December 22, 2004 02:03 PM
Holiday Shoppers Should Rethink How They Pay
Excerpt: Given the fact that consumer protections vary among the different payment methods, it's important to understand their differences. Here's a look at the payment choices.
This holiday season, shoppers face an ever-expanding menu of payment options, and knowing the differences can mean fewer headaches if things go wrong.
From cash and checks to credit cards and the increasingly popular debit cards, it's easy to get confused. Debit purchases, for example, are often made with "check cards," while recent banking regulations are spurring many check payments to be scanned at cash registers as if they were debit cards. It has created what leading expert Mark Budnitz, a professor at Georgia State University College of Law, calls "a complicated and bewildering exercise for consumers."
Consumers are using credit and debit cards now more than ever, with debit cards the fastest-growing segment of electronic payments. They account for more than half of electronic payments, used for 16.2 billion transactions in 2003, according to the Nilson Report, a Carpinteria, Calif., newsletter that tracks consumer-payment systems.
Visa debit cards were used in 285 million transactions during the week of Dec. 13-19, the company's biggest sales week of the year, according to Visa USA. Its debit cards were up 26% from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the company's credit cards saw a 7% increase to 179 million transactions.
READ FULL STORY ...
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The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday approved rules that limit the extent to which competitors can use the networks of the local Bell phone companies to reach their own customers. The agency's commissioners voted 3-2, with the panel's two Democrats dissenting. As expected, the FCC ...
How To Minimize Holiday Debt (December 24, 2004)
Debt. You spit the word right out of your mouth when you say it. That's the reaction many of us have after seeing what we've done to our credit card and bank balances each month. That response is a good thing for most people ...
Lower Living Costs, Keep More Money (December 22, 2004)
How much money you save doesn't entirely depend on your financial behavior. Your city's cost of living could be keeping you down, according to Fred Brock, author of the new book, "Live Well on Less Than You Think: The New York Times Guide to Achieving ...
Blockbuster Cuts Online Prices (December 22, 2004)
Blockbuster Inc., the largest U.S. video rental chain, Wednesday cut the price for its online rental service, undercutting its rivals in an escalating battle for online customers. Blockbuster said it was cutting the subscription price for its online rental service by $2.50 to $14.99 a ...
Read all 54 posts in the same category of Spending:
Men and Women Spend and Save Differently -
Feb 20, 2005
Best Rock For Your Buck - Feb 13, 2005
'Simplified' Ticketing Is Not So Simple For All Fliers - Feb 07, 2005
Blockbuster With a Joystick - Feb 07, 2005
Picking Rewards Deals? Seek Loyalty - Feb 07, 2005
FCC: Cable TV Rates Rose 5.4% In 2003 - Feb 06, 2005
Powell to Step Down at F.C.C. After Pushing for Deregulation - Jan 25, 2005
Apple Changes Course With Low-Priced Mac - Jan 15, 2005
How To Tip Well - Jan 14, 2005
A Little Retail Hustle Paid Off in Holiday Sales - Jan 07, 2005
Delta Fare Plan Turns Industry on Its Head - Jan 07, 2005
Before Christmas, Wal-Mart Was Stirring - Jan 07, 2005
Delta Plans to Streamline Fare System - Jan 07, 2005
TiVo Upgrade Puts TV Shows On Laptops - Jan 04, 2005
What You Wanted, What You Got - Jan 01, 2005
How To Handle Charity Solicitations - Dec 29, 2004
Be Careful When Donating To Charity - Dec 29, 2004
Charged Today, Tapped Out Tomorrow? - Dec 28, 2004
Be Prepared When Returning Gifts - Dec 27, 2004
$10 for a Plain CD or $32 With the Extras - Dec 27, 2004
10 Ways To Save Money When Cruising - Dec 27, 2004
New Nigerian Scam Suckers Online Sellers - Dec 27, 2004
Stop Shopping; Give Cash As A Gift - Dec 27, 2004
Last-Minute Shopping Made Easier - Dec 26, 2004
