Account Management Archives - jerseyvoucher.com

by Olivia Hughes - January 22, 2021

How to add an authorized user to an American Express card

Having a strong credit score is important. Consumers need it to get approved for a mortgage loan, to finance the purchase of a car and to qualify for the best credit cards at the lowest interest rates.

By adding friends and family members – or anyone else you’d like – as authorized users on your American Express credit card account, you can help them build a credit score if they lack one or improve one that’s weak. Just be careful: Authorized users can cause you financial pain if they overspend each month.

What is an authorized user?

An authorized user is someone who can use your credit card account to make purchases. Every purchase authorized users make goes onto your account.

These users, though, are not responsible for paying these charges. That’s up to you.

This is why it’s important to only add authorized users whom you trust to not run up charges on your account. You also need to create agreements with your authorized users on how much they can charge each month and when they need to pay for these purchases.

build or repair their credit. Every time you make an on-time payment, it’s reported to the three national credit bureaus – helping improve your credit score in addition to the scores of those listed as authorized users on your card.

One benefit for you as the primary cardholder? If you have an American Express credit card that generates rewards, authorized users can help you build those points faster. Every purchase authorized users make on your card will count toward your rewards bonuses.

Authorized user eligibility requirements

You can add anyone you’d like as an authorized user. Most people add family members, maybe their spouse or children. But you’re not limited to that: You can add friends or even people who work for you, such as a nanny or babysitter.

When adding authorized users, you need to provide their name, date of birth and Social Security number. You don’t have to provide authorized users’ birth dates and Social Security numbers immediately when applying for the card, but American Express does require you to provide this information within 60 days of application. If you don’t, the authorized user’s card will be deactivated. There’s one other limit, too – all authorized users must be at least 13 years old.

How to add an authorized user to your American Express account

Adding authorized users to your American Express account is a simple process. First, log into your American Express account. On your account page, scroll down until you see the “Useful Links” option on the right side of the page. You can then click on “Add Someone to your Account.”

Your authorized user will usually get the same card that you hold. If you hold the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, your additional card member will also receive a Blue Cash Everyday card.

There are exceptions, though. If you hold The Platinum Card® from American Express card, you can sign your authorized users up for either the Platinum card or the authorized user Gold card (not to be confused with the American Express® Gold Card). This option offers a limited number of benefits from the Platinum card.

See related: Amex Platinum authorized user perks

You can add as many authorized users as you’d like. And if you have more than one American Express card, you can add authorized users to any of them.

Fee for adding an authorized user

Some American Express cards charge a fee for adding authorized users. Others don’t.

For instance, you can add five authorized users to your American Express Gold card for free. If you want to add more, you’ll pay an annual fee of $35 for each extra authorized user.

Adding authorized users to the American Express Platinum card is costlier: You’ll pay a total annual fee of $175 to add three additional Platinum card authorized users. You’ll also pay $175 each year for each additional user you add after those initial three.

You’ll also pay a $175 annual fee for each authorized user you add to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card.

All other American Express cards charge no annual fees for adding authorized users.

Managing authorized user access

American Express does give primary cardholders some control over the authorized users on their account.

First, the charges that each authorized user makes on your account are itemized on your monthly statements. American Express also allows you to check the balances on your additional cards through your online account at any time.

Unlike some credit card providers, American Express lets you set a monthly spending limit for each of your authorized users. You can set this limit as low as $200 up to your full credit limit.

Pros and cons of adding an authorized user

There are both benefits and potential pitfalls to adding authorized users to your American Express card.

Pros

Increased rewards: The purchases your authorized users make all count toward your rewards points and cash back bonuses. Adding authorized users, then, can help you earn rewards and cash back at a faster pace.
You can help your children build credit scores: Want your children to steadily build a strong credit score? Adding them as authorized users can help do this. Many younger adults have no credit score at all because they don’t have enough of a credit history to have built one. Every time you make an on-time payment on your American Express account, it will strengthen your credit score, as well as help users who don’t have a score build one of their own.
Help to those with damaged scores: Maybe you know a family member or friend with a weak credit score. By adding them as authorized users, you can help them repair their weak scores. Again, every payment you make on time is reported to the credit bureaus. These payments will also count for your authorized users, helping them improve their scores over time.

