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Card Commentary for Consumers
Most Innovative 2004 More than 25 major credit card products were launched last year. After sifting through the cards, CardWeb.com has come up with the short list of the "most innovative" new products of 2004. We also tacked on the "most unusual" new card product. (Feb 2005)	2005 Checklist It's a new year and time to resolve to preserve or improve your credit card habits. We are now in a rising rate climate that will produce higher credit costs for cardholders this year. Savvy consumers should act promptly to take advantage of what is still available or take control of their current debt load. Here is a rundown on the top ten goals you should consider for 2005.(Jan 2005)
29 DAYS Consumers will rack up $108 billion in credit and debit card charges between the holidays; Americans on track to charge $2.4 trillion for this year; VISA Check Card up 16%; MasterCard debit up 22%; American Express' charge volume up 14% in the USA; Discover posts record volume in its latest quarter; and the Top Ten control 85% of the market. (Dec 04)	GIFT CARDS 04 Gift card sales to hit $54 billion this year; States question who issues general-purpose gift cards as some cards come loaded with fees; 59% of consumers and 80% of women prefer universal gift cards; 21% purchase gift card for themselves; Postal Service and a liquor board launches gift cards, and the first airline gift card takes off. (Nov 04)
FALL PARADE Card issuers roll-out new cards ahead of the holidays aiming for a range of consumers from high school students to New Yorkers to big spenders; Citibank tops the list of 12 with points for flying and buying, followed by AmEx offering a cashback bonus for eating and traveling. (Oct 04)	AIRLINE/BANK CARDS For most consumers, airline-sponsored credit cards give with one hand but take back five-fold with the other; revolving cardholders overpay by more than $200 compared to other cards issued by the same bank; America West, Southwest, and Frontier have the best deals for balance carrying consumers; but for high-flying Americans who pay-off their cards each month, airline cards are simply unbeatable. (Sept 04)
CARD EDUMACATION Students face a dizzying array of payment card choices this year including credit, debit, and prepaid; Parents need to assess character and provide guidance; American Express and Chase offer the best student unsecured credit cards; and, Bank of America and Wells Fargo offer the best secured card option. (Aug 04)	GASBATES Consumers can shave down their gasoline costs with the help of special rebate credit cards; MBNA's "AAA Diamond Advantage VISA" and Citibank's "Diamond Preferred Rewards MasterCard" lead the gasbate pack with the lowest overall costs; a new cardholder behavior study has found that credit card commitment is relatively low among Americans; Debt counselor, AmeriDebt, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; and, sub-prime specialist, Cross Country Bank, gets hit with its seventh lawsuit filed by a state Attorney General. (Jul 04)
TRAVEL CARDS VISA and American Express jazz-up their prepaid travel cards; an innovative multi-media prepaid gift card is launched; prepaid music cards hit the market; VISA Mini cards top 20 million; a Family MasterCard takes shape among credit unions; and, consumers can now receive email alerts when card balances suddenly change. (Jun 04)	GROSS NATIONAL DEBT Every living American owes an average of $2,300 on credit cards, nearly double what Brits owe, and triple what Aussies owe; a co-branding hall of fame is created; card stocks retreat as the Fed mulls a rate hike; the government wants to review debit card fees and prescreened applications; the FTC extracts a big fine from a debt collector and a big settlement from a dummy card marketer; money transfer market draws new players; generic affinity card gathers steam; MasterCard blitzes St. Louis schools; and small businesses are optimistic about the economy. (May 04)
CARD DEBT More income generally means more card debt; Americans are not honest when describing their use of credit cards and other loans; only ten cities have above average scores; seniors embrace signature debit cards; Discover ramps-up grocery rewards; Big Apple taxis to take cards by late 2005; taxes and cards do not mix well, yet; AmEx is losing luster in the business card market; card mail volume picks up this year; and universal default clauses are drawing the attention of lawmakers. (Apr 04)	SMART CARDS? Target deenergizes its smart card; VISA regains its credit card leadership over MasterCard; Bill payments on cards up 27% last year; Gift cards produce $22 billion in holiday sales; Southwest Airlines adds a high-end VISA card to its fleet; American Express adds new reward partners; and MasterCard launches a funky shaped card in Asia. (March 04)
BANNER YEAR Payment card profits top $30 billion last year; Return-on-assets hits the highest level in 15 years; General purpose payment cards expand by 56 million cards; Signature debit annual growth slows to 16%; BofA leads top issues in organic growth; Unlike the USA, Canadian consumers, not merchants, pay the lion's share of debit fees; and a U.S. Congressman wants to replaces taxes with transaction fees . . . on everything. (Feb 04)	TOP NEW CARDS Of the 25 major credit cards introduced in the USA during 2003, seven came from Bank One. The issuer also claimed four of the top ten spots with new innovative products. Juniper Bank also deserves honorable mention with five new card products last year. American Express made it into the top ten with its new "Blue Cash" card, and Discover ranked #4 with its high value "Miles Card." Last year's top new card is the Bank One Starbucks "Duetto VISA," followed by the MBNA/Providian "eBay MasterCard." (Jan04)