<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><channel><title>DailyFinance.com</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com</link><description>DailyFinance.com</description><image><url>http://o.aolcdn.com/os/df/2013/img/2-dailyfinance_logo_m.png</url><title>DailyFinance.com</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com</link></image><language>en-us</language><copyright>Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.</copyright><generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title>What the Big Banks Think of Mobile Banking</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/what-the-big-banks-think-of-mobile-banking/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/what-the-big-banks-think-of-mobile-banking/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/what-the-big-banks-think-of-mobile-banking/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/technology/" rel="tag">Technology</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a></p><img alt="Banking on your smart phone" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/04/banking-on-phones-240cs040411.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Researchers predict that more than half of us will own a smartphone by the end of the year, and even people who consider themselves tech-shy probably have an ordinary cell phone in their purse or clipped to a belt. Not just for texting or surfing the net, these devices are at the cutting edge of the way we interact with our financial institutions.<br />
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A rapidly growing number of activities you can do in person or via a phone call can now be accomplished - sometimes faster, because there's no waiting in line or on-hold time - with a few taps of the keyboard on your cell phone. In fact, five years from now, Javelin Strategy and Research predicts that 86 million of us will use our mobile phones to conduct our banking activities.<br />
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<em>WalletPop</em> contacted the nation's biggest banks to find out a little more about the applications, alerts and other tools that are bringing banking into the 21st century.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/what-the-big-banks-think-of-mobile-banking/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>What the Big Banks Think of Mobile Banking</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/what-the-big-banks-think-of-mobile-banking/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19902312/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/what-the-big-banks-think-of-mobile-banking/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>Bank of America</category><category>banking</category><category>banking apps</category><category>cell phone banking</category><category>Citi</category><category>mobile banking</category><category>Wells Fargo</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>AmEx Debuts Mobile Payment System</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/amex-debuts-mobile-payment-system/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/amex-debuts-mobile-payment-system/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/amex-debuts-mobile-payment-system/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit/" rel="tag">Credit</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/debt/" rel="tag">Debt</a></p><img alt="P2P financial interchange, hearkening mobile payment system" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/04/vl05020.jpg" style="margin: 4px; float: right;" />We <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/visas-new-system-lets-people-pay-each-other-without-cash/">told you last month</a> how <a class="inlinked" href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/quotes/visa-inc-visa-inc/v/nys">Visa</a> plans to roll out a system that would let people pay each other without cash or checks by using their cell phones. The innovation would let people who wanted to pay their babysitter, for instance, or a colleague who grabbed them coffee simply by accessing their mobile phone number or email address. Now, <a class="inlinked" href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/quotes/american-express-company/axp/nys">American Express</a> has announced a competing peer-to-peer (P2P) payment tool called Serve.<br />
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According to the company, users can pay other people online or via their cell phones, and use the service to make purchases at <a class="inlinked" href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/shopping/">retailers</a> that accept American Express via a reloadable prepaid debit card that's linked to the <a class="inlinked" href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/consumer-ally/">consumer's</a> online Serve account. Serve has mobile apps for both Android and <a class="inlinked" href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/quotes/apple-inc/aapl/nas">Apple</a> smartphones and can be accessed via Facebook in addition to the <a href="http://Serve.com">Serve.com</a> website.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/amex-debuts-mobile-payment-system/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>AmEx Debuts Mobile Payment System</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/amex-debuts-mobile-payment-system/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19902039/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/amex-debuts-mobile-payment-system/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>mobile payment system</category><category>P2P payments</category><category>P2pPayments</category><category>person to person payments</category><category>PersonToPersonPayments</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:15:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Fed Up With Checking Fees? Try a Small Bank</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/03/fed-up-with-checking-fees-try-a-small-bank/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/03/fed-up-with-checking-fees-try-a-small-bank/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/03/fed-up-with-checking-fees-try-a-small-bank/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit-unions/" rel="tag">Credit Unions</a></p><img alt="Check fees"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/04/writing-a-check-240cs040411-1301930747.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Americans aren't thrilled with the way the nation's biggest banks have been piling on the fees lately, and it seems they're looking for an alternative. According to new research from the <a href="http://nfcc.org">National Foundation for Credit Counseling</a>, 51% of respondents to a recent online poll said they would shop for another bank if theirs slapped a fee for checking accounts on them.<br />
