Far too many consumers have credit card balances. This isn’t something to be proud of as a credit card balance is another term for having debt. Remember, when charging items on a credit card, those expenditures must be paid back in full.
Let’s explore some of the ins and outs of credit card balances, including what they are and how they can snowball into a major financial problem that affects your life for years to come.
U.S. households are carrying $1.4 trillion in student debt according to the latest analysis by Experian, a consumer credit reporting agency. That’s a lot of education loans and, in fact, Experian’s analysis shows that more than 13 percent of U.S. consumers have one or more on their credit file.
Fiserv bills itself as a leading global provider of financial services technology, focused on enabling its clients to create and deliver financial service experiences at the “speed of life.” The company’s client base includes millions of consumers and thousands of financial institutions, businesses and organizations that rely on the moving and management of money and information every day.
Imagine that you’re standing at the checkout counter and the cashier informs you that your credit card has been declined. Not only is this an embarrassing situation to be in, but it can also be an inconvenience. If you don’t carry cash, you’re left scrambling for another method of payment.
If you love buying holiday gifts at deep discount but hate dealing with Black Friday crowds, you’re not alone. According to an eBay Holiday Shopping Survey, 72 percent of shoppers start buying gifts early in order to find a better selection. However, 76 percent would still rather give something up—such as social media for a week (38 percent), sugar or carbs for a month (35 percent), or caffeine for seven days (32 percent)—than stand in line on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. One in four (26 percent) would even rather have a root canal than line up in the hopes of scoring a holiday bargain.
How much does the average American family spend on entertainment each year? According to data on consumer expenditures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the answer was $2,913 in 2016, an increase of 2.5 percent over the year prior. That’s a lot of cash in an economy in which wages are stagnant and the costs of essentials such as food, housing, and healthcare continue to grow.
How much food do you throw away each year? If you live in an average American household, the answer is $640 according to a study by the American Chemistry Council. Other surveys have resulted in much bigger estimates, up to $2,200 in food waste per family annually. Either way, that’s a lot of wilted produce, expired dairy, and leftovers winding up in our nation’s landfills each year. And a whole lot of wasted money to boot.
There are several key considerations when it comes to choosing whether to use a debit or credit card to pay. Credit cards provide many perks and benefits that debit cards do not. These benefits may be especially useful when shopping or traveling. For the most part, as long as you are a responsible spender, using a credit card is usually a better option than using your debit card.
With the end of the year approaching, people are starting to think about the holidays and how to spend their money wisely during the busy gift giving season. But this year, consider giving to not only your friends and loved ones, but charitable organizations and non-profits as well. A good portion of the funds that support their good work throughout the year are collected during the holiday season.
It’s a dream for many people to travel to amazing places without spending a ton of money – especially those who are on a budget. It’s even more of a dream to think that you could make money on the side while you’re exploring the world. With Wimdu, you can make those dreams come true as you beef up your bank account while you’re on the road. Wimdu is a home and apartment sharing site, offering accommodations around the world. Much like rivals Airbnb and HomeAway, Wimdu’s platform allows owners to rent out their homes. Meanwhile, travelers can book rooms at a low cost, making it a financially-winning proposition for both traveler and host.
Having credit card debt is stressful enough. Debt across multiple credit cards from different issuers compounds this stress and makes tracking your progress towards a debt free life even more difficult.
Plus, credit card debt is expensive. Chances are, you’re paying an interest rate near 25%, a level high enough to easily keep you in debt for years.
Thankfully, there are tactics you can take to consolidate your debt. But some consolidation methods are better than others.
Missing a credit card payment is not something to take lightly. Whether you truly can’t afford to make the payment or you simply forgot about it, the financial consequences can be pretty hefty.
Many Americans and American businesses would love to save more money and pay less taxes. The issue is heightened even further, as the Trump Administration and Congress considers making significant changes to the US tax code. Plus, the end of the year is nearly upon us, so many taxpayers are making last minute plans to put themselves in the most financially-prudent position ahead of next year’s tax filing deadline.
Airfare sales happen every day but not necessarily from your home airport. In order to take advantage of some of the best deals out there, you might have to get a bit creative. There are plenty of options available to help reduce the cost of airfare. You may save money by positioning yourself to nearby airports or by using your frequent flyer miles like cash to reduce the cost of a ticket. If you’re earning points on a credit card you will want to access their travel portals to see if your points have greater value there. Additionally, using a combination of award tickets and purchased tickets for securing your airfare may result in paying less. Try these combinations to find the best deal.
Whether you count shopping among your favorite hobbies or dread spending money in any form, the free Shopkick app can make all of your purchases more fun. Based in Redwood City, California, and founded in 2009, Shopkick is on a mission to reward consumers for the shopping they already do as well as drive sales for retailers without the use of coupons or discounts.
You may know a lot about the rewards and benefits that are included with your credit card, but you may not have considered those all-important four digits on the front of your card: the expiration date. It’s almost impossible to complete an online purchase without that data point, but what is the expiration date really used for? Banks have several reasons for including it. Read on to find out more.
As a general rule that award tickets do not earn frequent flyer miles since they are paid for with miles, the same way you do not earn
With that being said, there are a few exceptions or situations when award tickets might earn you miles after.
Student loans are big business. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, more than 44 million borrowers now carry more than $1.4 trillion in education loan debt with the average debt per student borrower at $27,857. These are numbers that will continue to grow as the cost of tuition rises along with interest rates on federal and private student loans. In July, the interest rates on new federal loans increased to 4.45 percent. The average variable rate on private student loans grew to 7.81 percent, while the average fixed rate stood at 9.66 percent.
It happens to everyone who has a credit card at one point or another. You overspend. And you often don’t realize it until your statement rolls in. Then you see it. The minimum payment option. Surely you’ll have more money next month to pay off the balance. It’s tempting to just take the easy out and carry the balance for another month or two or three. But this is why you shouldn’t do that. Ever.
Do you know what CMOS, GPIO, Microkernel and Boot Sector to 411, Beast Mode, FTW and PHAT mean? The online world is full of technical terms, slang phrases, acronyms and abbreviations that sometimes only make sense to computer programmers, IT professionals and teens—until now.
Thanks to Sharpened Productions’ TechTerms and Slangit dictionaries, even those of us who are less than technologically savvy or long past our teenage years can now decipher the often-confusing jargon we may encounter in tech blogs and software manuals as well as on our children’s mobile devices.
