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Distinguishing Features      
Written by yanglu   
September 26, 2008 16:47

As much as the two new cards have similarities to them, they each have a distinguishing feature. With the Chase Platinum Business Card you get additional benefits including travel insurance, lost luggage insurance, and more. With the Chase Business Rebate Card you can get as much as 3% cash back* on select purchases. When you take a client out to eat, purchase supplies at the office or building supply stores, or fuel up your car, Chase rewards kick in when you use your card. For all other purchases the rewards rate is 1%. Of course, the biggest decision for you is which card to select.

Both cards come equipped with many useful features and are certain to attract customers who need a business card that works so well for them. Compare the offers and select the one that meets your needs and start benefiting from your new Chase business card today! Regardless of whether a consumer is shopping for a new home, in quest of credit to run a small business or a looking for a new credit card, a comprehensive comparison is vital. Shopping for the right credit card can be the difference between paying a hefty cost for the privilege of borrowing versus maximizing one purchasing power. If they're successful, months can pass before a cardholder discovers the fraud. After all, if your wallet hasn't been stolen and you haven't misplaced a card, you may be puzzled to discover that your card has been compromised even though it's safely tucked away the entire time. While it might not be the simplest way to commit an identity theft, card shaving is on the rise.

"Desperate times mean desperate measures," said Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and author of "The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert." "In this economy, we are seeing scams of all kinds resurfacing, including credit card shaving." Card shaving's growth comes partly as a reaction to increased high-tech credit card security steps, experts say. "As regulati­ons and security tightened on electronic credit card processing networks, it became increasingly difficult for hackers to penetrate them," says Shyam Krishnan, an industry analyst with the Smart Cards group at Frost & Sullivan, a high-tech research and consulting firm. And so they turned to other low-tech scams, such as card shaving. Because the scam requires clerks to enter the card number manually, merchants are the first line of defense in catching the perpetrators. These fraudulent cards usually look suspicious to begin with -- the numbers and letters often haphazardly glued on -- and that alone should raise red flags with store clerks and cashiers. However, many shaving scammers primarily use the cards in busy bargain stores where clerks are too harried to pay much attention and verification systems are so outdated that they don't require a matching ZIP code or other personal data.

"If merchants physically inspect all cards, they'll minimize the incidents of counterfeit cards being used," says Tom Harkins, chief strategy officer at Secure Identity Systems. It's in the merchant's best financial interest to keep a watchful eye. After all, any charges made with the number would likely be disputed by the card's rightful owner, leaving the merchant with little option but to absorb the loss through a chargeback. That's why Siciliano recommends that merchants refuse service if the card doesn't scan. "Manually typing the card number in when there is even a hint of suspicion is risky," he says. As you stated in your question, you have debts that you are considering settling.

You are thinking of retiring and need to know if you should invest this money. You also have a wish list of items, including buying some furniture and doing some remodeling. Start with the credit cards and the mortgage. You want to settle debts in the order in which you pay the most in interest cost. If you are like most people, your credit cards carry a higher interest rate than your mortgage, so go ahead and pay those off first. Next is your the mortgage. Paying down a mortgage comes down to two things: Does it make sense mathematically, and would you feel better knowing your mortgage is paid off? 

For example, if your mortgage has a 12 percent interest rate, and the current going rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage, as of Aug. 25, is 6.47 percent, then either pay it off or refinance at a lower rate. Everyday consumers from all occupations are inundated with legitimate and illicit credit card offers. From email to junk mail, choosing the correct credit card requires the same type of careful shopping as it does to buy a new car. Just like every automobile is not conducive for all drivers, the same rule applies to credit cards and consumers. Prior to scouring through innumerous credit card opportunities, first consider your credit card objectives:

How do you plan to use the credit card?

Do you need a new credit card to consolidate other debts?

Do you need the new credit card to make small business purchases?

Would you like to save money?

Are you in need of a cash advance?

Evaluating how you plan to use a credit card is the first step to practicing intelligent personal financing. By answering the above questions, you can devise a list of credit card features to best save you money and maximize your purchasing power.