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Judging from the parade of news about how our big banks are doing just that and more with fees for everything from <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/01/24/the-onslaught-of-bank-fee-creep-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/">having too little money in your checking account</a> to <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/the-5-atm-fee-coming-soon-to-a-bank-near-you/">using another bank's ATM</a>, that's potentially a lot of people who are shopping for a new place to park their hard-earned dollars.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/03/fed-up-with-checking-fees-try-a-small-bank/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Fed Up With Checking Fees? Try a Small Bank</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/03/fed-up-with-checking-fees-try-a-small-bank/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19900628/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/03/fed-up-with-checking-fees-try-a-small-bank/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>bad banks</category><category>bank fees</category><category>big banks</category><category>credit unions</category><category>small banks</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Drop in Credit Card Debt Reveals Ongoing Hardship</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/01/drop-in-credit-card-debt-reveals-ongoing-hardship/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/01/drop-in-credit-card-debt-reveals-ongoing-hardship/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/01/drop-in-credit-card-debt-reveals-ongoing-hardship/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit/" rel="tag">Credit</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/family-money/" rel="tag">Family Money</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/debt/" rel="tag">Debt</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/economic-recovery/" rel="tag">Economic Recovery</a></p><img alt="woman worried over credit card debt" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/credit-carddebt.worry.george-doyle.getty.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />We <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/02/08/u-s-cities-with-the-most-credit-card-debt/">recently told you</a> about a handful of cities across the country where credit card debt has continued to rise, despite the recession. Articles like <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/04/pf/cities_credit_card_debt/index.htm#anchor">this one</a> also highlight the cities where revolving debt is highest, sometimes accounting for as much as 17% of the average income in an area.<br />
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Interested in the other side of the story -- are there any places where credit card debt has <em>fallen</em>? -- <em>WalletPop</em> contacted the credit bureaus Experian and Equifax and asked them to share any information they had on U.S. cities where credit card debt had decreased the most last year.<br />
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We also asked a credit expert to weigh in on what the data means about our economic status as a nation -- and the news ain't good.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/01/drop-in-credit-card-debt-reveals-ongoing-hardship/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Drop in Credit Card Debt Reveals Ongoing Hardship</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/01/drop-in-credit-card-debt-reveals-ongoing-hardship/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19898839/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/01/drop-in-credit-card-debt-reveals-ongoing-hardship/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>cities with least debt</category><category>credit card debt</category><category>credit cards</category><category>debt</category><category>economic recovery</category><category>mortgage</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Got a Gift Card From a Troubled Retailer? Use It Now</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/31/got-a-gift--card-from-a-troubled-retailer/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/31/got-a-gift--card-from-a-troubled-retailer/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/31/got-a-gift--card-from-a-troubled-retailer/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/bankruptcy/" rel="tag">Bankruptcy</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/retail/" rel="tag">Retail</a></p><a href="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-photohub/dims/12AB/1/300/300/100/http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/AC78B022715C5B8357B4DCA8045E8463B4DE2124/Smart_Spending_Liquidation_Sales.jpg_LR1.575e750d4b0f410f885ccbd5fd327e85"><img alt="Liquidation sale at Borders book store" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/smartspendingliquidationsales.575e750d4b0f410f885ccbd5fd327e85.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>Although economists tell us the recession is over, the drumbeat of bad news in the retail sector continues. Bookseller Borders and gift-basket purveyor Harry &amp; David both recently filed for bankruptcy, and video chain Blockbuster has been working its way through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy since last September. As the blog Consumerist <a href="http://consumerist.com/2011/03/use-up-your-blockbuster-gift-cards-before-april-7-2011.html">points out</a>, if you have a Blockbuster gift card (or Borders, we'll add), it might be a good idea to use it. Now. According to a message sent in by a tipster, Blockbuster will stop accepting gift cards on April 7.<br />
