Credit Card Charges | Credit Card Topics

Survey Finds That 82% of Consumers Have Paid Fees for Using Credit Cards, But They Don’t Like It

By: Andrew Allen, 4/24/2025

Many shoppers know the experience of waiting in a store’s slow-moving checkout line. Maybe at times you’ve even detected the source of the problem — a customer who’s fumbling through their purse or backpack for loose change to pay for their items. You may have wondered why the customer didn’t just use their credit card for the payment and allowed the other shoppers in line to get on with their day. But perhaps that customer — from their vantage point near the... read more »

Legislators Tell Credit Card Issuers to Stay Out of Merchant Tip Jars

By: Andrew Allen, 2/3/2025

States have introduced legislation to restrict the fees merchants pay card issuers on the gratuity and tax portion of a customer’s bill. Interchange on sales tax is relatively small on a per transaction basis, but it amounts to trillions of dollars per year in the aggregate. Experts have opposing viewpoints regarding the viability of excluding gratuity and tax amounts from interchange charges. The fees issuers charge merchants for processing credit and debit card... read more »

What is a Credit Card Billing Statement? How to Read Your Monthly Account Summary

By: Andrew Allen, 12/9/2024

I had a friend once who eagerly awaited a reply from a university she applied to. She’d check her mailbox every day to see if anything from the school had arrived. Finally, the long-awaited letter was delivered. But, rather than tearing into it to see whether she’d been accepted, my friend simply set it on her desk. She was too nervous to open it. Some people may feel the same kind of anxiety each month when they receive their credit card billing statement. Perhaps they... read more »

What is a Credit Card Billing Cycle? How it Impacts Interest, Payments, and Grace Periods

By: Jerry Brown, 9/3/2024

Hitting for the cycle in baseball is one of the most interesting and exciting feats in the sport. It happens when a player hits a single, double, triple, and home run (in any order) in the same game. The odds of an average player hitting for a cycle in a game are 0.0059%, which is why I am still waiting to see it happen! On the opposite end of the spectrum is the credit card billing cycle. While it isn’t exactly inspiring or memorable, it’s still important to understand for your... read more »

What Is a Credit Card Annual Fee? Why Issuers Charge Them & Cost-to-Benefit Analysis

By: Eric Bank, 5/23/2024

An annual fee is a charge you pay once a year to use a credit card. It’s like a membership fee for having the card. Some credit cards have this fee, whereas others do not. The annual fee may be a fixed number, but some cards, especially those for bad credit, may alter the fee after the first year. Typically, the higher the fee, the more rewarding the card. Unless it’s from a subprime issuer, in which case, it’s one of the many fees people with poor credit must face to gain... read more »

How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge

By: Marcie Geffner, 7/6/2023

The ability to dispute a charge may be one of the most valuable and least understood benefits of using credit cards. With most card companies, disputing a charge is relatively easy. If you win, you may receive a statement credit up to the full amount. You'll have lost some time, but no money. 3 Types of Charges You Can Dispute and Probably Win Most of the card charges that can be successfully disputed fit into the following three categories: 1. Billing Errors ... read more »

Chargeflow Automates Chargeback Dispute Management to Help eCommerce Merchants Win

By: Mike Senecal, 6/23/2023

Chargebacks are silent profit killers in US eCommerce businesses. Consumers commit "friendly fraud" when instigating a chargeback after legitimately receiving a product. That leaves the merchant with the burden of proving delivery, which can be a costly and time-consuming manual process. Chargeflow levels the playing field by automating dispute management for merchants, who pay Chargeflow only when they win. Chargeflow transforms chargebacks from a cost center for... read more »

11 Best Credit Cards For Subscriptions (May 2025)

By: Matt Walker, 5/9/2025

The subscription economy has grown by more than 400% in recent years. This hasn't gone unnoticed by banks, who have curated some of the best credit cards for subscriptions. Whether you’re a Netflix and chill type of person, would like to broaden your music catalog with Spotify, or want to settle in to read the book of the month on Audible, there’s a subscription for just about any hobby or interest. And while most of these subscriptions are paid monthly, the best card options... read more »

12 Best Credit Cards for Extended Warranties (May 2025)

By: Eric Bank, 5/9/2025

Does your credit card offer benefits you don’t even know about? One valuable, albeit less-familiar benefit is the extended warranty. This adds months or years of protection to your purchased items. Read on to learn about the 12 best credit cards for extended warranties. Although the benefit may be seldom used, it can save you a lot of money if you run into problems with your purchase after the regular warranty expires. This benefit is becoming harder to find, but some issuers... read more »

7 Best Credit Cards for Auto Repairs (2024)

By: Adam West, 5/1/2024

If your budget isn’t ready for a blown tire, busted hose, or broken transmission, then you may want to consider one of the best credit cards for auto repairs. These cards offer an extended period of interest-free financing to help you pay for your repairs over time without overpaying for the privilege. And, depending on the card you choose, your repair bill may just earn you a cash signup bonus that will help bring down the overall cost of your repairs. Cards | FAQs Best Credit... read more »

