Credit card giant MasterCard has been ordered by the European Competition Commissioner to stop charging fees on cross-border transactions made on its MasterCard and its Maestro credit and debit cards.
These are fees that are charged on international transactions, and can vary between 0.4% and 1.2%. However, the European Competition Commissioner stated that these fees have […]

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Published: Friday, December 28, 2007 9:30 PM CST

The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A new law taking effect in Illinois on Jan. 1 will make gift cards more consumer-friendly, but residents already may have unused balances waiting for them to collect, officials say.
Starting Tuesday, the expiration date on gift cards sold in Illinois must be […]

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It seems that Mexican immigrants are less enthusiastic than ever to take those low-wage, labor intensive construction and service industry jobs we U.S. Americans are so eager to have:
* A recent survey by Mexican authorities shows that fewer Mexicans say they are planning to seek work outside the country. In the third quarter of 2007, […]

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By JONA ISON
Gazette Staff Writer

The retail chaos continued Wednesday as shoppers crowded stores again to return gifts and redeem gift cards.
hhgregg was gearing up for the day early, expecting to see another busy day.

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“Before Christmas, we already had some returns,” said general […]

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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Wal-Mart says it has fixed a problem that resulted in some customers not being able to redeem their gift cards.
The company blames a third party verification system for the glitch. Wal-Mart says the problem was relatively small, but apologized for the error.
The company says customers shouldn’t have any more problems […]

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Published: Dec. 27, 2007 at 2:00 PM
FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 27 (UPI) — Shoppers trying to redeem holiday gift cards at Wal-Mart stores the day after Christmas found their purchase power rejected at the checkout counter.
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, apologized for what it called a problem with a “third-party verifier’s systems that […]

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By Greg Wiles
Advertiser Staff Writer

Stores and restaurants are preparing for a rush of gift-card recipients.
DEBORAH BOOKER | The Honolulu Advertiser

CHECK EXPIRATION DATE ON CARDS
Many people try to use their gift cards […]

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By RACHEL KONRAD and BOB PORTERFIELD, Associated Press WritersSun Dec 23, 2:33 PM ET

Americans are falling behind on their credit card payments at an alarming rate, sending delinquencies and defaults surging by double-digit percentages in the last year and prompting warnings of worse to come.
An Associated Press analysis of financial […]

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By DAVID KAPLAN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

How big is the gift card boom?
One indicator: Wal-Mart is offering “express lanes” exclusively for holiday gift card buying.
And another: Gift cards keep getting spiffier. They can light up, play music and be personalized […]

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By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@kcchronicle.com
Linda Ruhl of North Aurora has a hard time buying gifts for her nieces and nephews because they live out of town.
So this Christmas, they will receive MasterCard gift cards.
“They live in Atlanta, where they don’t have our stores,” Ruhl said. “They can use it at any store.”
Gift cards are […]

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