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Customers with gift cards are, legally speaking, unsecured creditors, says Odysseas Papadimitriou, founder and CEO of gift card exchange <a href="http://CardHub.com">CardHub.com</a>. This means they're unlikely to get back anything if a chain goes into bankruptcy and liquidates, since secured creditors get first crack at any assets (and they generally wind up losing money as it is). If you happen to hear about a retailer going through financial distress, it's a good time to cash in that gift card, unless you want to think of it as a novel tool to scrape any late-season frost off your windshield. If it's a card from a store you never patronize and can't really use, buy something and either try to unload it on eBay or Craigslist, or give it as a gift. (If you're gifting, though, be really sure the person will like the item, since they might not be able to return it if the brand goes belly-up.)<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/31/got-a-gift--card-from-a-troubled-retailer/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Got a Gift Card From a Troubled Retailer? Use It Now</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/31/got-a-gift--card-from-a-troubled-retailer/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19898659/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/31/got-a-gift--card-from-a-troubled-retailer/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>bankruptcy</category><category>blockbuster</category><category>BlockbusterVideo</category><category>borders books</category><category>gift cards</category><category>liquidation</category><category>unused gift cards</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Rich Travelers Can't Stand Flying Anymore</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/30/rich-travelers-cant-stand-flying-anymore/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/30/rich-travelers-cant-stand-flying-anymore/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/30/rich-travelers-cant-stand-flying-anymore/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/travel/" rel="tag">Travel</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/how-to-save-money/" rel="tag">How to Save Money</a></p><img alt="first class fliers looking none too happy - rich travelers" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/first.class.getty.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Airlines make a lot of their money by selling pricey first-class seats to wealthy travelers. They might need to rethink this strategy, though, in light of a new survey that shows big-ticket travelers are turned off by the quality of the service they receive.<br />
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According to <a href="http://www.phocuswright.com/library/pressrelease/1584">research</a> by travel-focused market research firm PhoCusWright, a quarter of all fliers feel negatively about the air travel experience, while rich travelers are twice as likely to feel negatively about the service they receive.<br />
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This disconnect between the airlines and their luggage-toting cash cows is nothing new, according to airline industry consultant Bob Mann, but it's gotten worse in recent years.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/30/rich-travelers-cant-stand-flying-anymore/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Rich Travelers Can't Stand Flying Anymore</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/30/rich-travelers-cant-stand-flying-anymore/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19896298/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/30/rich-travelers-cant-stand-flying-anymore/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>airlines</category><category>business travel</category><category>first class</category><category>private jets</category><category>wealthy and travel</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>The Ultimate Controlling Parent: Calling the Shots From Beyond the Grave</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/29/the-ultimate-controlling-parent-calling-the-shots-from-beyond-t/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/29/the-ultimate-controlling-parent-calling-the-shots-from-beyond-t/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/29/the-ultimate-controlling-parent-calling-the-shots-from-beyond-t/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<img alt="Myra Saltzer"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/myra-salzer-press-photo.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />"Where there's a will, there's a way," the saying goes, but according to estate lawyers and inheritance specialists with whom <em>WalletPop</em> spoke recently, a more accurate version of that adage might be, "Where there's a will, there's a relative holding onto the purse strings in the afterlife."<br />
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Inheritances and the trusts through which they're often distributed are rife with conditions the beneficiary must meet if they want to get those assets. For these unfortunate survivors, they're faced with the prospect of a parent or other loved one controlling their life from beyond the grave.<br />
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"I've seen required drug tests, or no distributions paid out until the beneficiary gets a Ph.D. It can go on and on," says Myra Salzer, right, founder of <a href="http://www.thewealthconservancy.com">The Wealth Conservancy</a>.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/29/the-ultimate-controlling-parent-calling-the-shots-from-beyond-t/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Ultimate Controlling Parent: Calling the Shots From Beyond the Grave</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/29/the-ultimate-controlling-parent-calling-the-shots-from-beyond-t/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19894348/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/29/the-ultimate-controlling-parent-calling-the-shots-from-beyond-t/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>controlling parent</category><category>will</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Wells Fargo Drops Debit Card Rewards</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/wells-fargo-drops-debit-card-rewards/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/wells-fargo-drops-debit-card-rewards/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/wells-fargo-drops-debit-card-rewards/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a></p><a href="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-photohub/dims/12AB/1/300/300/100/http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/C445760BCF1B7C714A914E06783818AC74089C36/Was3319359_LR1.jpg"><img alt="Wells Fargo sign"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/was3319359.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>The nation's banks are behaving like the airlines these days: As soon as one implements a new policy or program, others pile on. In this case, a mere week after Chase <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/23/chase-takes-the-ax-to-debit-rewards-again/">took the ax</a> to its debit rewards program, news comes that Wells Fargo (along with Wachovia, which it acquired a few years ago) is <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/25/pf/debit_rewards/index.htm">doing the same</a>.<br />
