By Jason Asthworth
Edward Ballamy first introduced the world to the idea of the "credit card" in his 1887 novel, Looking Backward.
However it was initially used as one of the modes of payment for selling gas to the burgeoning population of vehicle owners in the United States of America during the 1920's. These cards were then called as charge cards and soon enough several companies permitted the use of various cards. Earlier days it was easy to fake a credit card, as most of them were printed on some kind of card, unlike the plastics which we use today.
During the 1930s and 1940s another form of the credit card occurred. It was known as the Charga-Plate and was made of a fairly small piece of metal, which had the owners name, city of residence, and the state in which that person lived imprinted into it. It also contained a small piece of card for a signature. Only the large retailers made use of these, and they were only issued to their everyday clients. Most often, the Charga-Plates were kept at the store.
Diners club was founded by Ralph Schneider and Frank X. McNamara in 1950, and instead of using many cards people where allowed to use one card. This card had to be paid in full at the end of each month which is differnt from the modern credit card.
Next, Carte Blanche arrived on the scene, closely followed by American Express in 1958. A worldwide credit card system came into being as a result of American Express. In addition, Visa was born in 1958, making its debut as Bank of America's BankAmericard. In 1966, MasterCharge appeared and its name was later changed to MasterCard.
The US bank system made it possible for people traveling to use credit cards in various places across the country, since they could not access their home banks.
The U.K. was the first country to release the credit card in 1966. Other countries were not still agreed to it, as reliability and security of it was also in question and people also were giving their preferences to cash payments.
Credit cards are now being tested that have a microchip implanted to reduce fraud. Another type of credit card being tested is the Affinity Card. This is a co-sponsored card by the issuer and an organization that carry certain features such as discounts or cash back.
Usually,when your earning increases you are more able to return debt of your credit card which ultimately lead you to increase use of the credit card.
By Daniel Moskel
The Orchard Bank card is issued by HSBC Bank, one of the largest and most reputable banks. This card is designed for those with a damaged credit score.
They have a unique application process. They will match your credit score with the four cards they offer.
These cards include three unsecured cards and one secured card. Your score depends upon what card is offered to you. However you have a very high likely hood of being approved for a new line of credit.
If you have made many mistakes then you will likely be issued the secured card. With this card you must secure it by making a deposit between $200 and $15,000, your credit limit will be equivalent to your deposit.
It works just like an unsecured card and you will have to make monthly payments. Your APR will be between 8.9% and 14.9%; this is much lower than most sub prime credit cards.
If you have limited damage to your credit score then you will be approved for an unsecured card. If you want to have the secured card instead you can still be issued that card.
With the unsecured cards you will have some fees, such as a 19$ account set up fee for one of the cards. Your APR will be between 8.9% and 18.9%.
The fees that come with the Orchard Bank cards are much less than any other bad credit credit cards. In addition they offer much lower interest rates too.
All of these cards will report to the three major credit bureaus. With responsible use of your card you can build a positive payment history on your credit report.
This is very important to your credit score. It is estimated 30% of your credit score comes from your payment history.
Also your ratio of debt to available credit will improve. This ratio is a way for the bureaus to see if an individual is in over their head. It carries considerable weight when your credit score is being calculated.
You should know that once a bad credit item on your report ages four years it will have much less influence on your score. However we do still encourage you to remove bad credit items from your report.
In sum if you need a second chance with credit we do suggest the Orchard Bank credit cards. They have helped over 2 million people, and used responsibly can improve your score substantially.
By Kermil J. Fogarth
Just having received the bill for a credit card I haven't used since receiving it several months ago, imagine my surprise to see that I had made some purchases. Now, bear in mind that this card has been in my wallet since I received it seven months ago and still has the activation sticker on it. Yet, I managed to make online purchases of a train ticket in Washington DC, sign up for a monthly MLM program and purchase another travel ticket on hotwire. The card was received seven months ago and the charges only started in November. Is there any way this could have been prevented?
Throw away card numbers - virtual card numbers - can be of some use when shopping online but I doubt they would have prevented what happened to me. In my case, the thief had somehow determined my name and correct card information. If you want to use virtual card numbers for online shopping protection that is fine, just don't be lulled into a false sense of security. They wouldn't have protected me since I wasn't even using the card to make physical purchases.
Just like using a disposable camera instead of your expensive camera while you are traveling to protect from loss or damage, you can use a virtual card to prevent loss when purchasing online. With a virtual credit card number, the number is discarded after one use.
With widespread credit card fraud nobody is surprised when it happens and the credit card companies are constantly looking for a way to prevent losses due to fraud. The method must not inconvenience their customer when it comes to using the account for purchases either online or on person yet it must also protect consumer information. Their hope is that virtual card numbers can solve this problem for them and their customers.
The use of virtual card numbers for online purchases work the same way as a normal card number except they are only valid for a short time period. These numbers are issued as a short term replacement of the actual card number and are only valid for a short period of time. True card information is not sent to the vendor and these numbers can be single use or they may be used for multiple purchases over a short time period before it is no longer valid.
