Go Green With Credit Card

Barclaycard are the latest company to offer a green product to its growing ethically concerned customers who want to lower their carbon footprints. They have announced that their new eco-friendly credit card will be called Breathe. To ensure its green credentials the card is made from PETG which is the greener alternative to plastic. There will also be no paper statements, they will offer recycling for expired cards and all advertising for the Breathe card will be done online. The card offers customers discounts and low rate borrowing when green products are bought. In addition to this Barclaycard will give 50% of after tax profits (estimated at 1 million in its first year) from the card to environmental projects that are dedicated to reducing carbon emissions.

Barclaycard have also recently, along with eight other market leaders B&Q, British Gas, Marks & Spencer, Sky, Tesco, Royal & Sun Alliance and O2, launched a government backed campaign titled Were in this together which aims to help every UK household cut their carbon emissions by one tonne over the next three years.

Barclaycard isnt the only lender to be catering to the growing demand for ethical borrowing. Virgin have also launched a green credit card and claim that they have beaten Barclaycard in the green stakes because their card is bio-degradable and they also promise not to just pay lip-service to the environment but offer on-going dedication to environmental issues. The Co-operative Bank is generally regarded as being the most ethical with all their financial services offering environmental incentives.

The growing popularity of green financial products is encouraging more people to consider an ethical approach to their finances. Not only are they looking at their own environmental positions but they are also showing concern at what their banks and financial companies are doing for the environment.

HBOS, the Abbey and the Yorkshire Building Society have both announced plans to introduce green financial products and you should expect many more credit card lenders following suit.

Abn Amro Prepaid Credit Cards

There are various kinds of credit cards available in the market at present. Prepaid credit cards are getting more and more popular now days. However, many people do not have any knowledge about prepaid credit cards. A prepaid credit card is allotted to a customer by a bank when he deposits a certain amount of money in his prepaid credit card account. An individual can use this card at all the place where he can use a normal credit card. However, in case of these cards, one cannot spend more money than he has in his credit card account.

It means that these cards have no risk of spending more than what you have. These cards work on the same principle, on which debit cards works. As you can spend only that much money which is deposited in to your account, there is nothing like interest charges associated with these cards. There are a number of banks available in the markets, which are offering such cards to their customers.

ABN AMRO bank is famous for offering various types of credit cards to a large number of customers. It offers credit cards to its customers according to their requirements and profile. ABN AMRO credit cards can be used at a large number of places. The prepaid credit cards offered by this bank are used by various people. These cards offer a lot of benefits to the customers. For instance, parents can give these cards to their children. Most of the parents hesitate to give regular credit cards to their children because they may spend a lot of amount through them. The procedure for getting an ABN AMRO prepaid credit card is very simple. You just need to contact your nearby branch of ABN AMRO Bank and after the completion of a few formalities; you will get your prepaid credit card.

How to avoid paying too much in Credit Card Processing Fees

I’m sure as a business owner you have enough to do without having to figure out how Credit Card Interchange Fees work. The good new is it’s not that complicated. There are hundreds of different interchange fees, what is important is to understand that interchange is essentially the wholesale rate that banks charge each other in order to process a credit card or debit card transaction. It is the cost of doing business, usually around two percent of the transaction amount.

Although the card companies set interchange rates there are things you can do to help avoid paying too much.

Review Your Charges Annually

At least twice a year (generally every April and October), Visa and MasterCard re-assess their processes, regulations and fees then announce rate changes and new fees. Many times your existing provider will layer on additional rate increases above the Interchange adjustments. Call another provider, fax in your merchant statement and have your account analyzed to “catch” these hidden rate increases.

Use an Interchange Pass Through Program

In order to pay the lowest fees when processing credit cards, a merchant’s goal is to pay as close to interchange as possible. A merchant account that uses an Interchange Pass Through pricing method applies processing fees by adding a small percentage to the actual Interchange Rate for every transaction and all dues and assessments are passed through directly at cost. This ensures that you only pay the true interchange rate in addition to a small mark-up that goes to their merchant service provider. Many times your existing provider will layer on additional rate increases above the Interchange adjustments. Call another provider, fax in your merchant statement and have your account analyzed to “catch” these hidden rate increases.

Avoid Downgrades Whenever Possible

A downgrade occurs when a transaction falls to a higher rate then what your business may qualify for. Whenever possible swipe the card at the point of sale device in order to reduce fraud and qualify for your lowest rate. For those of you that own some sort of on-site service or repair business, invest in either a wireless credit card processing terminal or look at some of the newer solutions such as RoamPay or PayWare mobile which allow you to use your mobile phone as a point of sale device.