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Starting yesterday, new Wells Fargo and Wachovia customers can no longer enroll in the bank's debit rewards program. Existing customers get to keep earning rewards for now, although that could change if Wells follows in Chase's footsteps.<br />
<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/wells-fargo-drops-debit-card-rewards/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Wells Fargo Drops Debit Card Rewards</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/wells-fargo-drops-debit-card-rewards/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19893823/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/wells-fargo-drops-debit-card-rewards/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>banking</category><category>debit card rewards</category><category>rewards</category><category>wells fargo</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Russell Simmons Tries to Defend Pricey Prepaid 'Rush Cards'</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/russell-simmons-tries-to-defend-pricey-prepaid-rush-cards/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/russell-simmons-tries-to-defend-pricey-prepaid-rush-cards/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/russell-simmons-tries-to-defend-pricey-prepaid-rush-cards/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a></p><img alt="Russell Simmons - rush card"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/getty-1301288523.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has gone on a virtual PR blitz recently to talk up his prepaid "Rush Cards" and fight back against the negative publicity that's been attached to these type of cards ever since the Kardashian sisters' fiasco with their Kardashian Prepaid MasterCard gave the American public a better understanding of just how much these pieces of plastic cost.<br />
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Simmons asserted in a March <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/zackomalleygreenburg/2011/03/18/russell-simmons-defends-the-rush-card/">interview</a> with <em>Forbes Magazine</em> that his Rush Card is good for people who don't have a bank account because it's cheaper than check-cashing stores.<br />
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Technically speaking, this might be true, although we're skeptical Simmons really wants to help out the unbanked as much as he says he does, given that he's not at all shy about helping himself to his customers' hard-earned dollars: The Rush Cards cost between $4 and $15 to acquire; from there, a monthly plan costs $10 a month and PIN-based transactions cost a dollar apiece. A pay-as-you go plan has no monthly fee, but every transaction costs a dollar, up to $10 a month. There are additional fees for withdrawals, checking balances and other everyday actions.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/russell-simmons-tries-to-defend-pricey-prepaid-rush-cards/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Russell Simmons Tries to Defend Pricey Prepaid 'Rush Cards'</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/russell-simmons-tries-to-defend-pricey-prepaid-rush-cards/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19892504/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/28/russell-simmons-tries-to-defend-pricey-prepaid-rush-cards/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>bank cards</category><category>bank fees</category><category>Kardashian sisters</category><category>Rush cards</category><category>Russell Simmons</category><category>unbanked</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Paying With Your Mobile Phone: What's That Going to Cost?</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/25/paying-with-your-mobile-phone-whats-that-going-to-cost/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/25/paying-with-your-mobile-phone-whats-that-going-to-cost/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/25/paying-with-your-mobile-phone-whats-that-going-to-cost/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/technology/" rel="tag">Technology</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit/" rel="tag">Credit</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a></p><img alt="young woman with cell phone - pay mobile phone"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/cell-phone-woman.matthieu-spohn-for-getty.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Interest is growing around the idea of <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/02/02/10-things-that-will-go-mainstream-in-2011/">using your mobile phone</a> to pay for goods and services. Visa <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/visas-new-system-lets-people-pay-each-other-without-cash/">recently announced</a> its intention to let people transfer cash to one another using their cell phones, and software developers are working on programs that would turn your phone into a kind of virtual wallet you could use to pay for just about anything.<br />
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For people who think carrying around a wallet full of credit cards is archaic, or for those who don't want to keep large sums of cash in their pocket, the idea is tantalizing: Just wave your phone in the direction of a payment transmission machine and walk out of the store with your purchases.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/25/paying-with-your-mobile-phone-whats-that-going-to-cost/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Paying With Your Mobile Phone: What's That Going to Cost?