More than one in four consumers had a debit or credit card replaced in 2009 due to security issues, according to a research firm that tracks the financial services industry. The reasons vary from lost cards that had to be replaced to security concerns. According to the research firm Javelin Strategy, a large number of those had more than one card replaced or a card reissued more than once. Javelin conservatively estimates that the cost to financial institutions to reissue cards was $252 million in 2009.

Among the research findings:

• More than one in four of all U.S. consumers have received a data breach notification.

• New accounts fraud – which is the most difficult to detect – accounts for a large percentage of the growth in identity fraud over the past two years.

• Consumers often either no longer use a card or use it less after it is reissued.

• Banks are viewed less favorably by 38% of consumers after they receive a breach notification.

Changes in the law in the majority of states, as well as a new rule that went into effect June 1st, mean that banks and other financial institutions must do more to identify and detect “red flags” that signal possible identity theft. Yet the study found that these notifications are not appropriately spurring consumers to action. If you have been notified by your bank that there has been a security breach on your account, you are nearly five times more likely to experience fraud than consumers who have not been contacted about such breaches, according to Javelin.  The report costs $1,200 but you can read a press release about it here.

Living Off the Grid

I have an old college friend who is not on Facebook, not on Twitter, doesn’t have an e-mail address, and does his best to live “off the grid.” It’s not that he lives an illegal lifestyle. Far from it. He’s a successful business owner, but he simply wasn’t comfortable with the idea that Big Brother might be watching him, that every mouse click and every transaction was being stored in a database somewhere.

My friend’s fears have come to pass, as we leave such a strong digital footprint in our wake, that it’s possible for marketers to profile our most obscure interest from our past purchases. Hence, many people would like some way to take back a piece of their spending habits and make it anonymous or discreet.

Anonymous Credit Cards

Is it possible to make purchases using a credit card without having to provide a name and address? Is it possible for a credit card to be printed without a name? Fact is, most merchants require you to provide your name and address along with your credit card number, especially in online forms. This information is used to verify the card account as valid.  There are some websites out there that provide “cloaking services” but I have yet to see an objective third party like Consumer Reports substantiate them. There are also some “offshore” Visa® and MasterCard® cards but it is not clear if these are actual credit cards or prepaid cards, since often prepaid cards are misidentified as prepaid credit cards. There are “virtual credit cards” that provide a measure of privacy, because this is a service that substitutes your actual credit card number with a one-time-use but valid substitute number for a fee. So even if hackers get this number, it will no longer be valid. And merchants cannot amass a database of your purchases tied to the card number.

Prepaid Cards For Confidential, Private and Discreet Purposes

Some people want to keep some of their spending private from say the eyes of a spouse who might open and read their credit card statement. We’re not going to list what this spending might entail, but suffice to say, even if some merchants provide generic sounding names for purchases, a curious or suspicious spouse might want to know what the spending is all about.

A prepaid card offers a measure of privacy in that no bank statement is mailed to your house. You check your account by logging in to your account online. So you don’t generate a “paper trail.” Only you have access to your transaction history.

You can also set up direct deposit to have a chunk of change put on the card at regular intervals. This might be your “mad money” or “hobby fund.” It’s apart from your finances, taken out before the rest of your pay is recorded into your bank account as a deposit. Thus, somebody looking at your bank statement won’t know that you have already set aside your own private spending funds.

The Senate’s passage of a sweeping financial reform bill included a last minute amendment to limit fees charged by Visa and MasterCard to retailers for debit card transactions, known as the “interchange” rate. (This bill did not address credit card interchange rates. Also American Express and Discover Card are not covered by the bill, which now must be reconciled with a similar house bill). MasterCard and Visa lobbied hard to prevent this move, while the nation’s largest retailers including Home Depot and Wal Mart lobbied hard for a cap. According to the New York Times:

Last year businesses paid Visa and MasterCard $19.71 billion on debit card transactions, according to The Nilson Report, a trade magazine that is regarded as the best source of data on the industry. Visa and MasterCard in turn passed about 80 percent of the money, roughly $15.8 billion, to the banks that issued the cards.

The legislation directs the Fed to cap those fees at a level that is “reasonable and proportional” to the cost of processing transactions. The Nilson Report estimated that last year, fees averaged 1.63 percent of the transaction amount.

A second set of provisions applies to both credit and debit card transactions. Visa and MasterCard impose an all-or-nothing requirement on businesses, requiring them to accept cards even on small transactions, and prohibiting businesses from offering discounts based on the method of payment. The amendment strikes those rules.

