Have you been struggling with bad credit? Are you trying to get yourself out of a financial rut you think there’s no end to in sight? It’s not as bad as you may think. The Credit One® Bank Credit Card will give you that extra buying power you need and show you the ropes to get back on your feet.

Features, Features and MORE Features

Already when you sign up for the Credit One® Bank Credit Card you will be bumped up to Platinum Status. This little move up the ladder will make you the recipient of a bunch of cool – and much needed – features you won’t be able to do without.

1) Automatic Credit Line Increase Reviews – You can enjoy a credit line of up to $1,500 with the Credit One® Bank Credit Card. But that’s not all. On a regular basis, you may be eligible to have your credit line increased to more than what you started with.

2) Extra Buying Power – Now is your chance to leave any financial obstacles behind and start anew. Use your card for your everyday purchases and emergencies. Plus, this Visa Platinum Card is accepted at millions of locations worldwide, pretty much anywhere Visa is accepted. Translation: It will always come in handy when you need it the most.

3) $0 Fraud Liability – You don’t need to be hit with an unpleasant surprise and find out that fraudulent purchases have been made on your card. But even if that unfortunate case were to occur, no need to worry. The Credit One® Bank Credit Card does not make you responsible for any unauthorized charges on your card.

4) Travel Accident Insurance – You are also protected with travel accident insurance anytime you go on the road. Visit the Credit One® Bank Credit Card website for further details.

5) Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver – Next time you get a car from an auto rental company, tell them “thanks but no thanks” when it comes to their collision waiver. You will already receive a collision damage waiver with your Credit One® Bank card.

Keeping It Simple…

There is NO enrollment and NO over the limit credit fees. You can immediately pre-qualify without having it affect your credit score. Once you’re approved, you can select your very own card design from the premium gallery.

The Credit One® Bank Credit Card comes with a low $75 annual fee for the first year, $99 thereafter. Instead of paying your annual fee in one lump sum, they make it easier for you by billing you $8.25 on a monthly basis.

Take the next step toward better money management with the Credit One® Bank Credit Card. Don’t you think it’s time for a change?

MasterCard’s plan includes an outline for the migration from magnetic stripe to EMV technology currently available on “chip” cards – this will serve as the foundation for the next generation of products and services, developed to enhance the way consumers pay for items and services.

The magnetic strip technology currently used has been in operation since the 1950’s. The cornerstone of MasterCard’s plan is EMV.

What is EMV?
EMV is the globally recognized standard for the inter-operation of integrated circuit cards (IC cards or “chip cards”) as well as IC card-capable point-of-sale terminals, (along with ATMs) for the authentication of credit and debit transactions.

IC card systems based on EMV are frequently referred to as “IC Credit” or “Chip and PIN.” The EMV chip that will transform how we all shop is a 3 x 5 mm chip embedded in the card.

As mentioned in a previous CardOffers.com blog post about the U.S., behind the curve on EMV usage:

“…EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) technology significantly reduces the risks of credit card fraud, due to counterfeit, lost and stolen cards. This is because consumers can punch in their PIN (the 4-digit code most commonly used with debit cards) as a cardholder verification method. Eight countries worldwide are either in the process of EMV chip migration or already have it fully integrated. But such isn’t the case here… yet.”

MasterCard says that their newly released framework plan takes into consideration the evolving nature of payments. As payments continue to change and include new devices and new channels, such as mobile and eCommerce, their plan reportedly takes into account the changing way consumers are shopping.

Thereby, providing consumers with greater security and control in their payment choices. It also aims to to address and seamlessly integrate the numerous loyalty programs the industry incorporates and special offers consumers receive during the shopping experience.

Roadmap to a New Era in American Credit Card Purchasing
“We’re moving toward a world beyond plastic, where consumers will shop and pay in a way that best fits their needs and lifestyles with a simple tap, click or touch in-store, online or on a mobile device,” says Chris McWilton, President, U.S. Markets, MasterCard.