</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/25/paying-with-your-mobile-phone-whats-that-going-to-cost/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19890905/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/25/paying-with-your-mobile-phone-whats-that-going-to-cost/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>cell phones</category><category>interchange fees</category><category>merchants</category><category>mobile payment</category><category>National Retail Federation</category><category>paying by phone</category><category>shopping</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Chase Takes the Ax to Debit Rewards — Again</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/23/chase-takes-the-ax-to-debit-rewards-again/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/23/chase-takes-the-ax-to-debit-rewards-again/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/23/chase-takes-the-ax-to-debit-rewards-again/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a></p><a href="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-photohub/dims/12AB/1/300/300/100/http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/C445760BCF1B7C714A914E06783818AC74089C36/GYI0063974390_LR1.jpg"><img alt="Customer at a Chase Bank"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/gyi0063974390-1300897963.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>Well, that didn't take long. A little more than a month after <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/02/01/chase-moves-to-limit-debit-rewards/">we told you</a> how Chase had suspended new customer enrollment into its debit rewards program, the mega bank has announced that it's eliminating reward-earning entirely. According to <a href="http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/chase-to-end-debit-card-rewards/">this article</a>, Chase mailed letters saying it would discontinue rewards in July, blaming the Federal Reserve's limitations on interchange fees.<br />
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The <em>New York Times</em> quotes this segment of the letter sent to Chase customers: "Congress recently enacted a new law known as the Durbin Amendment that significantly impacts debit cards...As a result of this law, we will be changing our debit rewards program."<br />
<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/23/chase-takes-the-ax-to-debit-rewards-again/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Chase Takes the Ax to Debit Rewards — Again</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/23/chase-takes-the-ax-to-debit-rewards-again/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19888289/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/23/chase-takes-the-ax-to-debit-rewards-again/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>chase</category><category>chase rewards</category><category>chase rewards cut</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>How Bad Credit Can Affect You in the Workplace</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/22/how-bad-credit-can-affect-you-in-the-workplace/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/22/how-bad-credit-can-affect-you-in-the-workplace/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/22/how-bad-credit-can-affect-you-in-the-workplace/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit/" rel="tag">Credit</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/debt/" rel="tag">Debt</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit-reports/" rel="tag">Credit Reports</a></p><a href="madphoto.com"><img alt="Teresa Turner"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/from-mm.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>Bad credit can limit your ability to get a loan or score a low-interest rate on a credit card, but <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/12/08/a-bad-credit-scores-nasty-surprises/">that's not all</a> it can do. It can also rear its ugly head in the workplace, making it harder for you to do your job or even -- in a frustrating catch-22 -- keep you from getting a job that could help you break your cycle of debt and poor credit.<br />
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Teresa Turner, right, a former Realtor in California whose livelihood was decimated when the real estate market crashed, knows this firsthand. When her business started to go south in early 2008, she began relying on credit cards, confident she could ride out a slow patch. Today, she's considering filing for bankruptcy, and she suspects her problem landing a new job is directly related to the hit her formerly good credit has taken in the interim.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/22/how-bad-credit-can-affect-you-in-the-workplace/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>How Bad Credit Can Affect You in the Workplace</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/22/how-bad-credit-can-affect-you-in-the-workplace/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19886785/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/22/how-bad-credit-can-affect-you-in-the-workplace/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>bad credit</category><category>bad credit and jobs</category><category>credit</category><category>credit report</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>The $5 ATM Fee: Coming Soon to a Bank Near You?</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/the-5-atm-fee-coming-soon-to-a-bank-near-you/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/the-5-atm-fee-coming-soon-to-a-bank-near-you/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/the-5-atm-fee-coming-soon-to-a-bank-near-you/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a></p><a href="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-photohub/dims/12AB/1/300/300/100/http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/C445760BCF1B7C714A914E06783818AC74089C36/GYI0063974432_LR1.jpg"><img alt="Chase Bank ATM in Illinois, which charges non-Chase customers a $5 ATM fee"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/gyi0063974432.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>It's been <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/bank-lowers-credit-card-aprs-for-some-but-adds-fee-for-others/">well-documented</a> that banks are hiking fees for users -- and blaming government regulations for "making" them do it -- for the past several months. But the news that Chase launched a pilot program that charges non-Chase customers a $5 ATM fee to use Chase machines in Illinois has even cynics raising their eyebrows. According to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703566504576202792887598636.html">this article</a>, the $5 ATM fee is one of many ways banks are trying to make up lost revenue they can no longer rake in on automatic overdraft charges or "anytime, any reason" credit card rate hikes.<br />