The objective here is to protect the real number from those who would use your card for their purposes thereby damaging your credit. If a computer hacker accesses a secure processing center to gather card information having used a virtual number could save your credit. Their attempted use of the virtual number will lead to denial of credit.
Everyone expects their card information to be safe and secure when making a purchase online. But there is the possibility, however remote, that an employee of the online merchant would sell card information to criminals. Of course this would make them a criminal as well but some people will do anything if the price is right and there is little possibility of them being caught.
Virtual credit card numbers biggest benefit is from protecting your valuable information online. If such a number is stolen, it is or becomes worthless in a short time. If you make several purchases with your credit card per month you may see a real benefit from using virtual card numbers to assure all your transactions are secure and your information protected.
About the Author:
Author: Kermil J. Fogarth has extensive finance information available at his website. For more tips on
protecting your credit.
By Gressly Stevens
Are you ready to get your $10,000 Personal loan for bad credit? If you have bad credit this might only seem like a dream to you. Just because your credit is no good does not mean you cannot borrow money to take care of what you need. $10,000 personal loans for bad credit still exist, but they are not the easiest things to get.
Lenders are out there to help you, but they will have requirements. You will not be judged solely on your credit, though and it should not stand in the way of you getting your loan. Here are the options you have for a personal loan.
You need to understand that your options will be limited and there are 3 main ways you can get the loan you need. The best option is a co signer or putting up collateral, but if you cannot do either of those you can still use payday loans to get the money you need. This is about the only options you have.
If your credit is bad, then there probably will be no other way to get the loan you need. Knowing where to go to get your loan is important because some lenders are more willing to work with bad credit than others. You should also take the time to think about the loan and make sure it is something you need.
The best collateral is a home or a piece of property. These usually have a large value and if you have some equity built up they can work out very well for you. A vehicle will work as well, but it might not be large enough to cover the entire loan amount.
There are still a few options if you have no collateral. You can get a co signer to help you, but make sure they have super credit and a strong income. If you have a co signer with bad credit it will not do you much good. This will give the lender a little extra security to help you out.
Now there are situations where you will still need to put up some collateral even with a co signer. This just depends on the credit of both of you and the lender you are working with. They all have different requirments and one of them might be both collateral and a co signer.
The final option is to use what are called payday loans to get the $10,000 personal loan for bad credit you seek. This will probably make your credit worse because you will need between 10 and 15 of these loans to get to a full $10,000. They will have to be paid back pretty quickly so you will probably end up not paying them and ruining your credit. However, if it is an emergency it is still an option.
By Jacob Williams
Conditions frequently arise where you'll have to pay a unforeseen expense. It may be a medical emergency or even an unanticipated bill. If you do not have any savings for such an expense, then you will not have the money to pay it. This is one of the times when a payday loan would be useful to you. With a payday loan you can borrow up to fifteen hundred dollars, this loan is only available for a short period of time, usually, until you get your next paycheck.
In order to find a payday loan agency you merely need to search for one on the internet. Make sure you do your research in order to acquire the best deal possible. Not all payday loans are the same. Some have higher interest rates then others. There are different time periods for repayment and also repayment methods. If you would rather not use the net to acquire a loan you can also find payday loan agencies in your area.
In order to qualify for a payday loan you will need to provide information on your bank account, employment, income, and identification. You will also need to be eighteen or older. After the application is processed and you have been approved you will have the money transferred to your bank account with in twenty-four to forty-eight hours.
Previously if you wanted money for a out of the blue expense or an emergency, you would have had to fill out many forms and applications. Then you would have had to wait while they were being verified before you could get a loan. This was a frustrating process when dealing with a financial or medical emergency. But today there is no longer need for this, because you can now apply for a no fax payday loan.
If an emergency does arise and you need the funds to cover the cost of it, a no fax payday loan is the advisable choice for you. This type of payday loan is very easy and fast to acquire. When searching for such a company all you have to do is search online for one providing a no fax payday loan and then fill out their application. No fax payday loans will just ask you for basic information such as your name, address, bank information, and your employers particulars. A lot of companies do net even bother to do a credit check. Hence, this means even if you do have a bad credit rating or have been made bankrupt you can still get a no fax payday loan.
The only drawback to a no fax payday loan, is you will have to pay your loan back with your next paycheck with the interest included. Because you are taking out a short term loan, it is very important to go over all the terms and conditions before taking one out. A lot of people think that this form of loan is a trap set for working class borrowers. So for this reason, you need to make for certain that not only do you require the loan, but are able to repay it. This is something you want to consider before taking out a payday loan.
About the Author:
Jacob Williams is a personal finance adviser, with 30 years of experiencein the finance industry. For further Free information on Payday Loans try visiting
Online Payday Loans or
No Fax Payday Loans....