American Express

American Express

Discover and Amex Ditch Credit Card Over-Limit Fees

If you've ever been the victim of a fat $35 fee for exceeding your credit card limit by a few bucks, now is the time to get up and bust out your best happy dance.  That is, if you happen to carry a Discover or Amex credit card in your wallet.

Amex Offers Cash to Get Rid of Customers

American Express won't share the juicy details behind how it chose the select few, but Reuters recently reported that the credit card giant is actually offering some U.S. cardholders $300 to pay off balances and close their accounts. My, how things have changed, eh? A short time ago credit issuers were stepping all over each other trying to become the card of choice in everyone's wallet, and now they're willing to pay cash to just get out before the economy gets any worse.

Consumers Pay the Price of Loyalty

I confessed in an earlier post, "Use 'Em or Lose 'Em", my obsession with stockpiling reward points and airline miles. There's just something strangely comforting about hoarding hundreds of thousands of points and miles to redeem whenever the urge arises.

The problem is all these points seem to be losing value faster than my stock portfolio lately! And it looks like reward programs will continue to be a prime target for more aggressive cuts in 2009. So, if you've been hoarding points for years in preparation for that "big-ticket" purchase, it's time to rethink your strategy.

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