Month: August 2024
Credit cards customers who are trying to clear their debts are being surprised with further charges even though they may think they have already cleared the balance.
An egg customer and Guardian reader brought the problem to the media attention, the problem can occur when a customer is paying debt carried over from the previous month.
This is what many credit card companies call trailing interest on any negative balance between the issuing of the last statement and the customer paying off the debt.
Some have a minimum fee and if interest does not reach, that amount it will be “topped up” the charge, so borrwers will be repaying no lower than the minimum fee.
Unfair minimum charges
In the case of Egg the minimum is 50p, while at MBNA and Barclays it is 1. For customers with Egg, the internet bank who pay off their debt via direct debit they could incur up to 18 days worth of interest on a balance that they think they have settled in full.
A spokeswoman for Egg, speaking to the Guardian newspaper, said: “Interest is charged on the outstanding balance between our issuing the statement and the payment being made. We request payment via your direct debit 14 days after the statement date.”
Direct debits cannot be called over a weekend so if a customer’s direct debit is due to leave their account on a Saturday or Sunday, we’ll move the payment date to Monday. The longest they’ll go between statement date and paying their account is 16 days – 18 if their payment date falls over the Easter weekend.
The spokeswoman added: “If the interest amounts to less than 50p we top up the charge so it equals that amount. She added that interest would be charged on the outstanding interest and top-up fee.
“All credit card contracts will mention trailing interest in the terms and conditions but more often than not it can be hidden away within the small print of the contract. In Egg’s case the explanation behind the charges has been described as virtually incomprehensible.”
The top-up fee
In the contract it says it will charge, “a top-up fee where the amount of interest charged to your account on any statement is less than 50p and the fee will be the amount required to make the top-up fee plus that interest equal to 50p. Where this applies, your statement will show a 50p minimum finance charge”.
Barclay card mentions on its website that interest is charged until the full date of repayment meaning that you may receive a further interest charge the second month, however there is no mention of the extra 1 pound charge.
Peter Harrison, a credit cards specialist at a leading price comparison website, said too often financial services companies include these wrinkles in their terms and conditions and it is important customers check the details before applying.
He added: “Whilst the sums of money involved are quite small, many customers who want to clear their full balance will, no doubt, find this irritating.”
The extra interest charges are not likely to send customers spiraling back into debt but there is no doubt that many would find it annoying receiving another statement after thinking that the balance had already been paid off.
One of the features of online/Mobile banking is SMS banking services which are operated using both push and pull messages. Push messages are those that the bank chooses to send out to a customer’s mobile phone without the customer initiating a request for the information. For example push messages could be either Mobile marketing messages or messages alerting an event which happens in the customer’s bank account, such as a withdrawal of funds from the ATM or a payment using the customer’s credit card, etc.
Pull messages are those that are initiated by the customer, using a mobile phone, for obtaining information or performing a transaction in the bank account. Examples of pull messages for information include an account balance enquiry, or requests for current information like currency exchange rates and deposit interest rates, as published and updated by the bank.
The bank’s customer is empowered with the capability to select the list of activities (or alerts) that he/she needs to be informed. This functionality to choose activities can be done either by integrating to the internet banking channel or through the bank’s customer service call centre.
It is however sad to note that fraudsters and internet hackers have capitalized on this laudable innovation to rip people off their money. So it is important that as a bank account holder or intending holder you should be aware of this trend and choose the right bank to bank with where your money will be properly secured through adequate online security tips.
Skye bank as a customer friendly bank knows about the activities of these fraudstars and has developed security measures to protect its customers finances. If you are a Skye bank account holder, you might receive emails that seem to emanate from the bank.The mail might even carry the names of Skye bank top Management staff or Director. Some of them may require you to send in information on your Bank details, Pin codes and even your personal information as contained in the bank’s database of you. They might also claim to have access to large sums of ($)US dollars for you domiciled with the bank. Please note that these are scam mails and you should be very careful to avoid being a victim to fraudsters.
As part of its commitment to online security, Skye bank has developed some security tips for all its customers to recognize when they receive emails or letters from potential fraudsters.
Please note that Skye Bank would never ask you to disclose your account number or Pin code on the internet. Also Skye Bank would never ask you to disclose personal information on the internet.
You should also note that Skye Bank site would always carry a security certificate which would be visible on access to the bank’s site and be sure that the site you are on is a genuine Skye Bank site.
In addition Customers should not open attachments or follow Web links in unsolicited emails from unknown parties or from parties with whom you do not normally communicate, or that appear to be known but are suspicious or otherwise unusual.
The official Skye Bank web address is www.skyebankng.com. If you are still in doubt, please get in touch with your nearest branch or call us on (000 234 1) 8531655, 8948103, 07028390633-5
The European Commission (EU) has threatened to cap the credit card processing charges that banks impose on businesses and shops. In turn, the banks have threatened to add higher fees and other charges onto cards used by consumers. When it all finally boils down, it’s likely that UK households will take another hit in their billfolds.
