CardCommentary for Consumers
Gift Cards
Retailer-issued Gift Cards become Lift Cards; Bank-issued Gift Cards become Fee Cards; Gift Cards head for the farm as nearly one out of four Americans have purchased or used a gift card in the past year; NextCard painfully dies; Americans continue to downshift on card debt; Online merchants may lose $500 million this holiday season due to fraud; and the U.S. government shuts down another Canadian card scam preying on stupid Americans. (Dec 02)
Retail's New Face
Sears and Target become fastest growing U.S. issuers; Capital One's "No Hassle" card hits pay dirt; 25% of Americans make late payments; online bills gain momentum; business cards, smart cards, and phone cards have a banner year; the FTC cracks down on bogus gold cards and other fraudulent offers; and Internet ads for credit cards return. (Nov 02)
Future Payments
The shape of things to come may include wacky shaped credit cards and cards linked up with electronic signals; AmEx jazzes up its Green and Gold cards with built-in rewards; debit is outpacing credit; Starbucks adds some kick to its Joe card; more Titanium Cards emerge; Providian resurrects its Aria card brand; and bank credit cards pass the 600 million milestone at mid-year. (Oct 02)
Card Marketing 101
 Despite a 27% decline in credit card solicitations this year, direct mail remains the king of credit card marketing; email marketing is growing and becoming more sophisticated; when it comes to electronic payments, businesses are uncomfortable with each other; and finally, proof that Americans are writing less checks and using payments cards more; plus gay and lesbian consumers carry higher card balances and the upcoming holiday season may be a boon for retailers. (Sep 02)
Lousy Credit - Forgetaboutit!
 Got bad credit and want a decent credit card - dream on!; Brits protest smart cards in their cars; MasterCard outpaces other networks; Eight out of ten college students now have credit cards; Starbucks adds new feature to its successful prepaid card; DaimlerChrysler enters banking in Germany and issues its own VISA card; and the Toyota/JCB TC3 card takes Japan by storm. (Aug 02)
D-Day
 After six years of trading volleys, Debit Day will finally hit next year; using credit cards for online gambling is getting more difficult; as the summer heat rises consumer spending is falling; Diners Club caters to high rollers with customized rewards; credit card delinquency is up 30% over last year; credit card charge-offs remain 22% higher; Card APRs inch up; MasterCard gets bigger; and corporate dishonesty may stall economic recovery. (Jul 02)
PayDay Cards
 Unbanked, but employed, Americans now have a way to beat bank and check cashing fees; Circuit City will crank up the volume on a new VISA card this month; Saturn will crank out a new credit card while Ford answers with one of its own; and Americans are world laggards in smart cards. (Jun 02)
Smarty Cards
 Smart credit cards may finally be getting something to do as the momentum to develop standards and applications accelerates; MasterCard is kicking VISA's butt in credit card growth while VISA continues to smother MasterCard in the debit card market; credit card balances are now growing 8% annually, based on the first quarter results; and profits remain high for Capital One, while the pace at Citibank slows and American Express continues to fall behind. (May 02)
Taxing Issue
 Credit card providers entice consumers to charge their taxes; VISA encourages cardholders to charge rent payments; facing a $100 billion debit card lawsuit VISA and MasterCard ask the U.S. Supreme Court for help; the FTC goes north to roundup credit card scamsters; Americans are careless with financial documents; and online credit card security seems to be improving. (Apr 02)
Idiot Cards
 One lousy card bits the dust and another surfaces to take its place; 2001 was a great year for most of the top issuers with record profits reported, but Providian and American Express are banking on 2002 to be much better. (Mar 02)
Three Strikes
 American Express is dealt a bad hand in the card game; Sears strikes gold with MasterCard; a payroll card for the unbanked picks up steam; PayPal aims for Wall Street; the Elite Rewards MasterCard is due out in April; and a new TJX VISA is slated for March. (Feb 02)
  • Commentary En Espanol
    • WHASSUP 2002?
     Over the past twelve months the world has changed, including the credit card world. Whassup for 2002? Smart Cards, Security, and Savings are IN while Sub-Prime Cards, Privacy, and Debt, especially credit card debt, are OUT; and the number of consumers falling behind in card payments and the number of consumers stiffing credit card issuers will rise this year to historical records. (Jan 02)
  • Commentary En Espanol
    		•  
    Past Commentaries
     • 2004
     • 2003
     • 2002
     • 2001
     • 2000
     • 1999
     • 1998
     • 1997
     • 1996
     • 1995
     • 1994
     • 1993
     • 1992
     • 1991

    no ads in rotation "consumerinfo_button"
     • Free Weekly Newsletter

    Search Commentaries:
     • Surveys
     • CardNews
     • Search Site
     • Home