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Customers aren't generally charged for withdrawing money at their own bank's ATM -- not yet, anyway. But a bank customer is generally dinged twice if they make a withdrawal at an out-of-network machine. The owner of the machine charges the customer's bank a fee, which most (but not all) banks pass along to their customers with a little extra thrown in. On top of this, the owner of the machine also collects a separate fee form the customer for using the machine. In total, ATM fees let banks pull in $7.1 billion last year, and it's clear they want this number to increase.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/the-5-atm-fee-coming-soon-to-a-bank-near-you/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The $5 ATM Fee: Coming Soon to a Bank Near You?</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/the-5-atm-fee-coming-soon-to-a-bank-near-you/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19886042/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/the-5-atm-fee-coming-soon-to-a-bank-near-you/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>atm fees</category><category>banking</category><category>banking fees</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Visa's New System Lets People Pay Each Other Without Cash</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/visas-new-system-lets-people-pay-each-other-without-cash/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/visas-new-system-lets-people-pay-each-other-without-cash/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/visas-new-system-lets-people-pay-each-other-without-cash/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/technology/" rel="tag">Technology</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a></p><img alt="swiping a credit card - pay with mobile phone" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/getty-1300687852.jpg" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Although many of us get our paychecks direct-deposited into our bank accounts and pay for many daily expenses with the swipe of a debit or credit card, there's one aspect where commercial activity is several decades behind: person-to-person transactions.<br />
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So if you ask a colleague to grab you lunch when he goes to the deli or you hire a babysitter for a night out without the kids, you either have to have cash on hand -- and exact change, at that -- or go through the hassle of writing them a check. Sure, there's PayPal, but that involves setting up an account and agreeing to letting them take a cut off the top.<br />
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In other words, there's never been a good, hassle-free solution for peer-to-peer transactions. According to <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42116603/ns/business-consumer_news/">the news</a>, that might be changing.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/visas-new-system-lets-people-pay-each-other-without-cash/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Visa's New System Lets People Pay Each Other Without Cash</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/visas-new-system-lets-people-pay-each-other-without-cash/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19884801/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/21/visas-new-system-lets-people-pay-each-other-without-cash/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>banking</category><category>cash transactions</category><category>pay via mobile phone</category><category>paypal</category><category>peer-to-peer transaction</category><category>Visa</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Save Your Credit Score With These Five Steps</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/16/save-your-credit-score-with-these-five-steps/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/16/save-your-credit-score-with-these-five-steps/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/16/save-your-credit-score-with-these-five-steps/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit/" rel="tag">Credit</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit-reports/" rel="tag">Credit Reports</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit-score/" rel="tag">Credit Score</a></p><img alt="man hands a credit card over - credit score" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/credit-card.man-hands.getty.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />If you're an even semi-regular <em>WalletPop</em> reader, you know the importance of a good credit score. Not only is it your golden ticket to getting better rates for things like mortgages and credit cards, it also <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/12/08/a-bad-credit-scores-nasty-surprises/">may help you get lower rates</a> for auto insurance, rent an apartment and even get a job.<br />
<br />
But with lenders continuing to tighten their standards even as the credit crunch eases, Americans have to keep close watch on their scores. Even a small slip could mean the difference between qualifying for a lender's prime rate or not.<br />
<br />
If you're one of the many consumers just treading water with your credit score or trying to keep a small mistake from mushrooming into a financial crisis, read on. <em>WalletPop</em> spoke with credit score experts and asked them what steps you can take to save your credit score now.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/16/save-your-credit-score-with-these-five-steps/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Save Your Credit Score With These Five Steps</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/16/save-your-credit-score-with-these-five-steps/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19880713/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/16/save-your-credit-score-with-these-five-steps/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>credit cards</category><category>credit report</category><category>credit score</category><category>Odysseas Papadimitriou</category><category>save your credit score</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Bank Lowers Credit Card APRs for Some, but Adds Fee for Others</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/bank-lowers-credit-card-aprs-for-some-but-adds-fee-for-others/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/bank-lowers-credit-card-aprs-for-some-but-adds-fee-for-others/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/bank-lowers-credit-card-aprs-for-some-but-adds-fee-for-others/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit/" rel="tag">Credit</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit-cards/" rel="tag">Credit Cards</a></p><a href="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-photohub/dims/12AB/1/300/300/100/http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/C445760BCF1B7C714A914E06783818AC74089C36/GYI0059340898_LR1.jpg"><img alt="Bank of America branch" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/gyi00593408983-1300206493.