Tag Archives: credit card issuers
Credit Cardholder Protections
Certain laws are on the books to protect consumers from unscrupulous credit card issuers. It pays to know what guidelines the various financial institutions should follow in regards to cardholder protections.
You are entitles to have your credits posted promptly for your payments. By law your payment must be reflected on their books the day they receive it or the next business day after if it was received if arriving in the afternoon generally. Each issuer can make up certain rules of their own within the confines of what is legal and allowed but your payment must be treated with due process when it arrives..
Be certain to follow the postal instructions so your funds reach the issuer’s billing department without any hassle. If you accidentally send your payment to the wrong place it could take weeks or more to correct, and you would still be liable for your payment not reaching the credit card issuer or financial institution in time. I f you can’t find the proper mailing envelope that came with your statement, be care to correctly copy the address off of the statement itself or call the credit card issuer to request the proper mailing address.
You might be entitled to refunds of credit balances. When you make a deposit that is over the total amount of credit allowed on your card, you are entitled to have the extra funds added or be issued a refund for the excessive amount of your deposit. Your money must be returned to you within seven business days of your request. If a credit remains on your card for more than 6 months, the issuer must make a good faith effort to send you your monies due.
Keep a close eye out for errors on your billing statement. Many people have a tendency to not notice this. Credit card issuers have the burden to be certain that your statement is correct, as they hold the responsibility to act when corrections are needed and justified. Albeit, many people have noticed that this is not the case in reality. Still consumers must be aware that they have the upper hand and that the law is on their side. Generally you will receive a brochure from your card issuer concerning what the individual rules are for the credit card you have at issue, and again about after every year passes. You might even receive a summary of these rights with your bill. Make sure you are aware of the rules in the long version instead of the smaller “key point” list that may come with your bill.
If you find a problem with your credit card bill, you can have a temporary hold put on the transaction while it is being disputed. If the resolution of the dispute ends in your favor, you will receive a credit for the amount. The dispute can be due for any a number of reasons including having recieved broken goods, services you purchased but did not receive. Remember that you still are responsible for payment of any amounts that are not in dispute on the bill, and that your due dates and the like are not adjusted because of a pending dispute.
Drawbacks Of Not Having A Credit Card (Page 1 of 3)
There are very few things that are as ubiquitous as the credit card. This little rectangle of plastic can give us so much convenience, but to the unwary can also bring so much misery. Credit cards may be the easiest way to get a standby line of revolving credit, always available when you need it, but it can also be the fastest way to get mired in credit card debt. People may complain about credit card debt but everyone agrees that despite the risks, there are too many drawbacks to not having a credit card.
Credit cards as we know them today are relatively new and are continuously evolving. The major laws protecting consumersÂ’ rights involving credit were passed in the mid-seventies. It may be timely that Congress is currently considering added measures to enhance consumer protection. Yet, for a long time, people were using credit cards as a convenience product rather than as loans. Many people paid their entire balance each month. Credit cards were not as essential then as they are now.
Banks do not make money if people did not carry balances since a grace period for purchases, where no interest is charged for one month, is usually standard. As far as banks are concerned, the best credit card customer is one who carries a balance each month after remitting the minimum payment on time. Credit card issuers got really creative and have managed to make credit cards a necessary part of daily living. They worked to have credit cards accepted in more and more establishments, and to have credit card holders understand the many benefits and conveniences that they stood to gain from using their credit cards.
In our times, credit cards no longer a luxury. If you travel, you need your credit card to book flight reservations and reserve hotel rooms. You also need credit cards to rent cars, to purchase gas, and buy products by telephone or online. Being without credit cards today would make your life as difficult as traveling by horse and buggy. Without our even being aware of it, credit cards have become a business standard.
A credit card is one of the quickest ways to build a credit history. When you apply for a credit card and you still have no history, there are credit card issuers that you can approach. These issuers specialize in providing credit card products to customers who, because they are still attempting to establish or expand their credit history, are generally evaluated as higher credit risks. Many college students, for example, fall into this category, along with those who have limited employment income, or otherwise have poor credit history.
Today, having credit is a necessity. An inexpensive, reliable new car costs thousands of dollars, and although most people may want to pay in cash, the reality is they will need a loan. The rates and terms of that loan will be determined by your credit history, which is easily obtainable from the credit bureaus throughout the country. If you have used credit wisely in the past and repaid previous loans on time, you will be in a favorable position. If not, the result will be a more costly loan with higher interest rates.