A Gadgetology study on social media conducted by Retrevo recently discovered that 32% of all respondents have posted something online that they regret. For many people, this meant posting racy photos on Facebook, airing dirty family laundry, or even letting slip about an affair.

But if you’re in debt with loans in default, social media could be dangerous even if you keep all your comments and photos clean and professional. An alarming trend has creditors taking advantage of social media to track down holders of delinquent accounts.

Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are just a few of the social networks creditors are using to track down delinquent debtors — who may have foiled creditors attempts by changing their address, phone number, and even their job to avoid collections.

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...

When you book a vacation with your credit card, it’s no secret you can save a ton of money on airline tickets and hotel reservations by using Rewards point (or gaining bonus Rewards points).

But you can also enjoy considerable savings on rental cars using travel websites when you book with your credit card.

Let’s take a look at three different ways to save or get money back on a vacation rental car when you use your rewards credit card to book your car rental.

The easiest way to save money on rental cards with credit cards is by saying “No” to the CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) insurance at the counter. CDW can cost as much as $17 per day over the cost of rental cars, but most credit cards offer this as a standard benefit when you rent a car using a credit card. We talk more about Rental Car Insurance and how you can refuse it in this article.

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...

Are you looking for a new MasterCard? Do you want generous rewards, a low introductory APR and, of course, no annual fee? CreditShout.com has recommendations for the best MasterCard credit cards available now.

One of the best MasterCards available today — and possibly the best MasterCard available for people with excellent credit — is the Chase Freedom(SM) card.

Rewards: Chase is offering 5% cash back in rotating categories where most people spend money. You can get 5% cash back on:

• Gas
• Groceries
• Home improvement
• Department stores
• Hotels
• Airlines…and more

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...

Looking for a new Visa card? As credit card companies compete heavily for your business, rewards offers, interest rates and benefits get better and better. Whatever your credit history and your FICO score, CreditShout.com has scoured the Web to find the best Visa credit cards for you.

Our favorite Visa card, and one of the best credit cards out there for excellent credit — is the Chase Freedom(SM) Visa card.

Rewards: The Chase Freedom Visa gives you 5% cash back in rotating categories where most people spend money. You can get 5% cash back on:

• Gas
• Groceries
• Home improvement
• Department stores
• Hotels
• Airlines…and more

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...

Last week I was planning a major purchase (new living room furniture) that I wanted to put on my rewards credit card in order to earn cash back. The problem? Putting the purchase on my card would place me above that 50% debt-to-available-credit ratio that negatively impacts your FICO score. I was about to call the credit card company and ask them to increase my credit limit when I received a notice in the mail that my credit card company had increased my limit — without my asking! Am I just that lucky? Not at all.

I began thinking about the steps anyone can take to get your credit card company to increase your limit without asking.

This information is especially useful since it’s harder to get companies to increase your limit at your request. Instead, they offer periodic, routine reviews of your account and then decide whether or not to increase your limit. (Be careful — they can also decrease your limit during these reviews if you haven’t used your card in a few months!) These routine reviews are a “soft inquiry,” which won’t affect your credit score. But if they result in a credit limit increase, they will positively affect your FICO score. Best of all, you won’t show a new account on your credit report.

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...

When you are building your credit, what seem like simple acts can impact your credit score. Each time a prospective lender checks into your credit history a ‘mark’ is left. While the FICO site does not list these terms- the common way to refer to these credit checks are as hard or soft pulls. Hard pulls affect your credit, dropping your score slightly. Soft pulls do not affect your score.

Everyone has received pre-approved offers for credit in the mail. Pre-approvals are “soft” checks. They do not appear to other lenders that may check your credit. Other soft pulls are:

• Credit reports that you request from one or all three of the credit reporting agencies
• Credit checks by some employers
• Credit checks by your current credit card company during the life of your account
• Credit checks by your insurance company

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...

College offers students new opportunities every day. New friendships are forged, careers are chosen and independence blossoms. This is the perfect time to begin building your credit and learn money management skills that will serve you for life, too. Every purchase from books to pizza can help establish the type of credit score needed to purchase your future car or home.

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...

PerkStreet.com is an online-only bank, with a good cash back debit card rewards program. You can earn a variety of rewards, including coffee, music downloads, gift cards to popular retailers or cash back. You can use PerkStreet.com as your primary bank, or as a secondary bank for online transactions. You can even earn up to 5% cash back at certain retailers. One major drawback? To enjoy 2% cash back (or the equivalent) on any non-pin purchase, you must have a current account balance of $5,000 or more.

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...

As of August 13, banking rules are changing due to the Credit CARD Act of 2010. Specifically, the rules and regulations for overdraft checking will change. These rules went into effect on July 1 for new customers. Will this new policy affect you? And should you opt-in to your bank’s overdraft checking options?

In the past, many banks extended overdraft checking to customers as a courtesy. If you attempted to make a purchase with your debit card (either as a debit or a credit transaction) but did not have the money in your account to cover the purchase, the bank would extend you a loan to cover the transaction. This was done without your permission, and resulted in NSF (non-sufficient funds) fees of $30 to $40 or more, depending on your bank.

This may have saved embarrassing moments out to dinner with a crowd, or permitted you to make a purchase you really needed even if you didn’t have money in your account. But it cost customers millions of dollars a year (and made banks equal amounts of money!)

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...

Like anything related to finance (or shopping, or, well, practically anything!), the best frequent flier credit card for one person may not work well for another.

For instance, you wouldn’t want a Delta SkyMiles card if the airline lost your bags three times in the space of four trips. (Hypothetically speaking, of course). On the other hand, if you are a corporate executive with offices in New York and L.A. and take Delta’s red eye once a week, that might be the card for you.

If you fly a lot and know you’ll redeem the miles — but also want the option to get a statement credit instead — any number of frequent flier credit cards, including Discover’s or CapitalOne Venture Rewards, might be the best card for you.

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...