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>The cat and mouse game continues. Americans are beginning to reap more of the benefits of 2009's landmark credit card protection legislation, the CARD Act, even as some <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/02/23/have-a-bank-of-america-account-you-might-be-paying-a-new-fee/">banks continue to add fees</a>. The Act ordered banks to review credit card customers' files to determine if their interest rates should be lowered. According to <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/03/11/mm-boa-lowers-interest-rates-for-some-cardholders/">this National Public Radio story</a>, it's apparent that at least one of the "big four" banks -- Bank of America -- is cutting some high-value cardholders' interest rates by as much as half, even as it adds $59 annual fees to customers who are least likely to be able to get another card from a different issuer.<br />
<br />
"The divide that's dividing the haves and have-nots has gotten even bigger," Curtis Arnold, founder of <a href="http://CardRatings.com">CardRatings.com</a>, tells <em>WalletPop</em>. "As we come out of this credit crunch, my concern is it's almost like a disappearing middle class. That's a concern to me as a consumer advocate, because millions and millions of consumers fall into this category," he says.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/bank-lowers-credit-card-aprs-for-some-but-adds-fee-for-others/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Bank Lowers Credit Card APRs for Some, but Adds Fee for Others</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/bank-lowers-credit-card-aprs-for-some-but-adds-fee-for-others/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19880078/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/bank-lowers-credit-card-aprs-for-some-but-adds-fee-for-others/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>bank</category><category>Bank of America</category><category>CARD Act</category><category>credi card APR</category><category>credit card</category><category>credit card fees</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Coinstar Offers Fee-Free Gift Cards in Exchange for Change</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/coinstar-offers-fee-free-gift-cards-in-exchange-for-change/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/coinstar-offers-fee-free-gift-cards-in-exchange-for-change/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/coinstar-offers-fee-free-gift-cards-in-exchange-for-change/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/economizer/" rel="tag">Economizer</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/family-money/" rel="tag">Family Money</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/personal-finance/" rel="tag">Personal Finance</a></p><img alt="pile of pennies - gift cards" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/pile.of.coins.getty.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Green Coinstar machines are ubiquitous in grocery and big discount stores around the country; for a nearly 10% fee, they'll sort your change for you and give you bills in return. We'll be the first to admit that rolling coins is tedious work (especially since many banks make you put your name and address on every single roll), but that 9.8% fee that the company charges seems steep for something your kid could do in his or her spare time.<br />
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Now comes the news that Coinstar <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/business/media/14adco.html">has begun expanding</a> on a little-known program that eliminates that fee as long as the customer is willing to have their pennies converted into retailer gift cards rather than cash.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/coinstar-offers-fee-free-gift-cards-in-exchange-for-change/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Coinstar Offers Fee-Free Gift Cards in Exchange for Change</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/coinstar-offers-fee-free-gift-cards-in-exchange-for-change/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19879266/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/15/coinstar-offers-fee-free-gift-cards-in-exchange-for-change/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>Coin Star</category><category>coins</category><category>coinstar</category><category>frugal</category><category>gift cards</category><category>saving money</category><category>shopping</category><category>spare change</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Capital One Shows Big Credit Card Sign-Up Rewards Are Back</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/capital-one-shows-big-credit-card-sign-up-rewards-are-back/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/capital-one-shows-big-credit-card-sign-up-rewards-are-back/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/capital-one-shows-big-credit-card-sign-up-rewards-are-back/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit/" rel="tag">Credit</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/travel/" rel="tag">Travel</a></p><div id="quickGuide">
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		Quick Guide</h4>
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	<h4>
		Quick Guide</h4>
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		Quick Guide</h4>
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<!--quickguide--><a href="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-photohub/dims/12AB/1/300/300/100/http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/AC78B022715C5B8357B4DCA8045E8463B4DE2124/Earns_Capital_One.jpg_LR1.099a757db6a34f5e8980c1f17ea0b617"><img alt="Capital One bank sign"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/earnscapitalone.099a757db6a34f5e8980c1f17ea0b617.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>We've <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/05/22/best-travel-reward-credit-cards/">written about</a> Capital One's Venture card before because it offers attractive rewards for frequent travelers. If you've been considering applying for one of these cards, now's the time: Capital One is rolling out a new promotion in which it will match up to 100,000 frequent flier miles accrued on another card.<br />