McWilton goes on to say, “Our roadmap represents a transformational shift in the approach to payments and is not simply about EMV, chip and PIN. We’re focused on readying the ecosystem to drive future innovation and provide new consumer experiences to enhance the value of electronic payments.”

Some of the ways MasterCard hopes to revolutionize the American landscape of credit card payments include:

• Widespread EMV use and cement EMV as the foundation of the next generation of payments.
The immediate focus now is on acquirer infrastructure and working with acquirers and merchants to ensure infrastructure readiness by April 2013.

• Encouraging greater security and cardholder verification. By adopting this technology, consumers will be provided with greater controls and, in turn, reduce instances of fraudulent transactions.

• Provide benefits for merchant terminalization and financial incentives and benefits for them to implement EMV-compatible terminals.

• Cover all channels and touch points in the purchase experience where consumers will interact with MasterCard, including ATMs, the physical point-of-sale, online and mobile commerce.

• Commitment to leadership and collaboration — Fostering industry collaboration to deliver the next generation of payments into the U.S. marketplace.

Fostering Growth and Enhanced Security

In the increasingly-digital world that we all live in, the benefits of EMV technology-enabled transactions means the process becomes “smarter.” This dynamic transaction authentication incorporates unique information, making it virtually impossible to replicate and reducing the risk of fraudulent transactions.

In Europe, most cards are equipped with an EMV chip that requires a 4 digit PIN to be entered into the merchant’s point-of-sale terminal before payment will be authorized. This staves off some forms of credit card fraud and theft. Most times, a credit card is still active (even if it is stolen) until the authorized cardholder reports the instance of theft or irregular charges.

MasterCard’s plan contends that the need for this nationwide adoption of EMV standards hinges on the support from many different factors in the payments landscape.

However, the crux in adopting the new standards in the United States lies with credit card issuers beginning the adoption and change, combined with merchants upgrading their terminals.

Ed McLaughlin, Chief Emerging Payments Officer of MasterCard says, “As the industry invests in the upgrade to EMV in the U.S., we now have the ability to enhance the consumer experience and the security of a payment, regardless of the device — contactless card, mobile, eCommerce and technologies still to come.”

MasterCard took part in the original EMV standards creation that was incorporated in many of the world’s major markets that now use EMV technology like Europe, Japan, Brazil and Canada.

CitiBank has introduced the Citi ThankYou® Card for those that are looking to sign up for a credit card, and to earn rewards for their spending habits. And yes, there are plenty of rewards cards out there – it can be hard to choose which one is right for you.

Citi ThankYou Card – Rewards Program

With the Citi ThankYou® Card, you are given options when it comes to your rewards. The ThankYou® Rewards program is a point-based system to where you earn 1 ThankYou Point for every $1 you spend on purchases. The good thing about the point system is, there is no expiration on the points you earn! Plus, there is no limit on the number of ThankYou points that you can earn, either.

When you start using your card, you can use it for pretty much anything: dine out, buy a pair of shoes, or pay for parking – you will be racking up points! Once you have decided to redeem your points, visit ThankYou.com. It’s an online store designed with you in mind.

ThankYou Rewards Points – And You

There are over 600 merchants to choose from. You can give, get and share points with other ThankYou Card members, that way you can meet and fulfill your redemption possibilities. You can choose jewelry, clothes, cruises, services, entertainment, travel, and much more. And if you don’t have enough ThankYou Points for a travel reward, you can use your Citi ThankYou® Card to pay the difference.

You can even donate to charity with your card rewards or if you aren’t a big fan of shopping – you can redeem for CASH. Citi will send it to you in $50 increments, or you can pay your balance as a credit.

Anniversary Bonus

At the end of each year that you have your Citi ThankYou® Card, you will earn an additional bonus – the Anniversary Bonus, that is calculated as a percentage of ThankYou® Points earned from the purchases that you made during your membership. You’ll earn 1% between 0-1 year, 2% between your first and second year, and 3% during for your second and after.

