The Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights has now been passed by the Senate.  Here’s a rundown of how these changes will affect the terms of service for cardholders.

1.)  Existing balances - Card Issuers will not be able to change the rate on your existing balances unless you are 60 days delinquent in your account.

2.) Payments - If you make more than the minimum payment on your credit card, the payment applies first to the balance that holds the highest interest rate on your card.  (For example if you took a cash advance at a higher rate than the rest of your purchases were set at, your higher than minimum payment would apply to the higher interest rate charge on your outstanding balance not only towards the lower rate that credit card companies get away with currently)

3.)  Teaser Rates - Credit Card Issuers cannot raise rates for the first year after you opened your account.  All promotional rates must last for at least 6 months.

4.)  Bills - Credit Card companies must give you your credit card bill 21 days before the due date.

5.)  Over Limit Fees - Credit Card companies cannot charge you over the limit fees on your cards unless you have actually signed up to allow such type of transactions.

6.)  Minors - If you are under 21 years of age, a credit card company must also obtain the signature of a parent or responsible adult who agrees to take responsibility for the debt unless the credit card company is given proof that the under 21 recipient can actually repay the credit charges.

7.)  Change of Terms - If a Credit Card company changes the terms of their cardholder terms they must give you a 45 day advance notice.

8.) Payment Option Fees - Credit Card companies cannot charge you fees to make your payment by mail, phone, bank transfer, or online payment except if it is an expediated service.

9.) Gift Cards - Any gift cards that are purchased must be available for use for a minimum of 5 years from the time of purchase of said card.

Likely the Credit Card companies will respond by charging higher merchant fees and take away levels of rewards in the case of reward cards that offer frequent flyer mileage and other rewards.  Banks love to make money and it is sure to take the changes out on the consumer and merchants.

Now more than ever is a time to review which companies truly have the best credit programs available.  It will also encourage a new round of consumers looking for the right credit card to use.  One way to make money off of this new trend is by setting up a Credit Card Broker business.  Click on the banner below and learn more.

Technorati Tags: credit card changes bill of rights consumer protection

The new year is upon us which means there is going to be one thought burning into our brain….WEIGHT LOSS!  Here’s a little something to make the whole experience of excercise a little more fun.  Get a free pedometer that keeps track of your total steps that you take.  It’s fun to see how many steps you actually take in a day or during your exercise routine.  Here is the Free Pedometer link.

Technorati Tags: free pedometer, pedometer

I’m writing this post because there are so many who want an Apple Itouch for free.  It would be great if we could all get one of these for free by simply asking.  But you and I both know that isn’t going to happen.  The next best thing is to be given a free Itouch by doing something other than shelling out cold, hard cash.  You’ve probably heard of giveaway sites that you sign up for and then refer a few friends and sign up for trial offers to things like Ebay, Blockbuster, Credit Cards etc. In return for doing these things you are rewarded with a piece of electronic heaven.

I decided to do some intensive research into which of these companies is not only legit, but also has the least amount of hoops to jump through in order for you to get your free reward.  After several months of study, I recommend the Gratis Network.  The reasons are as follows:

1.)They pretty much invented the concept

2.) They have lots of testimonials from multiple sources of having delivered on their promise

3.) They had the most reasonable demands on what is required in order to get your Free Ipod

So what do you need to do to get your free Itouch?  After registering, you need to sign up to one of their sponsor services. (You can cancel…just make sure you read the fine print on canceling so that you don’t do it prematurely before you are credited for your signup)  Next you must have 5 friends sign up using your referral link and they must each sign up for one offer too.  That’s it!

So here are some tips to help you get your reward.  Number 1 - Make sure you have five friends that will sign up to get their own free Itouch.  Number 2 - Don’t have your friends sign up on your computer, otherwise their registration may be seen by Gratis as a fake registration.  Number 3 - Make sure all this happens within 90 days of your signing up.  Number 4 - You must send a request form into Gratis when you’ve completed your tasks, so that you can get your free Itouch.

While this is not truly free, it is one of, if not the best program to getting one of those Itouch bad boys without paying hundreds of dollars for one.  If you’d like to get a free Zune or a free Xbox 360 by playing games, then be sure and check that post out.

Technorati Tags: Free Iphone, Free Itouch, Free Itouch 8g, Gratis Network review

Well, we’ve all had it happen.  We’re sitting down with our favorite beverage and a snack, when all of a sudden the phone begins ringing at an urgent pace.  For some reason this ring seems louder than all the rest.  We say aloud, “Now What???”  We leave our comfortable spot on the couch and look at the caller ID to see who it is.  UNKNOWN along with some mysterious number is all you are given.  You quickly grunt in irritation and go back to your comfy spot.  The next night, you get another call….and another….and another.  “Who are these people?” you say to yourself.  If only there was a way to find out.