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Capital One uses a simple formula to calculate the cash value of miles: Divide by 100. In other words, 50,000 miles equals $500; 100,000 miles is $1,000. According to <em><a href="http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/devil-details/got-miles-credit-card-doubles-them/4150/">CBS MoneyWatch</a></em>, the promotion runs until May 13th or until the company gives away a billion miles.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/capital-one-shows-big-credit-card-sign-up-rewards-are-back/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Capital One Shows Big Credit Card Sign-Up Rewards Are Back</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/capital-one-shows-big-credit-card-sign-up-rewards-are-back/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19876548/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/capital-one-shows-big-credit-card-sign-up-rewards-are-back/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>banking</category><category>capital one credit cards</category><category>capital one venture card</category><category>credit cards</category><category>rewards credit cards</category><category>travel</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Can You Really Get a Perfect Credit Score? These Folks Did</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/can-you-really-get-a-perfect-credit-score-these-folks-did/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/can-you-really-get-a-perfect-credit-score-these-folks-did/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/can-you-really-get-a-perfect-credit-score-these-folks-did/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/credit/" rel="tag">Credit</a></p><img alt="M. Bennet Broner - Improve credit score" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/bennet-broner.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Although credit scores fall in a range from 300 to 850, most of us never see the very top or the very bottom of that range -- the majority of us fall somewhere in the middle. But some Americans see that 850 as a fiscal mountain to climb, and they set about getting as close to the summit as possible.<br />
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Take a look at Ben Broner, for instance. Broner (at right), a grant development professional in Alabama, bought a foreclosed house at auction for his two grown children to spare them the cost of rent while they save up for their own down payments. Broner was able to combine the new mortgage with his existing one at a rate of 3.9% in less than a week, and he just closed on the property.<br />
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"It actually happened very fast," he says. The reason why? Broner thinks it has a lot to do with his 812 credit score.<br />
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It's worth noting that you don't need an 850 -- or even an 812 -- to enjoy the perks of good credit. Most lenders' best rates go to anyone who has a score over 750. But if you want the bragging rights of of a perfect score, read on.<br />
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<em>WalletPop</em> talked to Broner and others like him who are shooting for that "holy grail," then we asked a credit score expert what they were doing right -- and what they could be doing better in their quest.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/can-you-really-get-a-perfect-credit-score-these-folks-did/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Can You Really Get a Perfect Credit Score? These Folks Did</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/can-you-really-get-a-perfect-credit-score-these-folks-did/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19843154/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/11/can-you-really-get-a-perfect-credit-score-these-folks-did/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>credit cards</category><category>credit reports</category><category>credit scores</category><category>maintaining good credit</category><category>paying balance</category><category>perfect credit score</category><category>store cards</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Debit Interchange Fee Battle Heats Up Ahead of Fed Ruling</title><link>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/08/debit-interchange-fee-battle-heats-up-ahead-of-fed-ruling/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/08/debit-interchange-fee-battle-heats-up-ahead-of-fed-ruling/</guid><comments>http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/08/debit-interchange-fee-battle-heats-up-ahead-of-fed-ruling/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/banking/" rel="tag">Banking</a>, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/category/federal-reserve/" rel="tag">Federal Reserve</a></p><img alt="debit card - debit fee"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2011/03/getty.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px; float: right;" />The Federal Reserve is charged with issuing its decision next month on the fees that financial institutions charge stores every time a customer pays with a debit card. These interchange fees, as they're called, were for years a hidden cost borne by merchants who wanted to allow customers to use their debit cards.<br />
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A lawsuit settlement last year made consumers more aware of the complicated transactions -- $20.5 billion annually -- behind each swipe. The Fed's <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/12/16/fed-proposes-debit-card-interchange-fees/">preliminary take</a> on the issue would cap the fees at 12 cents per transaction, a fraction of the average 44 cents merchants are now charged per swipe.<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/08/debit-interchange-fee-battle-heats-up-ahead-of-fed-ruling/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Debit Interchange Fee Battle Heats Up Ahead of Fed Ruling</em></a></p><br style="clear:both;"></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/08/debit-interchange-fee-battle-heats-up-ahead-of-fed-ruling/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/forward/19872366/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/08/debit-interchange-fee-battle-heats-up-ahead-of-fed-ruling/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>bank fees</category><category>debit card</category><category>Federal reserve</category><category>interchage fees</category><category>merchant fees</category><dc:creator>Martha C. White</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>