United Airlines goes Cashless in the Sky


United Airlines recently announced that they would no longer accept cash on certain flights beginning March 23, 2009. The airline is going to be requiring that all in flight purchases be made with a credit or debit card. This will make things more efficient and easier for stewardesses when they take your order on your next business flight. Instead of having to hand out change and collect cash, airline flight attendant will be able to quickly process your credit card in flight.

Passengers no longer have to worry about having exact change to buy a cocktail during your flight. After March 23rd all you will have to do is “whip” out your credit or debit card and order whatever your want. Flight attendants will appreciate not having to handle cash and pass out change. This will also allow you to be able to “open a tab” much like you do at a restaurant or bar.

United Airlines is also announcing a joint venture with MBNA credit cards. Any purchases that you make in flight will earn you extra reward points. I wonder if they will give you extra rewards for shopping at the Sky Mall in flight magazine.

It will not be long before you are able to make your purchases in flight online. This would allow passengers to browse the available goods and make an immediate purchase. Type in your credit card information on the airplane’s individual computer screens and before you know you will be shipping that blanket you saw to your home. (I need to save this paragraph for another topic, but I just thought I would mention my ideas any way.)

It will not be long before other airline companies such as Southwest and Alaska airlines follow suit. Airplane travelers have always had to worry about having cash, preferably small bills like $5 or $1, on hand to pay the flight attendant for your beverages. Instead, travelers need to be sure to keep their favorite credit or debit cards on hand ready to make purchases.

If you are looking for a good credit card to take with you on your next trip, take a look at the American Express Starwood Preferred credit card. Earn 10,000bonus rewards points after you make your first purchase. This is enough to earn up to three nights free at participating Starwood hotels. Apply now and get a decision in 60 seconds.

Labels: Alaska Airlines, American Express Starwood Preferred credit card, credit cards, debit cards, travel, United Airlines

Security Breach at Wyndham Hotels Risks Customers Identities

A recent statement issued by the Florida Attorney General is warning Florida residents that a data breach at the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts may have put up to 21,000 residents in jeopardy of identity theft.

A spokesperson for Wyndham said that they reported the breach of security to the Florida Attorney General in December of 2008. Wyndham believes that someone had unauthorized access to customer credit and debit cards. Wyndham has already sent a letter to everyone in that database with a list of pre cautions that they should take. The measures include obtaining a free fraud alert from one of the credit reporting agencies.

IF YOU THINK YOU MIGHT BE A VICTIM YOU CAN CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT FOR FREE BY CLICKING ON OUR SPONSOR LINK BELOW !!

Labels: credit cards, debit cards, Florida Attorney General, free credit report, Wyndham Hotels

Use Your Driver’s License like a Debit/Credit Card

Imagine being able to use your driver’s license to pay for your purchases. This idea is has come to happen in the state of Texas. The fact is that 24 states make driver’s licenses with a magnetic strip on the back. National Payment Card Association, a Florida based company, has now launched a service that turns your drivers license into a debit card. The service basically links your driver’s license information back to your bank account. This makes it possible for you to use your license like a debit card and make purchases wherever you go.

The State of Texas has already been participating in the program at certain participating gasoline stations. Texas residents who want to participate need to create an account by registering at RollBackPrices.com. Being that I am a Texas resident, I think I am going to sign up for this service very soon. I always keep my drivers’ license in my car and sometimes travel without my debit card. This will make it very easy for me to fill up my vehicle. Customers must create a PIN (Personal Identification Number) that they will use for this service. Be careful not to let anyone know what your PIN numbers, since, National Payment Card Association will only be responsible for up to $50 in fraud. You probably also have some sort of fraud protection with your bank, however, I don’t know if they will cover purchases made with your driver’s license.

The company plans to soon expand into grocery stores and drug stores. This service is very beneficial to many people. Another feature that the company offers is an instant email every time your driver’s license based debit card is used. Paypal is another popular payment processing company that offers this feature on its debit card. This feature ensures that you do not forget what you have spent. If you check your email as often as I do, you will be able to easily keep track of your expenses. Make a separate folder in your email account for emails coming from National Payment Card Association and you won’t loose track of your emails. You can then start to examine your expenditures simply by referring back to old emails.

