Credit Cards

Should I Worry About the Equifax Hack?

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Boy, time flies when you’re protecting your identity. This article was originally written September, 2017. It was just a taste of things to come. In August, 2024 criminal hackers went bigger and literally hacked the Social Security Administration and got away with as much as all of our social security numbers, date of birth, address, and who knows what else. Even a baby identity thief could profit from this. The worry is that new state-sponsored criminal organizations are already working on profit and intelligence gathering. If you are wondering whether to be worried about the Equifax hack from 2017, the answer is yes. You should be worried. However, you do not need to panic. How ever bad the Equifax hack of 2017 was, there were plenty of doozeys on its heels. So many, in fact, that any one of them likely caused more damage. Still, those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. Get Some Credit Monitoring By now, you should probably have some rudimentary credit monitoring whether it comes through a free credit score service like Credit Karma, or from your bank, or one of your credit cards. You’ll want to read all of those emails …

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Fidelity Credit Card Review

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The Fidelity Investment Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card is an intriguing offer with a generous 1.5% cash back offer and the standard 1 point per $1 rewards program. Details inside.

Merrick Bank Credit Card Reviews

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Recently, someone asked me about a credit card offer they received from Merrick Bank. I wasn’t familiar with Merrick Bank, so I agreed to look into it. The Merrick Bank credit card is pretty interesting for the right type of person. The Merrick Bank secure credit card lets people with no credit, or terrible credit, rebuild their credit or build a high credit score for the first time. They also seem to offer people who recently emerged from bankruptcy low-limit unsecure credit cards as well. So, if you are looking for something that works as a credit card for 500 score, this might be your huckleberry. Let’s dive in a bit deeper than most Merrick bank reviews. Merrick Bank Credit Card Reviews The first thing about Merrick Bank is where it is located. If you’ve never heard of Merrick Bank, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Most people don’t realize that “bank” can mean a lot of different things. In this case, bank means an issuer of loans and credit cards, not a bank that takes regular deposits and has branches. It is FDIC insured and is one of the top issuers of Visa cards, but you won’t see a Merrick …

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How Can I Pay My Mortgage with a Credit Card?

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Generally speaking, you cannot pay your mortgage with a credit card. Typically, you cannot pay for debt with debt. Of course, where there is a will there is a way. Here are four tricks to pay your mortgage with a credit card. Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card Cash Advance One of the good things about cash is that it is nobody’s business where you got your cash from. (Excluding, of course, money laundering, theft, and selling illegal goods.) Most credit cards offer easy cash advances. Many credit cards provide for a transfer from your cash advance credit line to a linked bank account. Some credit cards issue checks that you can write against your cash advance limit. Sometimes, but not always, you can get away with using a credit card check to pay a mortgage. However, banks and mortgage companies often electronically scan and validate checks before accepting them. It is likely that your mortgage company or bank will know you are using a credit card check to pay your monthly mortgage payment. Some may reject it for that reason. To be safe, write the check to yourself and put it in your checking account. Then, write the …

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Get Capital One Rewards Catalog 2023 and 2024

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If you have a Capital One Rewards card in 2024, that is not a cash back credit card, then chances are you are earning points, or miles, with everything you buy. The Capital One Rewards catalog is one way you can use your miles. The base program advertised on television offers 2 miles on everything you buy in commercials starring Jennifer Garner. But Capital One No Hassle Miles are earned on numerous types of Capital One rewards cards. The program follows the basics that all other miles-based credit card rewards programs use. For each dollar you spend on the credit card, you earn a certain number of miles or points. Different cards have different earning rates. Some cards earn 1.25 miles per dollar, or 2 miles per dollar for purchases at certain places like gas stations or grocery stores. The flagship Venture rewards credit card earns 2 miles everywhere. Miles can be redeemed for free airline tickets, free hotel rooms and other free travel services using the Capital One reward points catalog. The points catalog is shared across all the type of Capital One credit cards. 2023 and 2024 Capital One Rewards Catalog Capital One saves money by not mailing a …