6 Best Credit Cards for Emergencies (2024)

By: Matt Walker, 3/14/2024

Emergencies never provide a courtesy warning and usually require funds at the ready. With one of the best credit cards for emergencies, you can pay for what you need easily and move onto whatever’s next, given the circumstance. But if you don’t already have a credit card stored away for such events or another source of quick funds, the situation can become even more stressful. That’s why we’ve deemed the best credit cards for emergencies those that can give you access to your... read more »

7 Best Credit Cards With Price Protection (2023)

By: Adam West, 9/26/2023

It’s happened to all of us at some point; we think we’ve found the best deal on a new device or gadget we’ve been eyeing, only to see a lower advertised price after we’ve bought it. No worries, that’s what price protection is for, right? But if you’re wondering about the best credit cards with price protection, you may want to start asking a different question. For years, credit card companies touted their price protection programs — sometimes called price matching,... read more »

7 Best Credit Cards for Buying a Car (May 2025)

By: Eric Bank, 5/9/2025

Has it ever occurred to you that you could use a credit card to buy a car? Astute readers of CardRates.com will recall that we’ve addressed this exciting possibility, explaining when cards can and cannot help pay for a car purchase. If you are contemplating acquiring one of the best credit cards for buying a car, it makes sense to understand the different rewards and promotions first. Getting a new card with an introductory period of 0% APR purchases means that you can avoid the... read more »

Chargebacks911: Management Solutions to Help Online Merchants Preserve Sales and Protect Customer Relationships

By: Adam West, 10/19/2020

Consumer chargeback requests with card issuers contribute to between $30 billion and $60 billion in lost revenue for online merchants each year. But Chargebacks911 helps sellers retain revenue while protecting customer relationships with its comprehensive, service-oriented approach to settling chargeback disputes. Before transactions take place, Chargebacks911 is proactive in assisting merchants with compliance and fraud mitigation. The company acts as a liaison between... read more »

How Does Credit Card Interest Work? (May 2025)

By: Brittney Mayer, 5/9/2025

If you've ever wondered, "How does credit card interest work?" read on — it's not as complicated as it may seem. If you understand the formulas involved, calculating important personal finance numbers typically requires no more advanced skills than those of simple arithmetic. In many cases, the apparent difficulty of finance-related mathematics is due more to a confusion of concepts and terms than the need for calculus and derivations. This is particularly apparent when one cracks... read more »

What is Credit Card APR? 9 Best 0% APR Cards (May 2025)

By: Linsey Knerl, 5/9/2025

If you’ve been considering applying for a new credit card, you’ve likely heard a lot about the term “APR." So, exactly, what is APR on a credit card? This term is perhaps the most critical factor in deciding which card to get, and it can be used to put you in a better overall financial situation – if handled correctly. Here are the facts about APR, why it matters, and what you can do to make it work for you. Low APR | 0% Intro APR | 0% Balance Transfer APR APR Stands for... read more »

The Merchants Payments Coalition: 2.7M Stores and 50M Employees Fighting for a More Transparent Credit Card System

By: Ashley Fricker, 10/19/2020

More than ever before, consumers are choosing credit as their preferred method of payment for the added security and rewards-earning potential they provide. However, the current fee of up to 4 percent per transaction that the credit card associations — Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover — impose each time someone swipes their card has become the second-highest operating expense for most merchant businesses. With credit card associations earning as... read more »

My Credit Card Was Used Fraudulently: Here’s What to Do (2023)

By: Eric Bank, 4/28/2023

Even with today's increased security measures, credit cards can still be susceptible to fraud. Just a few months ago, my credit card was used fraudulently. Thankfully, I was able to recover the funds lost through the duplicitous purchases. If you find yourself in a similar situation, and your credit card was used fraudulently, here's what to do. The IRS's advice is to place a “fraud alert” or a “credit freeze” on your credit account. You can also use a credit monitoring or... read more »

Consumer Guide: California Credit Laws

By: Ashley Fricker, 5/24/2018

California is notorious for its beautiful scenery, Hollywood celebrities, surfing and wine country — but California is also recognized for having many unique laws (like how women are prohibited from driving in house coats...), including some pertaining strictly to credit card usage. For example, if you’re using a card to make an in-store purchase and the cashier asks for your address, did you know this is against the law in California? Where I live in Florida, I am asked for... read more »

10 (Unbelievable) Government Credit Card Abuses

By: Logan Ladnyk, 8/15/2018

Remember when an audit found Pentagon employees spent more than $1 million at casinos and adult entertainment? It's just part of a much larger pattern of abuse. In 2008, a Government Accountability Office report noted that government-issued cards could be easily abused. Since then, controls have been implemented but fell drastically short, as scandals came out every few months. The Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act, passed in 2012, was designed to combat these problems. ... read more »

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All articles tagged Credit Card Charges (20)