The fees for debit card transactions set by Visa and MasterCard vary based on complicated formulas that include the type of card, the type of retailer, and the amount of the transaction. Most of this fee goes to the bank issuing the debit card.  Issuing banks’ interchange fees are taken from the amount collected by the merchants when they submit debit transactions for payment through their bank.

What does potential change this mean for consumers? It could mean lower prices, because many retailers pass along the cost of interchange to consumers. But odds are retailers won’t pass on any savings.

Merchants would also be able to refuse card payments for small transactions and offer customers discounts for paying by cash or check.

Visa and MasterCard are arguing that the law will hurt consumers, because the the decrease in the money Visa and MasterCard makes from the fees would reduce the pool of money they have for funding cash rewards programs. We haven’t yet seen any analysis that this would indeed be the case.

Manage Your Finances with Reloadable Prepaid Cards

SUMMARY: Using reloadable prepaid cards lets people take control of their finances. Prepaid cards that are reloadable allow users to spend only as much as they already have, and reload money into their accounts easily.

BODY: As today’s global financial crises affect even multi-billion dollar companies, it is critical to manage one’s own finances. With the inception of reloadable prepaid cards, people are now empowered to take substantial control of how they spend their hard-earned money.

A reloadable prepaid card is essentially the same as, say, a prepaid MasterCard debit card, yet different from a regular credit card. For one, a credit card lets people purchase goods on credit — money that they do not have yet. However, a prepaid debit card allows buyers to use only as much as they have already deposited to the card’s account. Simply put, using a debit card is like paying with one’s own cash, but with less of the hassle of carrying bulky cash around. Even better, a reloadable card also prevents users from charging over its limit. This effectively averts the uncontrollable accumulation of debt — more control, more power.

Users can also reload money into their accounts from almost anywhere.  Online cash transfers, mobile financing, and ATM or over-the-counter transactions are some of the ways to reload money. Certain debit cards even allow others to deposit money into one’s account, which is why a number of employers now utilize this system to directly transfer salaries to their employees.

A reloadable debit card gives users the convenience of a credit card with the management of a personal accountant. And because debit cardholders can’t overcharge, be late on payments and accrue any interest, they don’t need to worry about annoying expanding fees. They get the value of their money and more.

Accepted in millions of locations worldwide and growing, reloadable prepaid cards are an excellent choice for someone who wants to be financially in control.

Resource Box:

MiCash, Inc. is a financial service provider offering what are known to many as reloadable credit cards. To apply for their stored-value, branded prepaid cards and avail of special promotions offered by MiCash, visit http://www.micash.net, or call 866-642-2741.

The Benefits of Using Prepaid Credit Cards

Summary: There are certain advantages in having a prepaid credit account that are absent in conventional credit card options. Users will find that this is a very convenient and cost-effective payment card alternative as there are no bills or interest charges. There is also a zero-percent chance of getting buried in debt, a risk burdened by many postpaid credit subscribers.

Body: When applying for prepaid credit, there is no need to worry about getting rejected because of one’s dismal credit history involving previous banks. One doesn’t even need to have a bank account to avail of a prepaid card, only the willingness to present personal information, government-issued identification, and a six to ten dollar fee.

The world of plastic payment has an exclusive side that cash payers cannot penetrate. One cannot purchase items online with old-fashioned green paper, for example, nor can one make instant, long-distance reservations to hotels or airline flights. Credit cards have made for a convenient, secure, and easily accessible way to pay without having to actually be there to give money. For those who have fallen from grace but still want to avail of these increasingly significant financial perks, prepaid credit cards offer the ticket back into the electronic payment scene.

One can open a credit card account by depositing money into that account. It follows the same process as opening a savings account, where one gets issued a prepaid card that can be used anywhere a credit card would normally be used, including the purchase of goods and service both off the counter and online. What sets prepaid credit cards apart from conventional credit cards, aside from the fact that prepaid accounts do not have monthly billing periods, is that there is a absolutely no chance of falling in debt because of one’s credit expenses. Prepaid accounts work by only allowing its users to spend within what is on their remaining balance. There is no risk of overspending or having to pay interest. People who have had a history with these potentially problematic factors can curb their indulgences by signing up for a prepaid credit account.

Resource Box

MiCash Inc. is a leading provider of financial services and a pioneer at offering prepaid credit services for underserved or non-banking consumers. Cardholders can experience the same privileges conventional banking people have without worrying about falling into debt or paying interest. For more information about their products or to avail of their services, please call 1-866-642-2741 or visit http://www.micash.net.