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Interest Rates, Mortgages, HELOCs, Credit Cards, and the Fed

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Originally published 12/17/2008, this post is being kept for its historical value, as the economy was still reeling from the housing market collapse and subsequent market swoon. For fun (and education), pull out your favorite charting tool and set the dates to either side of this date. This rate cut will mark the bottoming of the stock market (by March of 2009). Days like yesterday and today are why I write the Finance Gourmet.  For those of you who didn’t see it, the Federal Reserve, or Fed cut interest rates to between 0% and 0.25%.  All day today, the media has been droning on about what it means for consumers, homeowners, and the economy.  Unfortunately, they are in such a hurry to do so, that they skip over all the details.  So, here it is, what the Fed’s rate cut means to you. What To Do Now That Interest Rates Have Been Cut After reading the above, you should be aware that there are no quick and easy, or automatic solutions coming based on this rate cut.  Frankly, that isn’t really what it is supposed to do.  But, that doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do. First, don’t count …

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Capital One Rewards Catalog Holiday Edition

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Every year, the various credit card companies send out, or make a fun web-based Christmas holiday versions of their rewards offerings. The holiday edition of Capital One No Hassle Miles rewards catalog is one such offering. To get a Capital One rewards catalog in the mail may require some finesse. The 2023 Capital One Rewards Holiday Catalog showed up recently. I didn’t seem to get a Capital One rewards catalog 2022. Of course, we’ll be looking into these special reward offers and seeing if there are some good bargains, or if these points redemption offers aren’t worth it at all. One quick note is that there is no special on redeeming Captial One points for gift cards. Some CapitalOne Miles Rewards still redeem at one percent, which is 1% cash back equivalent. In other words, for every $10,000 you spend and earn points or miles at the rate of 1 per $1, your cash back rate would be equal to 1%. Of course, there are numerous opportunities to earn bonus miles and extra rewards in the Capital One No Hassle Rewards program. For example, the Capital One Venture card gives you 2 points for every dollar, essentially doubling your cash …

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Debit Card Fraud

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A debit card is a useful money management tool. It provides credit card-like access to purchases, but the money comes directly from your checking account, not from a line of credit. Many people prefer to use debit cards in order to avoid the pitfalls of credit cards. Some banks and credit unions even offer rewards programs similar to credit card rewards programs. For example, Target offers the Redcard Debit card that offers 5% off of each purchase, just like the Target credit card does. However, there are some very big differences between credit cards and debit cards when it comes to fraudulent charges. Debit Card Charges Fraud One of the major differences between a debit card and a credit card is that a debit card can be used both as a debit card, via a PIN number, and as a credit charge card, via a signature. If you use the PIN number method, you must enter your PIN into a little terminal. Never give your PIN or say your PIN to the person conducting the transaction. If you cannot enter your PIN secretly, then process the transaction as a charge transaction instead. The PIN number provides a little bit of …

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Can I Pay My Taxes with a Credit Card?

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Yes, you can pay your taxes by credit card, but it isn’t free. In order to pay your taxes by credit card, you must use one of three payment processors. They charge slightly different fees to process your credit card tax payment. How Much Will It Cost to Pay My Federal Income Taxes with a Credit Card? Depending upon the credit card processor you use to pay your federal income taxes with, the fee will range from 1.87% to 1.98% with a minimum payment of $2.50. If you owe $3,000 on your federal taxes, your fee will be $56.10 to $59.40. That is a lot of money and probably not worth it unless you are doing it for some special reason. Is It Worth It to Pay My Income Taxes with a Credit Card to Get Credit Card Points or Miles? As a former financial planner, I still get a lot of money questions and have a lot of money conversations with friends and colleagues, like, “Can I pay my taxes with a credit card?” The number one reason people tell me they pay their taxes with a credit card is to earn credit card reward points or credit card …

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