Low Interest Credit Cards

One week before the CARD Act goes into effect, Citi has added an annual fee to more accounts on many of its popular credit cards.

Many Citi cardholders are receiving letters about a $60 annual fee that is being added to their account effective April 1, 2010. If consumers make $2,400 in purchases during the year, then the annual fee will be credited back to their account.

It appears that Citi’s test of adding an annual fee to a small percentage of their customers in August of 2009 proved successful for the issuer. At that time, Citi began charging some cardholders an annual fee of $30 to $90 unless they spent at least $2,400 per year. Now a far greater number of customers are receiving this notice.

“The reason we are making this change is to maintain the quality of our service amid the rising cost of doing business,” said Ken Stork of Citibank in a letter to the cardholders receiving this notice.

“This is a very concerning sign for credit card consumers and it is further evidence of how issuers will react in 2010.

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A credit score has become more important than ever when it comes to things like trying to get an auto loan or better mortgages rates.

And, with credit tightening, lenders are looking for people with higher credit scores as they try to limit the risks involved with letting consumers borrow money. As a result, people may wonder where they can go to get an idea about how their credit history stands.

Recently, CNNMoney.com released a list of the top 20 websites related to personal finance. Included in that list was Credit.com, which was picked by the news organization as a good place for consumers to learn about their credit standing.

Credit.com features a free service called the Credit Report Card, which pulls a record of a consumer’s credit report. In order to do so, people have to provide some information, including their name, Social Security number, current address, past address and income.

Once the consumer gives that – and creates an account with Credit.com – they will see an overview of their credit report. Read more…

Q: Is adding an authorized user to a credit card a good idea?

A: Thanks for your question Lynn. Most credit cards (almost all) will allow the account holder to add on authorized users. For those that choose to add a user, they usually add only one. However there are some credit cards that let you add multiple users if you so choose. But whether it’s one or five, is this a smart move? Let’s take a closer look…

Why Add An Authorized User?
Perhaps you are a parent who wants your son or daughter to have a card. Maybe you run a small business and would like one of your employees to have their own credit card for convenience. But m

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Well-meaning folks across the world continue to come to the rescue of earthquake-ravaged Haiti by donating money, food, and medical supplies, and by all accounts, the relief efforts cannot arrive quickly enough.  People across the world are reaching into their wallets and pulling out their checkbooks and credit cards to offer what monetary help they can.  If this sounds like you or someone you know, be wary—phony charities and scammers looking to make some quick money are already running rampant, taking advantage of donors’ generosity and hard-earned money.

This isn’t the first time scammers have used a natural disaster to turn a profit, and unfortunately, it’s not likely to be the last.  Scammers and con artists count on people’s kindheartedness following a massive tragedy like the Haiti quake, so don’t automatically believe that every relief organization that is claiming to “help Haiti now” really intends to do so.

Read these tips and advice on how to donate to relief organizations when natural disasters strike:

Donate to large, well-known organizations. International grou

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The brilliant Wes Anderson My Life, My Card ad starring Jason Schwartzman and a cast of, er, um many!