The huge competitive advantage that National Payment Card Association has over other credit card processing companies is the fantastic rates they offer. Most credit card processing companies charge their customers, a per transaction fee plus a small percentage of the total amount charged. National Payment Card Association charges a small fee of $.19 (nineteen cents) per transaction. That amount is much cheaper than the $.25 transaction fee plus a %1.5 processing fee. These savings are then passed on to customers, According to company spokesman. An Austin, Texas based gasoline station offers a $.10 discount per gallon for store customers that use their Texas drivers license to process gasoline payments.

American companies do not stop innovating the way credit/debit cards are processed. I wrote about the marriage of your cell phone with your credit cards in a previous article that on this blog. This feature would allow people to use their cell phones to process their credit or debit cards. The use of a driver’s license to process your payments is another very innovative way to make payments. I think this idea is going to become more widespread as more states start adopting the use of magnetic strips on the back of their drivers licenses. At some point this week, I plan to sign up for this service. Once I sign up and start using it for a while, I will let you all know if I like the service or not.


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Labels: Credit card processing companies, credit cards, debit cards, National Payment Card Association

How Can a Pre Paid Credit Card Teach Your Teenager Responsibility?

Pre paid credit card are becoming much more popular as society transforms itself completely cashless. The popularity of credit cards and debit cards has influenced our society greatly. Furthermore, advancements in technology make credit card or pre paid cards more practical than ever before. Parents, especially, can take advantage of the many pros that some sort of plastic can offer. Pre paid credit cards are a great way for parents to give their children allowance and monitor behavior at the same time.

As a teenager, I remember the days of going to the mall with my allowance and spending on anything I wanted. Even though my parents told me not to be spending my money on video games, I did anyway. In those days (back in the 1980s) there was really no way of my parents knowing how I am spending my allowance. I could basically do anything I wanted with the money that they gave me. If I was told to do one thing, I would do the complete opposite. Today, parents can monitor their child’s spending habits with ease.

The advent of the internet and computers now make it possible for parents to monitor their children’s behavior. For example, your child tells you he or she is going to the movies and instead goes somewhere else. In the old days when your parents gave you cash, it was possible to take that money and spend it somewhere you were not supposed to. In addition, it was very unlikely that our parents would ever ask for some sort of receipt. However, if your child has a pre paid credit card, you can see exactly where expenditures are coming from and the dates they were made. This makes it much more difficult for a child to lie to about their whereabouts.

In addition, pre paid credit cards will show your child how he or she is spending their allowance. Hardly anyone kept spending detail when I was a teenager. By Friday I had already forgotten how much money I spent at lunch on Monday. Had I been able to access my account online and see where and how my money was being spent, I might have been a better money manager today. Pre paid credit cards will also give your child a sense of responsibility. No longer can your child tell you he or she forgot how they spent their allowance. Online account access will give you an exact detail as to how money is being spent. The ability to monitor your child’s spending will give you peace of mind as well as instill good spending habits in your children.

A pre paid credit card could also get your child out of any sort of money emergency. Your pre paid credit card will allow you to send cash almost in an instant should your teenager be away and need money for an emergency. Pre paid credit cards can be loaded with new funds either online with another credit card or at a participating retailer. Certain pre paid cards will even allow you to go to participating retailers where you can re load the card with cash very easily.

A teenager is much better off using a pre paid credit card as apposed to cash. A pre paid credit card can offer parents peace of mind as well. No longer can your teenager lie about how he or she spent their allowance. Just log into the card issuers online account and get up to date spending stats. This will tell you if your child went to the movies or did something that they were not supposed to do. A pre paid credit card can also help your child in an emergency. Money can be easily transferred into your child’s pre paid credit card account very quickly. No need to go to Western Union or any other money wire courier. Money deposited into a pre paid credit card account is accessible much easier and with less expense. Lastly, a pre paid credit card can help teach your teenager to become a more responsible adult.

Labels: credit card, credit cards, debit cards, pre paid credit card, pre paid credit cards