Visa Black Card

Visa is rolling out its new “Black Card” to compete with the Centurion card from American Express.

Features:

• Limited Membership
• 24-Hour Concierge Service
• Exclusive Rewards Program
• Luxury Gifts
• Patent Pending Carbon Graphite

I’m not sure how one would benefit from carrying around a carbon graphite card, but what the heck.

This card appears to be a relative bargain compared with the Centurion.  The Black Card will cost $495 per year while the Centurion costs $2,500 per year.

For further reading, here is an interesting Wikipedia article about the Centurion card, and how it was developed to capitalize on an urban legend about an ultra-exclusive black Amex card which was only given to dignitaries and celebrities.

Originally posted on pfhacks.com: Move Over Centurion, Here Comes The Visa Black Card

Citigroup has hired a number of new collectors and have increased the frequency of calls to delinquent account holders. American Express is offering to cut interest rates and fees, while Bank of America has begun contacting customers with late accounts earlier than in the past.

This effort is in response to an increase in delinquencies brought about by a number of factors including decreasing home prices, increased gasoline prices, and rising unemployment. The banks are also facing pressure from other areas of their business and are aggressively trying to keep credit card debt from being the next banking crisis.

Total revolving debt in the United States, which primarily consists of credit card balances, was $969.9 billion at the end of July.

The banks recommend that if you see yourself getting into trouble, it is best to go ahead and contact your credit card company in order to work out a plan as soon as possible.

Originally posted on pfhacks.com: Banks Working Harder to Collect Credit Card Debt

Here is a great little tip for those worried about Identity theft.  Leave a little room after your signature and write "See ID", on the white strip on the back of your credit/debit card.  If the person taking your card does their job correctly, this little extra step may stop a thief from illegally using your card.

I say "if they do their job correctly" because both Visa and Mastercard require that the signature on a receipt match the signature on the card.  When performing this comparison the merchant should notice the request for additional identification.  You may even try writing the "See ID" in a different color ink, to draw extra attention

While researching this piece, I found a lot of conflicting information on wether or not the card has to be signed. Several sites recommended writing "Check ID" on the back of the card and nothing else.  This makes sense to me, since by signing you are giving a thief a handwriting sample to use in forging your name.  However, I think the evidence is pretty clear on this subject: you are required to sign the card.  Not only is the wording "Not Valid Unless Signed" – or something similar – on the back of all cards,  I found this information on Visa’s risk management site:

Dealing with unsigned cards

If the signature panel is left blank…

1. Request a signature. Ask the cardholder to sign the card and provide current government identification, such as a driver’s license or passport (if local law permits).
2. Check the signature. Be sure that the cardholder signature on the transaction receipt matches the one on the card and the additional identification.
3. Complete the transaction. If the signatures appear reasonably the same and the authorization request is approved, continue the transaction. If the cardholder refuses to sign the card, do not accept the card.

If the card has a "See ID" in place of a signature…

1. Request a signature. Ask the cardholder to sign the card and provide current government identification, such as a driver’s license or passport (if local law permits).
2. Check the signature. Be sure that the signature on the card matches the one on the transaction receipt and the additional identification.

If the signatures appear reasonably the same and the authorization request is approved, go ahead and complete the transaction.

That’s about as clear as it gets: "Request a signature".

Some of you may be saying: "What’s the big deal? Liability on fraudulent credit card charges is limited in most cases". This is true, but think about all the time it will consume – not to mention the sheer aggravation – to clean up a big fraud. Small precautionary steps can save you big time in the event of identity theft.

Another item to consider: some banks are now offering credit/debit cards that feature your photo. These give you both the convenience of a charge card and photo id in one package.

By using these two hacks, you will greatly reduce the risk that your card will be used for fraudulent transactions should it be lost or stolen.

Originally posted on pfhacks.com: Credit Card Hack: Write "SEE ID" On The Back