The Disney Rewards Visa and Disney Premier Visa are two credit cards you can use to help fund your Disney vacation. Both are issued by Chase, have similar interest rates, and offer special 0% financing on a Disney vacation, but the Premier version of the card lets you earn double the rewards (Disney Dream Dollars) for a $49 annual fee. The Disney Rewards Visa does not have an annual fee.
Rewards earned on the cards can only be used at Disney resorts, except the Premier version lets you use rewards toward airline travel, presumably to your Disney destination.
Both cards serve as admission to Meet N’ Greet and be photographed with a Disney character at a private location only available to Disney credit cardholders.
If you’re interested in either, choose the Disney Premier Visa if you can afford to spend over $2,500 annually.
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Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Money, which recently bought Northern Rock, has increased interest rates on its credit cards by almost 50pc in the latest blow to consumers already hit by rising mortgage rates.
The banking group has issued a “take it or leave it” ultimatum, telling customers to accept the rises or pay off their balances.
Rates on purchases using Virgin credit cards, provided by MBNA, have soared from 16.8pc to 24.9pc. The average credit card charges 18.9pc. Virgin has also increased rates on balance transfers, from 18.9pc to 27.9pc.
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On February 23, 2012 MasterCard and Telefonica came together and unveiled the name of their new brand name that is looking to spread the development of mobile financial solutions in a dozen Latin American markets.
The new corporate and consumer brand is named, Wanda, and it will help to provide mobile payment solutions to Movistars 83 million customers in the dozen markets it will be available in.
These mobile payment services are connected to a prepay account or mobile wallet that allows the transfer of money, mobile airtime loading, the payment of bills, and purchases in stores and outlets.
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Banks received nearly £11billion more than they lent to firms last year – and imposed the highest interest rates for nearly three years.
The figures from the Bank of England make a mockery of the Government’s attempts to get banks to lend to businesses, particularly small firms.
Net lending, which is the amount handed out to firms less the amount paid back, was minus £10.8billion in 2011.
Statistics published yesterday also show the average interest rate charged on new loans has jumped to 2.67 per cent, the highest since the base rate was cut to 0.5 per cent in March 2009.
There are growing suspicions that Royal Bank of Scotland, which is 82 per cent owned by the taxpayer, has failed to meet its lending target.
The five banking giants – HSBC, Santander, Barclays, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland – promised to hand out £190billion to firms this year under the Government’s Project Merlin initiative.
Of the total amount, at least £76billion had to be given to small and medium-sized firms.
Yesterday Santander said it lent £4.3billion, ahead of its £4billion target.
Other b
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Customers who successfully apply at barclaycard.co.uk for a Barclaycard Platinum card with the current 22 month 0% balance transfer offer, will also receive a £25 refund against the balance transfer fee (minimum balance transfer of £2,000).
The special limited offer, which is available on one of the longest interest-free deals on the market, is available to new customers who transfer a balance within 60 days of opening their Barclaycard Platinum card account. The current offer also extends to 0% interest on purchases for the first three months and a typical APR of 17.9% variable. Those transferring balances will be charged a 2.9% handling fee. W
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Having a past due account is bad for several reasons. Fees continue to add up each month your late. You risk having your interest rate raised on credit card balances that are more than 60 days past due. Plus, your credit suffers each month you’re late. You should deal with all past due accounts sooner rather than later to cut back on the damage that’s done by past due accounts.
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Taxpayer-owned Lloyds Banking Group is pulling out of the charity credit cards market, because it says that offering cards that donate to good causes is “no longer cost-effective”.
The company has been offering these cards for over 23 years, but has written to customers informing them that their charity cards will be replaced by standard credit cards that do not offer a charity donation.
The charities hit by the withdrawal include Cancer Research UK, which has received over £15m from the credit cards. as well as the NSPCC and the Scottish SPCA. Lloyds said it had offered to help each charity find a new issuer “should that be the route they wish to pursue in the future”.
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Early action of enforcement by federal bureaucrats may have stopped the collapse of five corporate credit unions, so says a brand new study by the Government Accountability Office.
The congressional investigation department recently undertook an investigation into the practices of the National Credit Union Administration during a time when most other regulatory bodies focused their interest on the countrys biggest banks, credit card issuers and mortgage lenders.
According to a report published in the Wall Street journal and Credit Union Times, GAO researchers examined the failure of these five corporate credit unions and up to eighty-five retail credit unions between January 2008 and June 2011.
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British embassies in the eurozone have been told to draw up plans to help British expats through the collapse of the single currency, amid new fears for Italy and Spain.
A senior minister has now revealed the extent of the Government’s concern, saying that Britain is now planning on the basis that a euro collapse is now just a matter of time.
“It’s in our interests that they keep playing for time because that gives us more time to prepare,” the minister told the Daily Telegraph.
Recent Foreign and Commonwealth Office instructions to embassies and consulates request contingency planning for extreme scenarios including rioting and social unrest.
A senior minister has now revealed the extent of the Government’s concern, saying that Britain is now planning on the basis that a euro collapse is now just a matter of time.
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