Introductory 0% APR

The Citi ThankYou® Card has zero annual fee 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months of card membership. So, if you have existing balances on other cards, you can transfer them over to your Citi ThankYou® Card and pay zero interest for 15 months!

Citibank Services and Protections

As a CitiBank customer, you are entitled to the many services included with your card. This includes protection from identity theft and fraud, extended warranties on items you purchase, price/purchase protection, emergency assistance services, travel insurance and even a person concierge service. If you ever have any questions about your card, you can located the customer service number on the back of your card to reach an associate instantly.

For added security, you have the options to add a photo and a signature on the front of your Citi ThankYou® Card as another form of identification. Another included option for cardholders is PaymentAid – a program for those that have lost their income due to unforeseen circumstances. Also, you can enroll in Citi® IdentityMonitor® , which is a protection service that monitors your account and provides you with a credit report and score.

With a great ThankYou rewards program, customer protections, travel opportunities, and overall user satisfaction, what’s not to love? Try the new Citi ThankYou® Card – you’ll love it!

Apply for the Citi ThankYou® Card

Never shows complete credit card number – Thanks to the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 2006, receipts cannot show your full credit card number. Only the last four or five digits of your card can appear. Your credit card expiration date is another piece of confidential information that can’t appear either.

Smart Tip: Be careful who you give your credit card number to. Jamie May, chief investigator at AllClear ID, an identity protection company, says that your credit card company will never call you and ask for your complete card number. It is always better to hang up and call them at a number you can verify is theirs.

Receipt numbers actually mean something – Ever see a line of numbers that seem to make no sense whatsoever? These numbers are real codes that usually identify the store to the credit card company that processes your transaction. It’s not something you need to pay attention to, but it’s definitely something that makes it easy for the store and your credit card company to communicate by.

Store copies and customer copies = same thing – Sometimes you may leave a store and realize you walked away with the wrong receipt. But if this happens to you, worry not – receipt copies are usually the same. And even if you were to accidentally leave your receipt unsigned, your card will still be charged.

Your authentic signature matters – It’s always important to sign your receipt with your real signature. No phony nonsense here. The cashier is actually supposed to check your signature. Unfortunately, many times they do not. In that case, you can write “Check I.D.” in the back of your card so that they can compare your credit card information to that of your identification card or driver’s license.

Make sure your bill and receipt match – Even after you add a tip, it’s wise to double-check your receipt and make sure the cashier put in the correct total charge amount. Or, in other words, make sure what you signed for is what you are really being charged. That goes without saying that your handwriting should also be legible. You don’t want a cashier to add a $55 tip when you meant $5.

Keep your receipts temporarily – Many say that you should hold on to your receipts for three months, six months, maybe even a year. One thing is for certain: keep them handy until you at least get your credit card statement. Verify that everything listed on your statement matches your receipts.

Old-school credit card machine not the way to go – Remember back in the day when most businesses used that old, worn-out machine that made an imprint of your credit card information? Well, surprisingly, some places still rely on this method of making credit card payments. BUT, be warned, it’s also one of the riskiest ways to make a credit card transaction. Best to steer clear.

Don’t ask for receipt if you’re not keeping it – Estimates say it takes about 9.6 million trees to create about 640,000 tons of paper used to make receipts. Asking for a printed receipt if you don’t intend to keep it is not only a waste but it’s also not safe. Your information can easily get in the wrong hands. Instead, ask for an email copy or simply opt to not get a receipt.

New Years is always an exciting time- there are always resolutions to be made. Everyone gets a second chance. The best way to take advantage of it is by resolving some of the particular details of your finances. Here are some things to take into “account” to make this year the best you can for your cash!

• Maintain a Savings Account: It’s important to always have a savings account in case of emergency. There are certain medical expenses, natural disasters or family issues that you may have to dip into your savings for. If you end up putting this on a credit card, you probably can’t afford to pay the interest, late charges and over limit fees that correlate with these charges. You’ll end up in debt and with bad credit.

