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Monster Media 1996 #15
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Monster Media Number 15 (Monster Media)(July 1996).ISO
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finance
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badcrd.zip
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CRCDSEC.TXT
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1996-05-18
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[Crashpad][Hood]
12 CREDIT CARD SECRETS
Banks Don't Want You to Know
This pamphlet is a publication of the Executive Offices of Consumer
Affairs. and contains a summary of your rights as a tenant. For
further information:
Massachusetts Executive Office of Consumer Affairs and Business
Regulation 1 Ashburton Place Boston, Massachusetts 02108 (617)
727-7780
1. INTEREST BACKDATING
Most card issuers charge interest from the day a charge is posted
to your account if you don't pay in full monthly. But, some
charge interest from the date of purchase, days before they have
even paid the store on your behalf!
REMEDY: Find another card issuer, or always pay your bill in full
by the due date.
2. TWO-CYCLE BILLING
Issuers which use this method of calculating interest, charge two
months worth of interest for the first month you failed to pay
off your total balance in full. This issue arises only when you
switch from paying in full to carrying a balance from month to
month.
REMEDY: Switch issuers or always pay your balance in full.
3. THE RIGHT TO SETOFF
If you have money on deposit at a bank, and also have your credit
card there, you may have signed an agreement when you opened the
deposit account which permits the bank to take those funds if you
become delinquent on your credit card.
REMEDY: Bank at separate institutions, or avoid delinquencies.
4. FEES ARE NEGOTIABLE
You may be paying up to $50 a year or more as an annual fee on
your credit card. You may also be subject to finance charges of
over 18%.
REMEDY: If you are a good customer, the bank may be willing to
drop the annual fee, and reduce the interest rate -- you only
have to ask! Otherwise, you can switch issuers to a lower- priced
card.
5. INTEREST RATE HIKES ARE RETROACTIVE
If you sign up for a credit card with a low "teaser" rate, such
as 7.9%, when the low rate period expires, your existing balance
will likely be subject to the regular and substantially higher
interest rate.
REMEDY: Pay in full before the rate increase or close the
account.
6. SHORTENED DUE DATES
Most card issuers offer a 25 day grace period in which to pay for
new purchases without incurring finance charges. Some banks have
shortened the grace period to 20 days--but only for customers who
pay in full monthly.
REMEDY: Ask to go back to 25 days.
7. ELIMINATING GRACE PERIODS
That fabulous offer you received in the mail for a gold card with
a $10,000 credit limit, and lots of features may not be so great.
The most common "string" attached is the card has no grace
period. You are charged interest on everything from the day you
buy it, even if you pay on time.
REMEDY: Throw the offer out!
8. DISAPPEARING BENEFITS
Many banks enticed you to sign up with extra benefits such as
lifetime warranty, a 5% discount on all travel, or protection if
an item purchased is lost. Now, some banks have cut back on these
extras without the fanfare that launched them.
REMEDY: Read annual disclosure of changes, and switch cards if
need be.
9. DOUBLE FEES ON CASH ADVANCES
Most credit cards impose both finance charges and a transaction
fee on cash advances. Interest starts from the day of the
advance, and the transaction fee can be up to 2.5% of the amount
taken. Beware of cards advertising "no finance charges."
Transaction fees may still apply.
REMEDY: Limit cash advances.
10. FEWER RIGHTS ON DEBIT CARDS
Some Visa and MasterCards have payments deducted directly from
your checking account (debit cards). Under federal law, you
technically don't have the same right to "charge back" problem
purchases as you do with a conventional credit card. Also, if the
card is lost or stolen, you can have up to unlimited liability
for losses if you don't report the problem within 60 days, which
is different from the $50 maximum liability on credit cards.
(Exception: the $50 limit applies to debit cards as well as to
credit cards in Massachusetts.)
REMEDY: Know your card. Is it a credit cards or debit cards? They
can look alike.
11. MISLEADING MONTHLY MINIMUMS
You may think it is beneficial to have a card where you only need
to pay 2%-3% of your balance monthly. It is just the opposite.
The bank stands to make far more money from finance charges the
longer you carry out payments--and you foot the bill.
REMEDY: Pay all you can monthly.
12. INTEREST FROM DAY ONE
When you carry a balance from month to month, there is no grace
period on new purchases on most cards. The 20-25 day grace period
where no finance charges accrue does not apply when you don't pay
in full each month.
REMEDY: Find cards that exclude new purchases when calculating
interest.
(C) 1994 Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Consumer
Affairs.
October 1994
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