As it stands now, credit cards like MasterCard and Visa charge businesses a 0.9 percent charge on all credit card purchases. This credit card fee costs businesses 850 million annually. The charge in debit cards is 0.2 percent. The EU wants to set a flat service charge fee of 0.3 percent.
On further examination, this matter gets more complex. The fees that businesses pay to banks are known as interchange fees. These fees cover the bank’s costs of processing credit card transactions such as fraud insurance and administration. Shops and businesses give banks different interchange fees based on size. Big retailers generating tons of sales tend to pay a smaller interchange fee. A mom and pop store will pay a larger interchange fee. These fees can vary from 2.5 to 0.1 percent.
The European Commission (EC) estimates that this fee payment market has a value of 112 billion. The EC is laying out the argument that the credit card sector is expensive and fragmented. Retailers tend to agree with the EC opinion. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has been hammering the EC for a decade to end what it calls excessive and anti-competitive fees for processing credit cards. The BRC argues that consumers will benefit via lower prices if the fees are capped. At present, retailers eat these fees and charge them back into the business.
“We’re delighted with this landmark proposal,” said Helen Dickinson, the BRC director. “Capping these excessive and anti-competitive fees will support the UK retail industry by 362 million a year, boosting the industry’s ability to invest and innovate while continuing to deliver lower prices and value for customers,” Dickinson added in an interview at Daily Mail.
MasterCard Europe contends that if this EC cap goes through, consumers will be hit with a 25 annual fee per credit card. Marion King, president of MasterCard, warned that lower fees will result in less income for issuing banks, and that will force banks to charge consumers for using cards.
The EC fee proposal will force credit card companies to separate their payment card schemes from the business division that processes transactions. Essentially, this would destroy the current credit card model. The Financial Times (FT) describes this matter as the final battle in the long war between EU bureaucrats and payment providers. The Commission proposal calls for a 0.2 percent cap on debit transactions. Credit card fees would be capped at 0.3 percent. The EC estimates that EU debit card fees will be cut to 2.5 billion from 4.8 billion. Credit card fees will tumble to 3.5 billion from 5.7 billion.
Choosing a new life abroad can be one of the most rewarding decisions a family can make.
With the recent economic downturn seemingly easing, the beginning of a new year is a time when the thoughts of some will return to the dream of immigrating to Canada and a new life overseas.
Over the past decade Canada has seen a multitude of new immigrants arrive at its major cities. Many choose to emigrate from their home countries to the major cities Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary. Immigration policy for the country, as with many other countries, can be seemingly complex; and anyone considering the move should seek a professional assessment of their eligibility to find out they qualify and under which category.
There are a number of possible options for those thinking of moving to Canada — visit my website, breakingbarriers.info, for more information.
If your familys visa application is already going through, you are probably assessing the final preparations that you need to make before immigrating to Canada. Depending upon your circumstances you may need to search out details of the local education establishments in your new home town, on the other hand your first priority may be to find yourself a job before you emigrate. Dont forget, the job marketplace and school systems of each country can vary a great deal, and finding out beforehand is the only way to ensure a smooth transition after you have emigrated.
There are certainly a few simple things that you can take care of just before you emigrate to Canada and doing so will save you so much money and time once you have arrived. These include:
Have your qualifications and work experience properly assessed before you go. Visit my site now to find out where you can have this done. Canadian qualifications and experience differ from those elsewhere (as is the case in most places) and without a credential evaluation you may find yourself talking to a brick wall when being interview by Canadian employers and thats even if you get through the door for the interview!
Ask for references from your previous landlords this will help you secure accommodation when you emigrate to Canada. Also, take with you proof of funds in the bank to show to any wary landlords.
Apply for a credit history report. This will help with landlords and all other situations where you need a line of credit. You will probably find that credit is near impossible to obtain from most sources for at least a year after emigrating. Help build up a credit rating by taking out a pre-paid credit card. In addition, some of the banks appear to have more favourable offers for newly landed immigrants.
Make sure that you have sufficient medical coverage for the first 3 months after you have landed. You will not be covered under the Canadian Medical Services Plan for that period of time so a stand-alone policy is needed. You can arrange this online before you go it is harder to do, if not impossible, once you have emigrated.
Ask your general practitioner for copies of your notes which you can take with you and give to your new doctor unless you want them to use guesswork!
Write or call your home and auto insurers and ask them to provide written details of your no claims status as well as details of any prior claims. Doing this can help you save a great deal of money on your insurance here in Canada.
This is not an exhaustive list of the things you need to get around to before you immigrate to Canada, although hopefully some of the things included here will assist you in saving time and money, and most importantly, help moving to Canada become a reality for you that little bit sooner!
Do not forget, immigration policies can change any time. To ensure that you dont miss out find out as much as you can as soon as you can! You only get one chance at life and if moving overseas is something that you yearn for then set the wheels in motion today, you will be glad that you did!