Always Pay By Credit Card To Protect Against Airline Bankruptcy Loss

By MoneyBlueBook

The scenario I am about to paint is very real. Let's say you are planning for a dream vacation. Or maybe it's your honeymoon and you are eager to fly somewhere romantic and spend a week at some remote tropical destination. Or maybe you are splurging for an exciting few days on a luxury cruise ship. Either way, rather than booking your travel reservations through a traditional travel agent, you decide to do it yourself through an online discount travel broker such as Expedia, Travelocity, or Orbitz. You don't like to use credit cards so you decide to pay your reservations using a debit card or even by check. A month passes and now it's only a week before your scheduled trip. Suddenly you get a phone call or an email advising you that your travel plans have been halted indefinitely because the travel agency that scheduled your itinerary has declared bankruptcy or gone out of business. Maybe it's not the travel agent but the airline or cruise ship company that has gone bankrupt. The chances of that happening may be slight, but the consequences can be financially disastrous. That's why it's important to protect your upfront reservation money by using credit card payment. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), credit card consumers who purchase with a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card are afforded substantially more purchase protections then those who make payment using cash, money orders, or debit cards. These days, airline credit cards also offer a wide variety of

By MoneyBlueBook

A quick visit to a few internet forums and online review sites and it's evident that there is a common shared consensus when it comes to truck rental experiences from the U-Haul moving company - they're all negative. You're be hard pressed to find a company with more pissed off customers that enjoy griping about the company than U-Haul (except maybe Comcast). It's rather hard to come to the defense of a company that has such a consistent history of delivering rickety equipment and bad customer service. Their cranky trucks are woefully under-maintained, driven well into old age, and their rental reservation policies are terribly unreliable. Even the media has targeted the company, accusing it of running an aging fleet of extremely high mileage and ill maintained trucks.

There's only a few positive U-Haul attributes I can point to. Their moving truck rental fees and prices are definitely one of the cheapest around, if not the most inexpensive choice. Also, you don't need to worry about being extra gentle or careful when using their vehicles. The dilapidated and run down condition of their trucks makes it easy for a beginner truck driver to break them in. You don't have to worry about scratching up the vehicle's paint or putting a stray dent in the fender. Even if you were to knock off a rear tail light by accident, who would notice? I'm joking of course - however, every U-Haul truck I've ever driven has always been covered with widespread dents and scratches, and

By MoneyBlueBook

Promo Code Links Are Added and Updated Regularly!

Bank of America is the second largest bank in the United States in terms of total account value so needless to say, they must be doing something right. Like other major banks such as Citibank and Wachovia, Bank of America often releases new promotions to attract new deposit customers. The bank is obviously willing to spend money to get their hands on yours, in a good way of course.

As with most bank promotional offers, there are certain basic and fairly benign rules attached. To qualify for most of Bank of America's free money offers for new accounts, you will usually have to open a new checking or savings account with a certain minimum deposit. Afterwards, you are usually required to make a few electronic transactions such as setting up direct deposit or executing a few online bill pays. Obviously, the bank is hoping that by requiring you to make a few transactions that you will grow comfortable with their banking services and ultimately choose to remain on as a long term customer. The promotions are usually limited to only those new to Bank of America - thus, former or current account holders are ineligible to apply or take part. Holders of Bank of America credit cards are okay and are not excluded.

If you one of the select people out there who has never been a Bank of America customer and you are interested in one of the offers listed below, you may want to give them a try.

By MoneyBlueBook

Editors note: These offers are no longer available. Citibank is the biggest banking institution in the United States and has branches and ATM's everywhere. Since they signed a deal with 7-11, their ATM banking reach has soared nationally and worldwide. As one of the most popular banks, Citibank is well known for promoting a variety of free cash and free Citi Thank You reward offers for new deposit account customers. That's actually how I became a Citi banking customer years ago in the first place - by taking advantage of one of their promotional reward offers. The bank promotions are only available to first time Citibank checking and savings account holders. Persons who currently have or at any time have had a deposit account at Citibank are generally not eligible. Owners of Citi credit cards on the other hand are not disqualified.

As with all free promotions, there are several generally applicable rules to follow. Most of the deals are structured and laid out similarly - starting with a minimum funding requirement and followed by several reward tiers dependent on the completion of a certain number of banking transactions. Usually the offers require the new account customer to complete a certain number of direct deposits and online bill pay transactions. Both direct deposit and bill payment are free so customers need not worry about incurring any extra finance or transaction charges. Other than needing to fund the new accounts with a minimum balance and complete a few banking actions, there are no risks to opening a new checking or savings account. Citibank

By MoneyBlueBook

I think most people are aware to a certain degree that it's important to maintain a healthy credit score. To financial institutions, mortgage brokers, landlords, and even employers, it's a quantifiable measure of your reliability when it comes to money. The formulated number represents your credit worthiness and the degree to which you are able to take on debt. Most banks and lenders utilize your credit score to determine how much interest they must charge you to compensate them for the risk of extending you credit. It impacts everything from applying for a home mortgage loan to getting approved for a routinebalance transfer credit card. The lower the score, the higher the risk, and thus the higher the interest rate imposed to compensate for the likelihood of default. Especially during a time that the credit markets are getting battered, it's more important than ever to know your credit situation. It never hurts to keep tabs on your report, and to find ways to improve your credit score, since you never know when you may need to call upon your good credit. Remember, monitoring your own credit report is not considered a hard credit check, so you don't have to worry that it will hurt your credit score.

To combat the rise of identity theft and to give people more control over their credit lives, the Fair Credit Reporting Act offers consumers access to one free copy of their credit report every 12 months from each of the nationwide credit reporting agencies - Equifax,

By Joe Taylor

When credit card issuers faced the 1-2 punch of an economic crisis and new regulations, it seemed like 0% balance transfer offers landed on the endangered species list. Now that banks are flush with cash and ready to lend, it's time to start saving money by paying down debt with no interest.

Why balance transfer offers?

A few years ago, I loved making free money by requesting zero percent introductory APR balance transfer checks from new credit cards, then depositing them into high interest savings accounts until just before the point where I'd have to start paying interest. The banks must have gotten tired of giving me all that free cash, since those kinds of deals have completely disappeared. It's no longer profitable for banks to let consumers surf balances from card to card without a little friction. Therefore, even the best 0% introductory APR balance transfer deals require you to pay up to 5% as a flat fee.

Still, the balance transfer process has become easier than ever for consumers who really do need to save some money on...