• rebates

    Don't Assume That Rebate Will Be Redeemable For Cash

    Companies love rebates because they are difficult to redeem and easy to forget. But you clever shoppers are getting too good at their game, so instead of paying out your rebate in cash, you'll get something different altogether. Take, for example, Buy.com's supposed "$26 mail in rebate..." More »

    12:00 PM on Sat Oct 4 2008
    By Carey
    16,136 views, 95 comments

    Most discussed JamieSueAustin: Rebates are worthless for me. Even with copies and certified mail and blah blah blah I've NEVER received one more »

  • apple

    Morning Deals

    • Apple: Refurbished iPod touches on sale, 8GB for $180, 16GB for $240, 32GB for $320
    • Amazon: Rewards points upgrade for existing Amazon.com Visa holders
    • Apple: Free Select iTunes TV Shows in HD (requires iTunes 8
    Highlights From Dealnews
    • Travelocity: United Airlines Sale: Round-trip flights from $108
    • Amazon.com: Amazon.com Men's Watch Deals: Timex, Marc Ecko, more from $40 + free shipping
    • Sears: Seven7 Women's Jeans for $18 + $6 s&h, more
    Highlights From Buxr
    • Budget Truck Rental: $50 Gift card when paying w/American Express
    • Reverie: T-Shirt Sale: Buy 1 TEE get 1 free TEE
    • BestBuy: Westinghouse 42" 1080p LCD HDTV and portable DVD Player for $749.99 + shipping
    Highlights From Dealhack
    • Drugstore.com: New Customers: Save $5 or $10 off First Order
    • Vann's: Panasonic FZ28 10.2MP Digital Camera $340 Shipped
    • Amazon: Get Savings of up to 75% off Bargain Books

    9:05 AM on Thu Sep 11 2008
    By Ben Popken
    911 views, 3 comments

    Latest by karmaghost: By "free select iTunes TV shows" they don't mean, for example, the full season 2 of 30 Rock, they mean more »

  • american express

    Amex Tops JD Power Credit Card 2008 Customer Satisfaction Survey

    JD Power and Associates ranked American Express at the top of their 2008 Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Customers gave the company high marks in interaction, billing and payment processes, reward programs, fees and rates, and benefits and services, with the first three factors standing out in particular. Capital One and HSBC, which target revolvers with lower credit scores, received the worst marks. Oddly, Discover got second place. People must really like their two-cycle billing (see "Two-Cycle Billing And Why It's Evil"). Full rankings inside... More »

    12:46 PM on Wed Sep 3 2008
    By Ben Popken
    3,948 views, 37 comments

    Most discussed SkokieGuy: @cotr: Remember that the card is specifically marketed with an incentive rate to perform a balance transfer. I simply performed the more »

  • credit card reform

    Consumers: We're Mad As Hell And We're Not Going To Charge It Anymore!

    Once upon a time, Peter Finch won an Oscar for telling us to go to our window, open it, and yell, "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take this anymore!" Now thousands and thousands of consumers are doing just that, but instead of yelling out their windows, they're yelling at the Federal Reserve in the form of a record breaking number of public comments about some proposed credit card reforms. Not as sexy as yelling like a madman, but far, far more effective. More »

    9:35 AM on Thu Aug 28 2008
    By Meg Marco
    11,831 views, 74 comments

    Most discussed RamV10: Maybe I'm naieve, but I don't see the problem. Honestly I don't. You don't abuse the credit card system and it more »

  • target

    Do You Want To Save 10% By Opening A Target Visa? Just Kidding!

    Reader Nancy says that Target rejected the 10% coupon she received for being a Target Visa card holder. When she asked why, the cashier told her it had probably been used, but had no more information.
    More »

    9:22 AM on Wed Aug 27 2008
    By Meg Marco
    26,469 views, 60 comments

  • travel tips

    Which Credit Cards Have The Best Rental Car Insurance?

    One of the tricks that seasoned travelers know is to always deny the insurance when renting a car. Why? Because the credit card that they are using already comes with insurance that they are familiar with, and because you are required to deny coverage from the rental car company in order to take advantage of your credit card's insurance. But how do you pick a credit card that has good rental insurance? More »

    1:24 PM on Thu Aug 7 2008
    By Meg Marco
    14,335 views, 65 comments

    Latest by GiGiG: On a business trip, I used my Amex to rent at Hertz. I received a complimentary upgrade because I was more »

  • your rights

    More On Minimum Purchases, Surcharges, And Other Credit Card Merchant Agreement Violations, From The Companies Themselves

    We've posted a lot of stories of businesses requiring customers who pay with a credit card to make minimum purchases, or pay a surcharge, or show ID. And as we've repeatedly said, the businesses' merchant agreements with the credit card companies forbids these practices. A reader wrote in to argue that this might not be true, as many businesses contract with third-party credit card processors, and are not bound by the merchant agreement. So we did some investigating. More »

    Feature

    2:42 PM on Wed Jul 30 2008
    By Alex Chasick
    25,042 views, 125 comments

    Most discussed Televiper: Personally, I think the merchant agreements with regard to minimum transactions is unfair to the merchant. We should be more »

  • credit cards

    10 Things You Might Not Know About Your Credit Card

    As you might imagine, we get a lot of questions about using credit cards. Based on those piles of emails we've put together a list of 10 things a lot of people don't know about credit cards. Enjoy!

    1) Unsigned Cards Are Not Valid And Merchants Can And Will Refuse Them
    You might think that everyone knows that you have to sign your credit card in order for it to be valid — after all — there's a panel on the back that says "Not Valid Unless Signed," but you'd be shocked at the number of angry emails we get from people who have tried to use an unsigned credit card with "SEE ID" or "CHECK ID" written on it and were turned away when they refused to sign their card. More »

    Feature

    8:45 AM on Thu Jul 10 2008
    By Meg Marco
    144,808 views, 226 comments

    Latest by themadhatta: It should be noted that all of these agreements with credit card companies are subject to law's that differ state more »

  • debt

    A Debt Collector Offers You A Credit Card, What's Wrong With This Picture?

    Like countless others, reader Ryan is in debt. His debt is to the tune of $1,364. He received an interesting offer from the debt collector who is offering "debt reduction" in the form of a pre-approved Visa card in which his $1,364 debt would be reduced to a $1,200 balance if he accepts the card. He would need only to to pay off the balance under the terms of the credit card to eliminate his debt. Ryan wisely wrote to us to ask if this is a good idea. Actually Ryan, it's a really really really bad idea. His letter and our advice, inside... More »

    6:09 AM on Thu Jul 3 2008
    By Jay Slatkin
    13,956 views, 47 comments

    Latest by ClickClickThud: Dear OP: They. Are. Trying. To. Screw. You. more »

  • your rights

    This McDonald's Charges 25¢ To Use A Credit Or Debit Card, Violates Merchant Agreement

    Reader Brandon sent us this picture of a McDonald's violating its merchant agreement by charging a fee for using a credit or debit card. The text reads, "FEE ASSOCIATED WITH CREDIT/DEBIT CARD OF 25¢ WILL BE APPLIED TO CARD TOTAL." More »

    4:16 PM on Wed Jun 25 2008
    By Alex Chasick
    20,841 views, 120 comments

    Latest by NewtonBabalon: I was going over my checkbook and could not figure out why there was a 25 cent charge from a more »