Cons

You’re responsible for authorized users’ charges: You’re responsible for any charges your authorized users make each month. If they run up an excessive amount of debt and refuse to pay for it? You’re responsible for covering that payment. You can control some of this by setting spending limits for authorized users, but adding additional cards to your account is still risky.
A damaged debt-to-income ratio? Your debt-to-income ratio, a measure of how much of your gross monthly income your monthly debts consume, is an important number for your credit score. If your authorized users add too much debt to your American Express card and refuse to pay it off, it could hurt this ratio. This is especially true if you can’t afford to pay off those charges on your own.

Should you add an authorized user to your American Express card?

Adding authorized users is a worthwhile move if you want to help a family member or friend boost his or her credit. The move, though, could be risky if your authorized users charge too much each month. Only add authorized users whom you trust to abide by any spending rules you set up for them.

Source: creditcards.com

by Olivia Hughes - January 19, 2021

Taking financial control amid a global pandemic

There is no doubt that COVID-19 has affected the financial security of millions of Americans.

A September 2020 NPR poll found that nearly half of U.S. households experienced job loss or pay cuts during the pandemic. Fifty-four percent with annual incomes below $100,000 suffered the most serious financial problems.

However, as the situation deteriorated for many, a subset of individuals assumed newfound control over their economic well-being. The pandemic became their trigger to make powerful changes with the way they handled money, credit, income and savings.

Here’s how just a few people refused to let severe and unexpected pandemic-related conditions get them down.

Taking financial control amid a global pandemic

Improved charging habits
Repaid debt
Starting over after a job loss
Building a better budget
Increased saving and investing

Improved charging habits

According to an October Money and Morning Consult survey, 29% of credit card holders have been charging more than they had been before the pandemic, particularly on food and self-care items.

For some, like Raul Mercado from Austin, Texas, a freelance digital marketing professional, that didn’t mean acquiring high balances, but using the cards more effectively than ever before.

Mercado’s partner has been furloughed from both of her jobs, and his pay was cut by a third in the span of one month. In response, they changed the way they had been charging. The couple decided to make their cards work for, rather than against, them.

“My partner purchased an online course called ‘Credit Cards 101,’ and we learned the best way to use credit cards,” says Mercado. “We started using credit cards that included airline miles or cash back bonuses for all purchases so we could get additional resources from spending the same amount of money. Of course, we pay back our credit cards every week so we don’t go into debt. And because of all the closures around town, we are able to save significant amounts from not going out on date nights or expensive vacations.”

Now the couple is looking forward to using the rewards when travel is once again an option. They’ll stick with their new card strategy, though, since it allows them to profit from the process.

Repaid debt

A positive aspect of the pandemic is that it made many people reevaluate how they’re handing their existing financial obligations. In fact, Experian reported an unprecedented consumer debt reduction in 2020. Outstanding credit card balances dropped by 9% from 2019, representing over $73 billion in repaid balances.

Steve Morrow, a Phoenix-based CPA and founder of the kayaking blog Paddle About, and his wife slashed their liabilities over the past 10 months. They had a combination of obligations, including a car loan, home equity loan and credit card debt.

another round of stimulus checks, he will apply it to their emergency fund. In the meantime, he’s also using this time to educate their children.

“We have two teenagers and we’ve been having a lot of conversations with them about finances,” says Morrow. “In fact, one of my sons is taking a personal finance class in high school, and it’s been great to talk to him about our experiences with credit cards.”

See related: Financial bias starts early: How to talk to your daughter about finances

Starting over after job loss

Before COVID struck, Justin Duke had been driving and delivering for such companies as Uber and Instacart. “Then it all basically stopped,” says Duke. “I lost the main source of income that I had and didn’t know if or when it would be safe to do the gig work again, or what would happen with the stimulus. I had to pivot and find a new income.”

So, Duke and his wife, who live in a rural community outside Roanoke, Virginia, turned their attention to the business of raising goats and chickens. At the start of the pandemic, selling the animals and eggs via MrAnimal Farm generated a little side cash. Today, along with working a few other e-commerce and review sites, the couple is earning three times what they had been before.

“We have a safe way to make money that we have more control over,” says Duke. “We’re financially stable and are in control! Our holiday spending this year won’t change, but the goal for 2021 is to be able to purchase a second house with the online income.”

Duke is hardly alone in his quest for earnings independence. In October, the Census Bureau reported that applications for federal employer identification numbers had surged – by July, they were up an astonishing 91%, compared to the same time frame in 2019.

Building a better budget

Insecure salaries inspired other people to reevaluate how much money was going out each month, and then make powerful changes to ensure that there was enough to meet essentials. Such was the case for Jonathan Sanchez, an Omaha, Nebraska-based personal finance blogger for Parent Portfolio, a wealth building website for families.