Phone-Network Leasing Rules Eased - Dec 26, 2004
How To Minimize Holiday Debt - Dec 24, 2004
Lower Living Costs, Keep More Money - Dec 22, 2004
Blockbuster Cuts Online Prices - Dec 22, 2004
Making Your Generosity Pay - Dec 21, 2004
Price Cuts Get Deeper - Dec 21, 2004
Charitable Giving: The Right Match - Dec 21, 2004
In the Bay Area, TiVo Supplies DVR's at a Terrific Price: Nothing - Dec 19, 2004
Cell Phone Calls In Flight? - Dec 09, 2004
Holiday Tipping - Dec 09, 2004
Tunes Coming To Callers? - Dec 08, 2004
Electronic Ways to Pay Eclipse Checks in Number - Dec 07, 2004
The Trouble With Rebates - Dec 07, 2004
Customers Tire of Excuses for Rebates That Never Arrive - Dec 07, 2004
'Phishing' Attacks Surge In 2004 - Dec 06, 2004
Bush Signs Internet Tax, Special Ed Bills - Dec 05, 2004
The Wide World Of Online Shopping - Dec 04, 2004
Shopbots: Your Own Automated Shopping Assistant On The Web - Dec 04, 2004
Traveler: Know Your Options - Dec 04, 2004
Worried Merchants Throw Discounts at Shoppers - Dec 04, 2004
Regifting 101 - Dec 02, 2004
Health Costs Up 7.5% - Dec 02, 2004
5 Popular Holiday Shopping Scams - Nov 30, 2004
Slick Tips for Holiday Shopping - Nov 28, 2004
Give Gifts That Give Back - Nov 28, 2004
Tips For Stretching Your Holiday Budget - Nov 26, 2004
Meet The Bargain Hunters: Three Everyday Experts Share Their Tips - Nov 26, 2004
Smart Holiday Shopping - Nov 25, 2004
Some Shoppers Find Fewer Happy Returns - Nov 07, 2004
Best Rock For Your Buck - Feb 13, 2005
'Simplified' Ticketing Is Not So Simple For All Fliers - Feb 07, 2005
Blockbuster With a Joystick - Feb 07, 2005
Picking Rewards Deals? Seek Loyalty - Feb 07, 2005
FCC: Cable TV Rates Rose 5.4% In 2003 - Feb 06, 2005
Powell to Step Down at F.C.C. After Pushing for Deregulation - Jan 25, 2005
Apple Changes Course With Low-Priced Mac - Jan 15, 2005
How To Tip Well - Jan 14, 2005
A Little Retail Hustle Paid Off in Holiday Sales - Jan 07, 2005
Delta Fare Plan Turns Industry on Its Head - Jan 07, 2005
Before Christmas, Wal-Mart Was Stirring - Jan 07, 2005
Delta Plans to Streamline Fare System - Jan 07, 2005
TiVo Upgrade Puts TV Shows On Laptops - Jan 04, 2005
What You Wanted, What You Got - Jan 01, 2005
How To Handle Charity Solicitations - Dec 29, 2004
Be Careful When Donating To Charity - Dec 29, 2004
Charged Today, Tapped Out Tomorrow? - Dec 28, 2004
Be Prepared When Returning Gifts - Dec 27, 2004
$10 for a Plain CD or $32 With the Extras - Dec 27, 2004
10 Ways To Save Money When Cruising - Dec 27, 2004
New Nigerian Scam Suckers Online Sellers - Dec 27, 2004
Stop Shopping; Give Cash As A Gift - Dec 27, 2004
Last-Minute Shopping Made Easier - Dec 26, 2004
Phone-Network Leasing Rules Eased - Dec 26, 2004
How To Minimize Holiday Debt - Dec 24, 2004
Lower Living Costs, Keep More Money - Dec 22, 2004
Blockbuster Cuts Online Prices - Dec 22, 2004
Making Your Generosity Pay - Dec 21, 2004
Price Cuts Get Deeper - Dec 21, 2004
Charitable Giving: The Right Match - Dec 21, 2004
In the Bay Area, TiVo Supplies DVR's at a Terrific Price: Nothing - Dec 19, 2004
Cell Phone Calls In Flight? - Dec 09, 2004
Holiday Tipping - Dec 09, 2004
Tunes Coming To Callers? - Dec 08, 2004
Electronic Ways to Pay Eclipse Checks in Number - Dec 07, 2004
The Trouble With Rebates - Dec 07, 2004
Customers Tire of Excuses for Rebates That Never Arrive - Dec 07, 2004
'Phishing' Attacks Surge In 2004 - Dec 06, 2004
Bush Signs Internet Tax, Special Ed Bills - Dec 05, 2004
The Wide World Of Online Shopping - Dec 04, 2004
Shopbots: Your Own Automated Shopping Assistant On The Web - Dec 04, 2004
Traveler: Know Your Options - Dec 04, 2004
Worried Merchants Throw Discounts at Shoppers - Dec 04, 2004
Regifting 101 - Dec 02, 2004
Health Costs Up 7.5% - Dec 02, 2004
5 Popular Holiday Shopping Scams - Nov 30, 2004
Slick Tips for Holiday Shopping - Nov 28, 2004
Give Gifts That Give Back - Nov 28, 2004
Tips For Stretching Your Holiday Budget - Nov 26, 2004
Meet The Bargain Hunters: Three Everyday Experts Share Their Tips - Nov 26, 2004
Smart Holiday Shopping - Nov 25, 2004
Some Shoppers Find Fewer Happy Returns - Nov 07, 2004
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