewards MasterCard. The new "Best Western MasterCard" is targeted at "Gold Crown Club International" members. -(READ MORE)
(8/5/03) Million Mile Giveaway Cardholders of the "United Mileage Plus VISA" will automatically be entered into the "Million Mile Giveaway" for purchases made between August 16th and September 30th. Bank One and United Airlines have teamed to award a daily prize of 25,000 miles to 50 winners during the contest period. -(READ MORE)	(8/4/03) VISA Benefits Starting next March, all U.S. consumers who hold VISA cards will automatically receive "Auto Rental Insurance" coverage, a benefit currently available only on "Gold" and "Platinum" VISA cards. -(READ MORE)