Well friends I’m happy to report that there is a FREE way, in fact three free ways to find out.  Next time your quiet evening is rudely interupted by one of those mysterious calls, you can take the number and plug it into one of these free services:

800notes

whocalled

whocallsme

These services will provide you with info that others just like you have reported.  It should give you clear enough idea as to who it was and what their intentions were.

There are however, times where mysterious calls take on a more ominous tone.  The kind that come in the form of pranks or much more serious threats.  In those instances, there are services that do a good job of tracking a number even when it is a cell phone or an unlisted number.  Here’s one which has a low cost to join.  Reverse Phone Detective!

Technorati Tags: Find a unlisted number, free reverse phone directory, phone number detective, Prank Phone Calls

Yes, I wish it was that simple too.  But here’s a great tip for earning some extra money that’s almost that simple.  This tip requires that you have a local city chapter for Craigslist.  If you’re new to Craigslist, it is a free online classified’s website where you can post a ton of different types of ads.  Go to www.craigslist.com to see if your city is listed. 

If your city is listed, there is a section under the ‘for sale’ category for FREE items.  I have seen TV’s, radio’s, appliances, work out equipment and a ton of other things in this FREE category.  Now that you know this, the idea of creating free money out of thin air ought to be hitting you about now.  Why not be the person who picks up these items and then resells them on Craigslist for cold hard cash?  The ad you place is free and the only thing it will cost you is the gas to pick up the item from the Seller who is giving things away for free!

Well, we all love Freebies, but how about items that are not only free but pay you back?  HP is giving a $20 dollar rebate to anyone buying an HP USB Laser Mouse until Jan 31, 2009.  You can buy the mouse for $16.26 here and print out the rebate form to get $20 back here.  If you do the math, this means that HP will have paid you $3.74 to buy their mouse after they’ve paid you your rebate!  If you want to maximize your profit, sell it on Ebay or Craigslist as a brand new item and make even more.  Now if only I could find an Apple IPhone with a deal like that.  Rest assured if I do, the subscribers of my Newsletter will be the first to hear about it!  My Newsletter subscribers are given exlcusive content that gets them some of the best free stuff on the internet.  To subscribe, simply enter your first name and email address in the sign up form at the top of this page.  You’ll be glad you did.

Technorati Tags: Cash Back, Free HP Mouse, Free Mouse, Rebate

For a limited time, Amazon is giving away FREE music.  Music selectons range from Blues, Jazz, Rock, Holiday, Country and more.  It’s quite an assortment of music with over 600 songs to download.  Some of it will bring back memories from years back.  I hope you enjoy, and here’s the link.

Technorati Tags: Download Free Music, Free MP3's, Free Music, freebies

I guess Microsoft realizes that they can’t beat Google in the search engine game the traditional route.   Live.com has already partnered with Ebay to help people save up to 20% on their Ebay purchase in the hopes that people will use the Live.com search engine more regularly.  Now they’ve put together a rather ingenious way to win fans and entertain the masses. If you love Crossword puzzles and other Word games then you’ll love the FREE games that you can play with Club Live.com.  The twist is that you win tickets when you finish the games you play, just like when you’re at a carnival.  After you’ve collected enough tickets, you can trade the tickets for prizes.  Prizes range from pencils and t-shirts to frequent flyer miles or a free Xbox 360 or Zune. The games are set up so that you can utilize live.com to look up information pertaining to what you might be looking for within the game.  It’s rather an ingenious strategy but the best part is, you’re rewarded for playing free games.  How often does that happen?

Technorati Tags: bonus games, Free Online Games, Free Xbox 360, Free Zune, freebies, perks.Live.com

Here’s a great way to help save a dog while saving you money.  Pedigree has a wonderful program for kind hearted people who save a dog from a dog shelter.  They will give you a month of free dog food for your new best friend when you send them your info.  Here’s the link

Technorati Tags: Dog Rescue, Free Dog Food

Movies are getting more and more expensive!  Whether it is movie rentals or theater tickets, we’ve felt the pinch the economy has put on us.  Here is some codes for the next four Sunday’s that will give you a free movie at any Walmart Redbox vending machine.  Here’s the codes:

Week 2 – 11moms4uA (good Sunday 12/14 only)

Week 3 – 11moms4uN (good Sunday 12/21 only)
Week 4 – 11moms4uT (good Sunday 12/28 only)
Week 5 – 11moms4uA (good Sunday 1/4 only)

Technorati Tags: Free Movie Rental, Free Redbox Rentals, save money