The Ultimate Guide to Credit Cards
Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Marcie Geffner

Banking Expert
Marcie Geffner

About The Author

Marcie Geffner is an award-winning reporter, editor, and writer. Her stories about banking, credit cards, insurance, economics, small business, and other subjects have been featured by the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Bankrate, Credit Karma, Bookmarks Magazine, FOX Business, CNBC, Yahoo! Finance, and dozens of major U.S. newspapers.

Her articles have been cited in seven nonfiction books and two U.S. Congressional hearings. She edits nonfiction, memoir, and fiction, and contributes to Kirkus Reviews. Marcie holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UCLA and MBA from Pepperdine University.

Latest Posts

Worked On 65 Articles To Date
3 Reasons Credit Card Interest Can Still Appear (Even When You Pay in Full)

Why Credit Card Interest Can Still Appear If You Pay in Full

By: Marcie Geffner 3/30/2026

I have a love/hate relationship with interest: I love to earn it on my savings accounts. I hate to pay it... Read More »

Why Credit Card Charges Sometimes Show as Pending for Days

Why Credit Card Charges Sometimes Show as Pending for Days

By: Marcie Geffner 3/26/2026

Patience isn’t one of my strengths, but I don’t often fret about pending card transactions. That’s... Read More »

How to Talk to Your Credit Card Company’s Chatbot (And Get Real Answers)

How to Talk to Your Credit Card Company's Chatbot 

By: Marcie Geffner 1/28/2026

Customer service chatbots seem to be everywhere these days, and card companies’ websites, social media... Read More »

8 Reasons to Consider a New Credit Card for Holiday Shopping and Travel

8 Reasons to Consider a New Credit Card for the Holidays

By: Marcie Geffner 12/2/2025

The year-end holiday shopping and travel season used to start on the Friday after Thanksgiving. But this... Read More »

What is Accrued Interest? How Credit Card Interest Adds Up Over Time

How Accrued Interest Works on Credit Cards

By: Marcie Geffner 12/16/2024

Definitions of accrued interest tend to be complicated – so much so that I’m dismayed because the concept... Read More »

What is an Introductory Offer? Why Credit Card Issuers Offer Consumers Incentives to Apply

What is an Introductory Offer on a Credit Card?

By: Marcie Geffner 11/27/2024

With two very good credit cards in my wallet, I didn’t feel a need for a third until a natural disaster... Read More »

What is Subprime Credit? How Credit Card Issuers Evaluate Consumer Risk

What Does Subprime Credit Mean? How Issuers Evaluate Risk

By: Marcie Geffner 10/1/2024

Here’s a confession: I’ve never had subprime credit. Yet as a financial writer, I’m well familiar with... Read More »

What is the Credit CARD Act of 2009? How the Legislation Impacts Consumers

What is the CARD Act and How Does It Impact Consumers?

By: Marcie Geffner 9/5/2024

Throughout my life, I’ve never had significant problems with my credit cards or card debt. That may be... Read More »

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