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Credit Cards

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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321562-data-breachesToday’s top story: The big security threats headed our way in the new year. Also in the news: How to beef up your savings, what millennials should discuss before marriage, and tips on managing your credit cards in the new year.

The Big Scams & Security Threats to Watch Out for in 2015
If you thought 2014 was bad…

7 Ways to Beef Up Your Savings
Give your savings a workout.

4 Financial Issues Millennials Need to Discuss Before Marriage
Putting everything out in the open.

10 Tips for Managing Credit Cards in 2015
How to do a better job in the new year.

How Will You Keep Your Financial Resolutions?
You must commit.

Monday’s need-to-know money news

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Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: How to give yourself a gift without breaking your holiday budget. Also in the news: What you need to ask before buying a winter home, the big tax changes ahead for 2015, and how to avoid going into debt with your first credit card.

How to Treat Yourself Without Breaking Your Christmas Budget
Who knows what you want for Christmas better than you?

5 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Winter Home
Can you truly afford to become a snowbird?

The Biggest Tax Changes for 2015
Get ready.

First Credit Card: Tips to Avoid Going Into Debt
Don’t start off on the wrong foot.

Track Your Mileage to Save Money on Insurance
Using a mileage tracker provided by your insurer could save you big bucks.

Q&A: Credit card fraud and automatic payments

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Dear Liz: We’ve had three cases of credit card fraud. Each time, the credit card company issued new cards with new numbers and canceled the old ones (along with the fraudulent charges). We had nine monthly auto-payment authorizations set up, and we seethed at the fact that the card company would not offer to authorize our auto-payments via the new numbers. We eventually received late-payment notices and charges, since the old numbers were still on the record with payees. Are there companies that offer updates to payees when cards are canceled, and new ones issued, in such fraud situations?

Answer: Given all the database breaches lately, automatic updates to auto-payments might come in handy.

But it seems you’re on your own. Your agreements with your billers typically state that you’re required to update them whenever a card expires or its number changes. Many billers will alert you when an expiration date is near or if a charge doesn’t go through, but ultimately it’s your responsibility to keep track.

It’s a good idea to keep a list of your auto-payments so you don’t forget to update them all when this happens again. If you don’t have a list, simply checking your past statements should remind you which accounts are on auto-pay.

Flight delays? Lost luggage? Your credit card may help

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Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailHundreds of flights have already been cancelled on this busy travel day, with more cancellations and delays likely to come as a winter storm rolls through the East Coast. If you used the right credit card to book your trip, though, you may be entitled to some compensation.

Most cards offer some kind of travel protection, but some of the policies are pretty weak, even for high-end cards. Some only offer compensation for lost baggage, while others offer hundreds of dollars in compensation for trip delays–and thousands for trip cancellations.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card, for example, is justifiably famous among savvy travelers for its generous delay and cancellation protection: If your trip is canceled or cut short by illness, severe weather and “other covered situations,” can can be reimbursed up to $10,000 for prepaid, nonrefundable expenses. You can get up to $500 for trip delays and a whopping $3,000 for lost luggage. (Many other cards limit lost luggage reimbursement to $500.) Other high-end Chase cards, along with The United Explorer Visa Platinum Card, offer similar top-drawer benefits.

Citi recently stepped up its game, and now offers card members refunds for trip expenses if unforeseen events like severe weather, jury duty or even previously unannounced strikes cause trip cancellations. The coverage is limited to $1,500 for most cardholders, though some get up to $5,000. Those with ThankYou Premier or Citi Prestige can get up to $500 to buy clothes and toiletries if their bags are delayed. If a trip is delayed, these travel rewards card members also can get up to $500 for unplanned expenses such as hotel rooms, ground transportation and meals.

Travel cards that you think would have pretty good protection–such as American Express or Capital One Venture–unfortunately don’t. Amex offers travel protection for an extra cost and CapOne covers just lost or stolen luggage (although the limit is $3,000).

If you’re affected this weekend by travel hassles, call and ask the credit card company that you used to book the trip what your options might be. If you don’t like what you hear, start looking for a better alternative for your next trip.

 

 

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

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air-miles-cardToday’s top story: The best airline miles credit cards. Also in the news: Behind the scenes of a student loan deal, how to prioritize your bills when you’re low on cash, and five items to donate for a charitable tax deduction.

The Best Airline Miles Credit Cards in America
Getting the most mileage bang for your buck.

How a Little Student Loan Deal Could Spell Big Trouble for Borrowers
The ghosts of FFEL loans.

How to Prioritize Bills When You’re Low on Cash
Paying in the right order could save you time and money.

5 Items to Donate for a Charitable Tax Deduction
Every little bit healps.

Grab your Small Business Saturday credits now

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Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailAmerican Express’ “Small Business Saturday” credits are back, and they’re more lucrative this year: a $10 statement credit for purchases of $10 or more at qualifying small businesses on Nov. 29. You can get up to $30 in credits on each registered card.

I signed up three of our Amex cards yesterday when registration opened, which means we’re now eligible for $90 in statement credits. I then checked the list of small businesses in our neighborhood where we can use the credits, and sketched out what I plan to buy where. I’ll get a chunk of my Christmas shopping done, while also picking up supplies I was planning to buy anyway.

Free money is always good, and free money to support the businesses that support our community is even better.

Amex says registration for the cards is limited, so hop to it. You can use the “Amex offers for you” tab in your online Amex account or the ShopSmall.com site. Using “offers for you” tab seems to preclude you from registering more than one card, but it appears you can register additional cards at the ShopSmall site. Make sure to read the offer terms so you understand how the credits work and what type of transactions don’t qualify (such as transactions made with an electronic wallet, through a third party or if the merchant uses a mobile or wireless card reader to process the transaction).