• Write Down your Outgoing:If you track your spending, you will know where your money is going. If you do this for at least thirty days, your will have an idea of where all your money is going – then you can prioritize your outgoing based upon your lifestyle.

• Create a Spending Plan: If you put yourself on a budget, you will become in charge of your money – not your money in charge of you! After you have tracked your spending, you will be be able to assign money to different categories based on their priority.

• Run your Credit Report: You can get your credit score online and it is good to protect yourself against identity theft since you will be able to spot any suspicious activity. Consumers are now allowed one free credit report from each of the three bureaus every 12 months.

• Improve your Credit Score: Due to the bad economy, credit is becoming much harder to obtain, but having a good credit score will help you get the credit that you need, but at a reasonable rate. To improve your score you should pay your bills on time and not utilize more than 30% of your available credit. It’s best to make a calendar with all of your bills and their due dates – that you way you can track it and not be late.

• Set Financial Goals: When your finances are unorganized, it’s difficult to plan for the future – but if you set long and short term goals you can be come more organized. It’s going to involve some adjustments in you lifestyle, but it will be worth it. For example, you may need to get a second job and dedicate that paycheck to getting out of debt. Once you get out of debt it will free you from worry and you will be able to start building a savings. Then you can invest and meet your long term goals.

• Plan for Retirement: When money is tight, retirement is the last thing on our minds, but it’s something that you should think about from now. If you make small contributions over time to your retirement plan or IRA can yield significant benefits. You’ll thank yourself for this later.

• Tell your Family: You may have to make changes in your lifestyle in order to improve your finances, this could affect your whole family. The best thing to do is to talk about everything. From the bills to the budget, talk to the kids about everything – this is a great learning experience for them.

• Seek Professional Assistance: If you are in major financial distress and don’t know where to turn, an expert may be able to help dig you out of the hole. There are many credit counseling agencies with trained and certified counselors to assist you. And even if you aren’t in financial trouble – it may be good to do so to help prepare for a successful future.

So whether you are in debt and have nowhere to turn, or if you are planning developing a savings and retirement plan – make this year a good one by improving your financial life!

Get Cashback Bonuses for Showing your Love

What if you got Cashback bonuses every time you bought one of those Valentine’s items for your loved one? Now you can with your Discover Card! When you sign up for one of Discover’s various credit cards there are plenty of perks – one of which gives you a major advantage. Whenever you use your Discover card, you have access to ShopDiscover.com – an online store for Discover cardholders. Whenever you make purchases though the online store you can get from 5% to 20% Cashback Bonuses.

Take advantage of ShopDiscover.com and much more with the Discover® Open Road Card – $150 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate offer.

Get up to 20% CashBack

That means that if purchase flowers for your Valentine you could get up to 1/5 of it as a Cashback Bonus! For example, merchants like 1-800-Flowers, 1-800-Baskets, and Teleflora all offer 20% Cashback Bonuses when you purchase your Valentine bouquet through ShopDiscover.com with your Discover Card. So, if you bought a $100 bouquet of long stem red roses, you could get a $20 Cashback Bonus.

Take advantage of ShopDiscover.com and much more with the Discover® More Card

Over 200+ Retailers to Choose From

When making your purchases through ShopDiscover.com you can key in any products you are looking for, such as an HDTV, iPad, a dishwasher, or anything – then you can compare retailers and pricing options. Also, you can shop by retailer and check out clearance items, free shipping, sales and coupons. The store will automatically count your Cashback bonuses – before you know it they will really start to tally up!

ShopDiscover.com has even teamed up with Restaurant.com to bring you deals with your CashBack Bonuses everyday – with hundreds of dining hot spots with 20% off gift cards. The online store also offers travel exclusives for card members. This includes cruises, resorts and exotic tours.

Take advantage of ShopDiscover.com and much more with the Discover® Motiva Card

Buy Online and Enjoy!

