Personal Finance and Money Management

If you have had a history of making late payments on your credit cards, you may be relieved to learn that the Federal Reserve placed a cap on penalty fees recently. Now, credit card issuers are only allowed to impose up to $25 dollars in fees.

In addition, the Fed has eliminated their ability to impose inactivity fees, or fees that result from a cardholder not using the card over a certain period of time. And issuers will not be allowed to charge more in penalty fees than the actual payment amount (i.e. $25 fee on $20 minimum payment). These changes are a part of the third stage of implementing the Credit CARD Act. (Market Watch)

Ever stopped by a convenience store to quickly buy a drink with your credit card only to have the cashier point to a tiny sign taped to the wall that says “Sorry—The Minimum Credit Card Purchase is $5″? How inconvenient is that?

I understand all the costs small business owners must endure to accept credit cards, but as a consumer, I think minimum purchase requirements really stink. Credit cards are all about convenience, and businesses that choose to accept them in an effort to conveniently grow their revenues shouldn’t be allowed to inconvenience customers by placing restrictions on when they can or can’t use credit cards.

Besides, it’s really embarrassing when I have to run back to the car to search for loose change.

If a business wants to make the decision to not accept credit cards at all, that’s perfectly fine. Put up a big

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A new study has found that consumers are not reviewing their credit cards or loans as often as they should. It showed that nearly half of credit card customers and 86 per cent of loan customers did not review their balance or monthly payments in the last year, even though almost 90 per cent of UK adults say they are confident about how they manage their personal finances . Full Article

Summer is not all sand and surf for college students. Many have to find an apartment for the fall. Others are looking to buy a new car. Some might be looking to take out a private student loan for college. For each of those expenses, you will need a good credit score.

That is why you have to check in on your credit score from time to time, and research ways to improve it if it is below par.

That may sound daunting, but you can easily research improving your credit score in one easy place. Visit Student Platinum’s credit score improvement page today. Find out your credit score, and which credit card is right for you. I

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