“Due to the economic stress caused by the pandemic, I was furloughed from my full-time job,” says Sanchez. “This put the weight of supplying for our family solely on my wife. Initially, it was depressing for me not to be able to work as well and was hard for my wife.”

Eventually, though, he decided to use this opportunity to assess their cash flow plan to get them closer to financial independence.

“We updated our budget and became more intentional with our money,” says Sanchez. “Before, what we were doing was not budgeting but spending and thinking we should have enough until the next paycheck. We never set limits – now we do. ‘Only this much for groceries, this much for dining’ kind of thing. It helped us become more mindful. For a whole summer, I stayed home with my daughter who was in daycare, so we didn’t have that expense either, so that was like a mortgage payment!”

The couple refinanced their primary residence to reduce those payments, then purchased a house as an investment property to generate passive income. They then deleted a large portion of their student loan debt and are working toward building up a sizable savings fund.

“Now that we have a budget in place, we’re not worried about money anymore,” says Sanchez. “My wife actively looks at our budget three times a week. It’s a habit we will continue on forever!”

See related: How to stop overspending during the coronavirus pandemic

Increased saving and investing

And then there are people who have found a way to increase their net worth, despite recent economic hardship. Christen Thomas, a personal finance expert and founder of the travel advice website TravelWanderGrow, has managed to create wealth.

Thomas has always been budget-savvy, but the pandemic prompted her to take a harder look at the way she had been preparing for her financial future that extends far beyond the next 12 months.

“It’s the year I’ve moved beyond the budget,” says Thomas. “I’ve started doing much more focused research into the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement, and have adjusted my long-term investment strategy accordingly. This has led me to move from investing around 10% of my income to 20%. I plan to grow this rate to 50% over the next few years as I pay down my student loans more aggressively and cut certain expenses.”

Miller & Company, LLP, the pandemic switched something crucial but latent in many people. They’ve found ways to thrive, when it hadn’t been necessary before. People discovered their inner strength and knowledge that they can perservere under extremely difficult conditions. Many fought to budget their money for the first time.

“The pandemic grounded a lot of people,” says Miller. “It helped them develop character. Americans are resolved to figure it out. Ultimately, it taught millions of us how to rescue ourselves, and that even in the bad times, there is good.”

Certainly not everybody has been able to regroup and overcome financial adversity in 2020, but it’s worth taking inspiration from those who have.

Source: creditcards.com

by Olivia Hughes - January 16, 2021

Can you send money with a credit card?

Sending cash to friends and family? Before you reach for that credit card, grab a calculator. It’s time to do a little math.

With most everything you purchase online or through apps, credit cards have the edge. With plastic, you have chargeback rights. If you’re overcharged or receive the wrong item, broken merchandise or nothing at all, your card issuer will make it right. And if you use a rewards card, you collect points or miles, too. Win-win.

But it’s different story when you’re sending money through peer-to-peer platforms. Many of them (like Google Pay, Popmoney and Zelle), don’t allow consumers to use a credit card to send cash.

Others (like Cash App, PayPal and Venmo), allow credit cards but also charge a fee for the privilege – often about 3%.

See related: How to choose a P2P payment service

The hidden costs of using credit cards to send money

Choose a credit card to send money and you might also end up paying additional fees to your card issuer. That’s because the combination of some peer-to-peer apps with certain cards are coded as cash advances, rather than purchases.

For many cards, that cash advance code triggers a higher interest rate that kicks in the moment you make the transaction, as well as a separate cash advance fee that’s often $10 or 5% of the transaction – whichever is higher. (Currently, the average interest rate for cash advances is 24.8%, while the average APR for purchases is 16.05%.)

So the combination of peer-to-peer service fees, credit card cash advance fees and that higher interest rate (with no grace period) could make sending a few hundred dollars a bit more costly than you’d planned.

No chargeback rights with credit cards

The real kicker: Unlike other venues, you don’t have chargeback rights when you use credit cards to make peer-to-peer money transfers.

When you present your credit card in an online or brick-and-mortar store, there’s a merchant involved – and the law provides chargeback rights for your protection in case you don’t get what you were promised in the deal. But in a peer-to-peer money transfer, there’s no merchant, so currently the laws don’t give consumers any chargeback rights, says Christina Tetreault, manager of financial policy for Consumer Reports.

