Traveling Abroad: Cash or Card?
It’s the start of your great backpacking trip through Europe. You touched down a couple days ago, staying in a major city before commencing the backpacking portion of your trip. Until now, you’ve been able to get by on credit cards. In a tiny town, none of the shops are accepting cards. Transaction fees are […]
Hidden Travel Fees: How to Avoid Paying More With Credit Cards
You’re on your dream vacation, using the money you’ve saved up over what feels like a lifetime, and you’re having a great experience. However, when you get home you start receiving bank statements, everything seems more expensive than you remember. You notice there’s a foreign transaction fee on every credit card purchase and wonder how […]
Credit Cards Abroad: How the World Charges
Credit cards are ingrained in the American culture. They make up the majority of transactions, and credit card offers seem to appear every day in the mail or as commercials during your favorite shows. But what about the rest of the world? Are they as enthralled by paying with plastic as we are? Let’s compare the […]
How Does Identity Theft Affect Your Credit Score?
Your identity was stolen. Not only are the criminals using your credit card, but they are also taking out more credit cards in your name using your Social Security Number. Every hard credit check is hurting your credit score. What do you do when your identity is stolen, and your credit is tanking? What happens […]
Protecting Your Credit Card, Score, and Identity from Thieves
A bleary-eyed teenager in a country halfway around the world stares at a computer screen, considering a list of products. He selects one, paying $50 USD. A few minutes later, he opens the digital package, copies down numbers, and pastes them into another window — eBay. He buys an Amazon gift card. Seconds later, at […]
Crime and Punishment: Credit Card Fraud
An unusual email appears in your inbox. It’s a fraud alert, noting unusual activity on your credit card. Were you in Brazil a few hours ago, buying a computer? Looking around your office in Everytown, USA, it’s clear to you that no, you did not buy a computer hundreds of miles away. You open up […]