Obtain the Correct Billing Information

In order to avoid downgrades for Card Not Present Transactions always obtain the correct billing information for the card being used. Credit Card Companies use an Address Verification Service (AVS) for Domestic Cards to determine if the billing information you enter matches the Card you are keying in. Always collect the Billing Address of the Card including the Postal Code as well as the Card Verification Code. The Card Code is the 3 Digit Number at the end of the Signature Panel on the back of the card for Visa, MasterCard and Discover. For American Express it is the 4 digit number on the front right hand side of the card above the last 5 digits of the card number.

Make Sure your Point of Sale Device is Programmed Properly

If your Point of Sale Device is not prompting you for Billing Address information as well as the Card Code, contact your Merchant Service Provider right away to get your device updated in order to pass that information to the Credit Card Companies. Another way transactions can downgrade is if you do not Settle or Batch your transactions within 24 Hours of obtaining an Authorization. Virtually all point of sale devices have the ability to Auto-Settle or Auto-Close at a specified time on a daily basis. If your device does not have that option enabled, contact your Merchant Service Provider right away to get your program updated.

Train Your Staff

If you are not the person directly responsible for processing credit cards at your company it is important that you properly train your staff to avoid downgrades. Routinely observe your cashiers, monitor transactions and carefully review your month end processing statements.

Paying For College-How To Manage A Students First Credit Card

Most students receive their first credit card offers when they are in college. Having a credit card opens up a whole new world. It brings new meaning to paying for college. Suddenly shopping, eating and traveling get easier and seem more affordable. Credit cards can be very helpful for college students. They can also get out of control quickly. When students follow these 5 basic tips for managing a college credit card, they will be able to stay out of financial trouble and establish solid, long-lasting credit.

Cash or Credit
If it can be paid for in cash, do it. When possible, college students should avoid charging small items that are affordable without the plastic. The interest makes them more expensive. Beware of stores that enforce a minimum credit in an effort to get the buyer to spend more.

Payment Plans
The most important thing to remember is that all of the money needs to be paid back at some point. Spend it now, pay for it later only works as long as the bills are being paid promptly. Students should learn early to pay off the balance as often as possible. When its not possible, more than the minimum payment should be made. Late payments can cause a raise in the interest rate plus late fees and other penalties.

Willpower
A credit limit is not an invitation to spend it all. Paying for college is expensive, but it is not meant to be experienced completely on plastic. The savvy student will buy only what is necessary and affordable. The occasional splurge or emergency is acceptable. The urge to spend should be ignored whenever possible. Avoid the urge to pay for college with the credit card. Instead, secure a school loan for this purpose and avoid maxing out the limit right away.

Deals
Special offers are made through different companies. Some are active throughout the life of the card; others are only good as long as the person is enrolled in a specific program. For example, one may offer a 1 percent or 2 percent cash back bonus on eligible purchases made with the credit card. Others may offer special online discounts or ecoupons when using their cards.

Interest
Look for one that offers a low interest rate. The less interest charged, the more things the student can actually purchase. Some credit card companies offer lower interest rates for special offers for a limited time. Be aware of when those special interest rates end. Most do not charge interest when the balance is paid off at the end of every month.

While credit cards are helpful for college students, they are not for everyone. When handled responsibly, they make paying for college easier and more affordable.

How To Find An Escort In New York

If you are in New York and looking for some companionship and looking to make a connection with someone of the opposite sex, without the headaches and hassles of dating, consider the services of a New York escort. A new York escort will provide companionship and entertainment for an hourly fee. Escorts are amoungst the most entertaining and attractive people in the world. They are usually compensated hourly at a rate of anywhere from $150-$1,500 per hour. Fortunately New York has some of the most diverse and largest selction of escorts you can find.

The first thing you want to do when you decide you want to book an escort, is to determine your budget. Decide what it is you are willing to spend and take it from there. Once you have a budget in mind there are many sources to find escorts.

In general, if you are looking for low prices, a quick surf over to craigslist or backpage can turn up quite a few possibilities. Lately, however, those sites have produced less desirable talent. But if you have the time and patience and some luck you might be able to find something that will suit you.

Another option is to head over to your favorite search engine and type in exactly what you are looking for, for example “Tall blonde busty escort in New York” will deliver tons of pages specifically targeted to your search criteria. This is probably the best option as a general search such as “escorts” will return sites located all over the world, when what you really want is someone local.

In my experience, one of the best sources of escort listings is the trusty google maps section of google. Most of the time you will get the small local agencies with better prices like Angels of New York anniesangelsescorts.com They usually don’t charge the big fees that the higher end services charge.

If you are looking to go higher end, then you will find there are tons of sites that are charging rates that start at $500 per hour. A simple search for NY escorts will bring up enough sites and profiles to make your head spin. Best thing to do is pick 3 services and call to compare. Typically you will find you are relatively safe by selecting the service with pricing that is just in the middle.

Whichever route you go to find an escort, rest assured New York has some of the most incredible, stunning and gorgeous talent that you will find anywhere. In fact the best escorts are from New York.