“The chargeback right requires a merchant,” says Tetreault. “One of the hoops a consumer has to jump through is to try and work it out with the merchant.”

If you use a peer-to-peer service and send the wrong amount or send the money to the wrong person, most platforms advise that the only way to get it back is to contact the recipient and ask them to return it. And that’s often the same whether you use a credit card, debit card, bank account or funded account on the platform.

“Be doubly sure when you’re sending the money that you’re putting in the correct information,” says John Breyault, vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud for the National Consumers League. “It’s still a buyer beware world when it comes to peer-to-peer.”

The solution

If you’re sending money and want to use a credit card, it pays to do a little sleuthing first. Check out the peer-to-peer site. Does it allow users to send money with a credit card? If so what, if any, fees does it charge?

On some platforms (PayPal is one), you could see similar fees for using a debit card – while sending from a bank account or funded account on the platform is free.

The good news is that many peer-to-peer platforms clearly disclose it when there’s an extra charge to use a credit card, says Tetreault. With Venmo, for example, you’ll get a pop-up message.

Harder to decipher: Will credit card transactions on the platform be treated as a cash advance? If your preferred platform doesn’t post this information, you might need to contact customer service. (And how quickly and easily you get an answer can tell you a lot, too.)

Ask your card issuer the same question: Are peer-to-peer money transfers on the platform you’ve chosen treated as a cash advance? If they are, what’s the interest rate, and what’s the cash advance fee?

“What I would suggest is to ask that question, via email, of your financial institution,” says Tetreault. “It may be in their FAQs. And you want to save that email. If you have it in writing, if there’s an issue later, you’re better positioned to contest that fee.”

But “the hard truth is you may not be able to find out ahead of time,” she says.

Another solution: Opt to use a credit card issued by a credit union.

“With credit unions, the APR is usually the same” for purchases and cash advances, says John Bratsakis, president and CEO of the Maryland and District of Columbia Credit Union Association.

Likewise, with American Express cards you pay your regular interest rate and no cash advance fees on peer-to-peer transfers, says Elizabeth Crosta, vice president of public affairs for American Express.

And credit cards from U.S. Bank register peer-to-peer money transfers as regular purchases – with no cash advance fees or cash advance APRs, says Rick Rothacker, spokesperson for the bank.

See related: How do credit card APRs work?

What’s your reason for using a credit card?

Take a good look at the reason you’re using a credit card, too. If you want chargeback rights, that’s not an option. If you’re doing it for the rewards, will the value of those points or miles be eaten up by extra fees or a higher interest rate you have to pay to use the card?

And if you’re using a card because you don’t have the cash, that might be a good reason to rethink the idea of sending money in the first place.

That’s a huge red flag, says Bruce McClary, vice president of public relations at the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

“The need to convert credit into cash is what really gets my attention – because that hints at a lack of savings,” he said. “It’s a reality a lot of people are facing, especially now.”

Cash advances aren’t as expensive or risky as payday loans and car title loans, but they should be among your last resorts. If you’re looking for short-term relief, you could ask your credit card issuer for help, or find out if you qualify for a personal loan. You could also borrow from a family member or trusted friend, but be wary of the potential relationship toll if you can’t pay them back.

Getting cash from credit cards

Fifty-two percent of Americans report that the pandemic has damaged their finances, according to a recent survey by the NFCC. More than a fifth of those had to tap savings for everyday expenses, while 16% increased their credit card spending.

And that’s a sign of financial stress, says McClary. “It means that, in some situations, they have run out of savings.”

There are ways you can use your card to get cash, though.

Cashing in rewards

Some rewards cards from issuers such as Chase, Bank of America and US Bank let you deposit cash-back rewards directly to your bank account.

And Wells Fargo also will let you deposit its Go Far Rewards directly into another Wells Fargo customer’s account, says Sarah DuBois, spokesperson for the bank.

Gift cards

Many credit cards let you convert rewards into retail gift cards. So a pile of points can help a friend or family member buy much-needed groceries or a few holiday presents.

Or simply “buy a gift card for someone,” says Bratsakis.

Retailer-specific gift cards and gift cards issued through local and regional retail associations and malls often come with no fees – meaning every dollar you spend goes toward your gift.

Convenience checks

While you can get a cash advance or use convenience checks from your card issuer, both those options often come with fees and higher interest rates. Not a smart money move, especially in the current economy.

