The first credit card offering frequent-flier miles made its debut over 30 years ago. Delta Airlines generated $3 billion from its relationship with American Express in 2017 and expects to hit $4 billion by 2021. Questions: 1. What did the frequent flier airline cards offer in the 1980s? How does that compare to now? 2…. Read more »
Posts Tagged: credit cards
CostCo Woes: Maybe or Maybe not?
Costco started to transition from American Express to Visa as its exclusive credit card partner in June. As a result, delays and confusion have only gotten worse nearly two months later! Questions: 1. What were some of the biggest problems they faced? 2. Who is the issue of the new Costco Anywhere Visa and what… Read more »
Beat the Clock!
Due to the slow transition to chip credit cards by U.S. retailers, counterfeit credit card fraud will likely rise to $4.5 billion this year. Questions: 1. What percentage rise will this year see as compared to last year’s credit card fraud? 2. Why are these thefts hurting retailers rather than issuing banks? 3. According to… Read more »
A Sign of the Times: Monopoly Changes
In its newest edition of Monopoly called “Ultimate Banking,” Hasbro has decided to drop the dollar bills and replace them with credit cards. Questions: 1.When did Parker Brothers first start selling the Monopoly game? 2.How will players keep track of their property and money with this new version of the game? 3. What are some… Read more »
Lock Down that Debit Card
Have you ever lost or misplaced your debit card? Now some banks are offering a simple app for your cellphone that will allow you to protect bank accounts quickly while you figures out whether you lost or misplaced your card. Questions: 1. How does Bank of America’s version of the debit card lock work? 2…. Read more »
Security Chips and Bearing the Cost of Fraud
New payment cards, issued over the last year, come with a small square security chip that can help make in-person transactions more secure. However, retailers complain that they have spent billions of dollars upgrading their payment terminals to accommodate a system that cuts down on the fraud shouldered by banks, but not merchants. Questions: 1…. Read more »
Beware of Convenience Checks!
he price of tapping credit through a cash advance, which lets people borrow from their credit cards by writing a check or withdrawing money from an ATM, is much steeper than it would be for a traditional credit purchase. It’s also much harder to avoid fees when a cash advance is involved. Questions: 1. What… Read more »
Catch 22: Money from Legalized Marijuana
Banks, including state-chartered ones, are reluctant to provide traditional services to legal marijuana businesses in Washington state and Colorado. Since the marijuana businesses are conducted almost entirely in cash, it is exceedingly difficult for these shop owners to open and maintain bank accounts, and ultimately accept credit cards. Questions: 1. Why won’t the banks open… Read more »
The End to Red Ink?
The struggling online company, Groupon, has just announced promotion that will allow them to stay afloat. It is a combination of hardware and software that will allow businesses to accept credit cards at rate far lower than what most merchants are currently paying. Instead of the usual credit card processing fee of between 2% and… Read more »