So whether it’s Christmas, Birthday or even Valentine’s day, you can get back for giving to others – or even if you make a purchase on yourself, the Cashback bonus will come back to you! Visit ShopDiscover.com to sign up.

When you decide to tie the knot and join your life together with your spouse it’s a big step. One that means the joining and sharing of not only your life, – but your partner’s. In sickness and in health and for richer or poorer.

Starting your life together after the honeymoon– from a financial standpoint involves exciting things like buying a home (and possibly) trading in your sports car or motorcycle for a minivan or family friendly SUV.

In making these decisions and purchases, your FICO® scores are going to play a big part in many of these “joint ventures” as a couple.

Here are some important facts you should know about FICO® scores now that you’re married:

• You both have individual FICO® scores; you do not have a joint score.
• When applying for credit and you state your joint income, lenders will usually look at both of your FICO scores during the loan application review process.
• Joint accounts, are similar to credit cards, they’ll affect both of your scores.
What people have found out the hard way when looking to buy their marital home is that even if your wife’s good score would qualify her for a loan with a good interest rate, your bad score may land you in the dog house.

Many people don’t realize the vast majority of mortgage lenders will check both of your FICO scores when evaluating your loan application. Meaning that as a couple, you would only qualify for a loan at a worse interest rate. If you have a score that is very bad- you may not qualify at all.

The good thing is you now have someone who can assist you in figuring out the habits you’ll need to employ and use to get your credit in good standing.

Practices that include always paying your bills on time, keeping the balances on your credit cards at a reasonable level and only applying for credit when you really need it are ones that will aide you both in achieving your life’s financial goals and acquisitions.

While taking the time to boost your FICO to optimal levels, you may be eligible to get good rates on loans or other types of credit. The key is to have the partner with good credit to apply individually for the time being (it won’t be the only time you rely one of you to save the day).

As time passes and you continue building your life together while adopting good practices your FICO score should improve. When that happens you’ll be able to carry your share of your family’s credit responsibilities.

Before Getting Married

- Decide how you and your spouse want to handle credit-based applications.
- Will the spouse with better credit complete all the applications to get better rates?
- Will you apply jointly and accept higher interest rates in an effort to improve the other spouse’s credit score?
- Your answers and decisions depend on your financial situation and priorities.

Some Things to Remember When You Get Married

1. Your spouse’s credit history won’t appear on your credit report.
2. If the wife chooses to change her last name, the new name and her old debt/credit history will still be reflected on her credit report.
3. Credit report information is tied to social security numbers.
4. Scores won’t drop or improve based on other spouses’ credit score or history.
5. If you and your spouse jointly apply for a credit card or loan – both scores will be checked but if one or both have bad credit, then the application may not be approved.
6. With joint accounts, both spouses are responsible for making payments. However if the account becomes delinquent then the creditor will try to collect from both spouses.
7. In regards to authorized user accounts, only the primary account holder is legally responsible for paying the credit card debt.
8. Keep one or two cards in your name alone, but do not carry a balance on them. (Especially if you’re the spouse with better credit)
9. Be added to a spouse’s account as a “responsible party.” This means the top three credit-reporting bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion will update your credit histories with this account. It can also help get a better credit rate while building future credit.
10. Closing your credit cards simply because you change your name only leaves you with eliminating the credit you established on those accounts.

Credit Advice Not Dependent on Marital Status

- Pay off balances on credit cards as quickly as possible.
- Use cards only for purchases you plan on paying off each both.
- Use better interest rate cards for short-term credit needs.
- Make payments on time and you’re likely to qualify for a more competitive rate.
- Obtain a copy of your credit report.

Financial planners and credit experts say that retirement should be something to take into account at an early age. It should also be planned for and saved separately as well as jointly. To maximize retirement savings it’s also highly suggested that each spouse takes advantage of an employer’s retirement benefits and if you’re eligible defer more income from taxes with separate accounts, because even if you’re marriage doesn’t last forever at least you can try and guarantee your financial security.