While some lenders may offer convenience checks with deferred interest, that’s not the same as “no interest,” says Bratsakis. Also, if you don’t pay the loan in full, will you owe the full interest retroactively?

“That’s where consumers have to be careful,” he says. With a convenience check or even a cash advance, “that’s usually where consumers can get themselves into trouble if they can’t pay it off and get hit with deferred interest.”

See related: What is deferred interest?

Bottom line

When it comes to peer-to-peer payments, cash really is king. You can then put it into a funded account with the money transfer platform or your bank account. And most peer-to-peer platforms let you do this for free.

“The safest way to use these services is to send money person-to-person and be diligent about getting all the details correct so it doesn’t go to the wrong person,” says Tetreault.

Only send to people you trust and know in real life, she says. “And before sending money make sure you understand what, if any, fees you might incur.”

Source: creditcards.com

by Olivia Hughes - January 11, 2021

Credit card expiration date: What it does, and where to find it

In the era of lockdowns and social distancing, you’re probably relying most heavily on your credit card, as you shop online for many of your purchases.

But you might run into a snag and not be able to complete your transaction if you’re trying to use your card after its expiration date.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you want to keep those purchases coming all year long.

See related: How do credit cards work?

Wear and tear

While your credit card account itself doesn’t expire at a certain time, the piece of plastic associated with it does.

That’s because “magnetic stripes wear out, cards bend,” says Nessa Feddis, a senior vice president at the American Bankers Association.

Because of their propensity to show wear and tear, “issuers want to make sure to get working cards into customers’ hands,” says Ted Rossman, industry analyst for CreditCards.com.

Cards with magnetic stripes typically wear out faster, so they usually expire after three years, Rossman says.

EMV cards, which contain computer chips embedded in them, tend to show less wear than those with magnetic stripes, Rossman says. As a result, many issuers are extending the expiration date on those cards to five years.

Sending you a new card periodically also allows issuers to implement design upgrades and technology updates, according to a spokeswoman for Discover.

Credit cards for retailers such as Macy’s can be an exception and there may be no expiration date on such cards.

Safety and security

Expiration dates also serve as a security measure. If you’re making a purchase online or by phone, you’ll typically be asked to provide your account number, the three- or four-digit security code on the card and the credit card expiration date.

The expiration date helps to verify that your transaction is valid, Feddis says. “It’s another data point to match up.”

For the card issuer, putting an expiration on a credit card helps the company manage its credit card portfolio, Rossman says. About 20% to 30% of credit cards that are issued are never activated.

Having an expiration date on a card serves as a “mechanism for re-evaluating a customer’s standing and potentially clearing dormant cards off the books,” Rossman says.

According to the American Bankers Association, Americans held 373 million credit card accounts in the second quarter of 2020. But that was down from 374 million in the second quarter of 2019. It was the first time the number of accounts has fallen since 2012, no doubt tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, credit card debt fell by $74 billion from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020, according to the New York Federal Reserve. The drop was driven by the economic recession caused by the pandemic.

See related: Many Americans say they’ll spend less after the pandemic than before

Where to look

If you want to check your credit card’s expiration date, you’ll often find it embossed on the front of your card, under your account number and above your name.

It will be embossed with the two-digit month and two-digit year, such as 02/21.

In the past, the raised numbers were needed on the front of a credit card because merchants would use a machine to make an imprint of the numbers on a receipt, and customers would have to sign the receipt. Now those machines are few and far between.

Today you may have a newer chip credit card that has no raised numbers on the front, and the account number is printed on the back.

With those cards, you’ll also find the expiration date on the back of the card, below your account number.

The expiration date is listed as a month and year, so your card is valid through the last day of that month, the Discover spokeswoman says.

Your new card should be sent to you well in advance of the expiration date. Once the new card arrives, be sure to activate it using your computer or by calling in to the number listed on the sticker placed on your card. Sign your card and be sure to destroy your old one.

See related: What do the numbers on your credit card mean?

Recurring payments

If you use your credit card to make recurring payments, you’ll need to update your card information with the merchant to make sure your payments continue to go through, the Discover spokeswoman says.

However, many merchants subscribe to credit card issuers’ account updater services. If you get a credit card with a new expiration date, or you receive a card with a new account number, the service updates that information to the merchant, so your credit card payment will continue to be processed.

If your account information doesn’t automatically update, you may receive an email from the merchant, asking you to go to the company’s website and update your information.

Paying attention to your credit card expiration date can help keep your transactions on track throughout the year.

Source: creditcards.com