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CARDNEWS FOR CONSUMERS
(08/31/04) Hoosier/Boilermaker Cards A pioneer and leader in "VISA Gift" cards has gone to the next level by introducing co-branded gift cards for two rival universities. This week Hoosiers and Boilermakers now have a card they can call their own thanks to Simon Malls. -(READ MORE)
(08/30/04) Extra Points The ultimate football credit card has been kicked-off by MBNA and the NFL. The new "MBNA NFL Extra Points" credit card is available with the team logo of any of the 32 NFL clubs, the NFL shield, and as either a VISA or MasterCard. -(READ MORE)	(08/27/04) DreamCard Forget air miles, points, and cash-back . . . here comes a credit card that gives you the chance to win some real dough. A new MasterCard was recently introduced that gives cardholders a chance to win a monthly cash jackpot of at least $25,000, every time they spend $1 on purchases. -(READ MORE)
(08/26/04) Dollar General Dollar General has finally taken the big plunge to accept credit cards. However, they will only accept the "Discover Card." Previously, Dollar General accepted only cash and personal checks as forms of payment. -(READ MORE)	(08/25/04) Airmiles Lite United Airlines has followed American Airlines' recent decision to offer special lower mile redemptions for short-haul flights. The two airlines have the two largest co-branded bank credit card programs in the USA. -(READ MORE)
(08/23/04) Notre Dame VISA The coveted "Fighting Irish" sweatshirt can be had just by applying for the "Notre Dame Platinum VISA." Bank One and the University of Notre Dame recently beefed up their credit card by offering new cardholders a Notre Dame sweatshirt, plus giving away items at events and at the University's bookstore. -(READ MORE)	(08/20/04) High Octane Offer As crude oil nears $50 a barrel, potentially driving gas prices well above $2 per gallon, credit cards offering gas discounts are looking better each day. This month, Citibank mailed out a high octane offer, enticing consumers for its "Shell MasterCard" with $50 in Shell gift cards just for applying and making a balance transfer. -(READ MORE)
(08/18/04) Tap, Eat, n Go Forget "super-sized," McDonald's is going for "super-fast" service. The nation's largest quick serve restaurant chain is getting ready to roll-out a system that enables customers to tap or wave the new "PayPass MasterCard" on or near a specially equipped credit card terminal that utilizes a radio frequency chip to complete a payment transaction. -(READ MORE)	(08/16/04) TOUCHY PAYMENTS Discover wants its cardholders to give merchants the finger when making a purchase. The nation's sixth largest credit card issuer is taking a quantum leap to promote a new payment service that allows shoppers to pay with their Discover Card using the touch of a finger. -(READ MORE)
(08/12/04) UNCREDIT CARD It walks and talks like a credit card, it's not a debit card, it is not exactly a charge card, and it produces rewards. What am I? It's a platinum VISA credit card linked to a checking account that is automatically paid-off each month. -(READ MORE)	(08/11/04) Rate Tweaking As the Feds pushed the prime rate to 4.50% this week, a second major issuer has tweaked its variable rate structure, enabling it to pass along future rate increases quickly to cardholders. This week, MBNA is notifying cardholders it is switching its variable rate structure, based on the prime rate, to monthly adjustments instead of quarterly adjustments. -(READ MORE)
(08/10/04) Card Scams Nearly ten million Americans were victims of three types of credit card-related fraud last year. The FTC last week reported that advance-fee loan scams, mostly credit cards, claimed 4.55 million victims last year. -(READ MORE)	(08/09/04) Disney Dream Auction Bank One and Disney will launch an auction next month for "Disney VISA" cardholders offering more than 25 once-in-a-lifetime Disney items and experiences. The "Disney Dream Auction" will launch September 27th. -(READ MORE)
(08/06/04) June Debt After a sluggish spring, Americans have started adding to their credit card debt load. During June consumers added $1.5 billion to total revolving credit, about the same amount they added in June 2003. -(READ MORE)	(08/05/04) June Phishing The surge in the number of phishing attacks on financial services companies continued without letup in June, topping 1,000 attacks. Once again Citibank was the most targeted with 492 attacks compared to 370 in May, and 34 in January. -(READ MORE)
(08/04/04) What Fee? Retailers say shoppers are steaming mad when they get a bank statement showing a fee for using a PIN number when making a debit card purchase. Because of the way it is listed on the bank statement, consumers apparently assume the fee is charged by the retailer and not the bank. -(READ MORE)	(08/02/04) Bankruptcy Slows Year-to-date bankruptcy filings are still running nearly 3% below the year ago levels. During June, 127,742 filings were made compared to 130,242 for June 2003. Total bankruptcies for the second quarter were 409,794 compared to 412,968 for 2Q/03. -(READ MORE)