How much do you know about cars? Can you beat other car enthusiasts in an automotive knowledge competition? Find out by taking the Consumer Reports Moto Quiz. Parked on a tab within the Consumer Reports Facebook page, the Moto Quiz challenges players to identify the most reliable car in head-to-head matchups.
The game is broken into rounds of 10 matchups. Simply click on the button for the car you think is most reliable, then continue on to the next pair. After 10, youll be given a score and your performance will be rated on the iconic Consumer Reports blob scale, from Poor to Excellent.
You can improve your score by playing another round. The scores can be posted on a leaderboard, and your accomplishments can be shared with friends via Facebook and Twitter.
Many borrowers do not realize that irregular payments on their home loans can give them bad credit history.
Sometimes paying your home loan 1 day late because your loan repayment was set up to occur one day before your salary, can result in home loan providers declining your refinance application. Even if your home loan is in order, you are simply making payments a day or two late every month, will make it difficult if you apply for debt consolidation or a car loan with your mortgage provider.
Bad credit history will prevent borrowers from accessing unsecured loans and may create difficulties when going for a mortgage refinance.
“As a result of the GFC, all lenders considerably tightened up their lending criteria with a much greater emphasis on the credit worthiness of applicants.
Consumers are being urged to keep on paying down their outstanding credit card debts as the latest statistics show a continuing decrease in revolving credit.
The latest information indicates that levels of outstanding revolving credit have plummeted 3.4 percent from last year and the figure is now sitting at $790.1 billion. This is much lower than where the figure stood in July 2011 when it was reported to be $792.3 billion.
That figure came after increases in March, May and June – the first increases in revolving credit since December 2010.
There’s now a publicly available promo for the Chase Freedom card offering $300 in bonus cash back after spending just $500 within your first 3 months of opening a new account.
Aside from the initial signup bonus, the card’s other benefits are what you would expect from a Chase Freedom credit card. You’ll earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in bonus categories that rotate every quarter and 1% cash back on everything else. There is no annual fee.
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Note: As is often the case with Chase, if you recently applied for a Freedom card with a less lucrative bonus, you can ask Chase to match this offer. The best way to do this is to log into your account online and send a secure message to customer service.
If you can’t get hired for a job because of lousy credit, a coalition of advocacy groups is fighting for your right to work.
A collection of 27 consumer advocacy, civil rights and community groups, as well as labor unions and concerned citizens, have joined to demand that credit bureau TransUnion end its sale of consumer credit reports to potential employers. Some companies review credit reports as a way to predict who will be a responsible and trustworthy worker. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 13 percent of employers check the credit of all job applicants, while 47 percent of employers conduct checks for select applicants.
Who would not want to get rewarded while you spend? No one, of course. That’s why one of the things that credit card companies offer its users is the rewards system. This means you get points while you spend for either the things you want or the things you need, and when these points accumulated, it can be awarded either as freebies or even cash. If you are a credit card owner, chances are you would want to maximize the reward system you were offered with. It may sound easy, but it’s definitely not a simple thing. You will need constant planning and goal, and then you will definitely go on your way to receive more rewards than you used to.
So how can you maximize the rewards? One of the most vital things to remember is to pay in full – on time, not delayed, not just the minimum payment, but full. Bear in mind that money spent with the use of credit cards are now in the form of debt. You might get thrilled upon hearing the rewards, spend here and there, maybe more than you can pay monthly. Take it a habit on taking a look at your credit card statement. You may still be one of those who think that they can only pay the minimum amount every single time. This is a big no-no. You will get penalty fees for late payments as well as interest rates added on your debt. Having these on your account will result in suspension or even forfeiture of your rewards privilege.
The next thing to remember is that to choose a credit card that offers a specific reward system that will match what you spend the most. This will allow you of course to maximize your expenses and then earn points from them. For example, if you are a travel person, you can choose an offer that gives rewards for miles and hotels you go into. Choosing a system not matching your spending profile will result in you restricting your own expenses for the things you need and doing more extra expenses on the things you don’t really need but are just what the credit card will reward. It does not make sense, does’t it? It does not even give you the reality of getting rewarded.
Now when you already have your card with you, maximize your usage with it. Sometimes, even if you have cash or debit cards with you, you can use your credit cards to pay. You have to take advantage of this. You can even use your card to pay for utility bills both online and personally. Well, this is only if there is no extra charge for doing so, and if it will not exceed your credit limit of course. If these expenses recur regularly and appear on your statement, chances are you will get fixed monthly reward points. However, make sure you pay for them, as the first item in this article states.
Also, always make sure you know if there are expiration dates on your earned points. You might be collecting more and more points but then when you would want to use it would realize they had already expired. If they expire, you can no longer use them, and all your efforts will be for nothing. There are some credit cards which do not have this, so it is better to choose them firsthand.
Always remember these things and you will be able to maximize the rewards you get from your credit card spending. You might not know that you can use it for utility bills, eh? Well, just my 2 cents, doing the above can also help you track all your monthly expenses, as it is going through only a few documented statements and transactions.