Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights in a vote of 312 to 112. The passed legislation would limit surprise interest rate increases and fees charged to credit card holders. The bill faces an uncertain fate in the Senate amid the current credit crisis and Congress’ debate whether or not to move forward with the current $700 billion bailout.

“For too long card issuers have been allowed to do whatever they want for any reason,” said New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY). “No other industry is allowed to raise the price of a product after a consumer has bought it.” Representative Maloney is the bill’s sponsor and has received praise from several consumer groups for the bill.

The Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights would prevent banks from retroactively increasing interest rates on credit card balances unless the account is more than 30 days past due. Banks would also be required to notify customers of interest rate increases 45 days prior to a rate increase. Cardholders would also have more time to pay their bill by receiving it 25 days before the due date versus the current 14 days. Mailing a payment 7 days before the due date would be considered “paid on-time” despite processing delays or other arbitrary times; helping consumers avoid late fees of up to $40. The bill also requires banks to apply payments towards balances proportionately, preventing banks from applying payments to lower interest rate balances first.

Banks oppose the bill citing that the legislation could limit their revenue from credit cards when institutions are already struggling from the lack of available capital brought on by the housing slump. The White House and House Republicans also oppose the bill, believing the new bill will restrict access to credit for many consumers and make credit more expensive due to a bank’s inability to adjust for risk and market conditions. The White House says it is concerned about unfair and deceptive practices, but said regulations are better suited to address problems than legislation.

The Federal Reserve typically handles unfair and deceptive consumer practices and has sought input from citizens on the matter this year. Credit card issuers could still face additional restrictions from the Federal Reserve by the end of this year. Among the largest credit card issuers are Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citigroup and Discover Card.

if you have been thinking about applying for the True Earnings Costco American Express card or have been looking for a cash back credit card with additional rebates on gas purchases - now is the time. The Costco American Express card is now offering a $25 statement credit to new applicants after first purchase made with the card. Use the card to buy gas, go to lunch or pay a bill and get a $25 statement credit in additional to the cash rebate you’ll earn on your purchase.

Check out the highlights for the Costco American Express credit card:

• Earn cash back on gas and a $25 statement credit with your first purchase made with the Card!
• Earn cash back virtually everywhere you go - 3% for gasoline, 3% for restaurants, 2% for travel, 1% everywhere else, including Costco
• No Annual Fee with your paid Costco Membership
• The TrueEarnings Card serves as both your American Express Credit Card and your Costco Membership Card
• No Limit on the Cash Back earned

To apply for the American Express Costco card and to start earning cash back on every purchase, you must be a Costco member.

If you are a Starwood Preferred Guest member, you know what awesome deals you can get. Just by being a SPG member, you can get exclusive deals on hotels and resorts around the world. Starwood Preferred Guest has been known for having the industry’s best redemption program. That means, it is a lot easier for you to accumulate points and use them than any other program. SPG prides itself on having no blackout dates, fast point accumulation and access to luxury hotels. Those who travel frequently have come to recognize and appreciate all that SPG has to offer. But, the Starwood Preferred Guest progam just got a lot better with SPG® Flights.

Starwood is now offering SPG® Flights, the first and only hotel loyalty program to offer a flight reward program as well. You can now use your Starpoints to book airline tickets with many different airlines. There are hundreds of airlines around the world to choose from. There are no blackout dates either. Whether you want to fly on a holiday or decide to get out of town for a last-minute getaway, you can cash in your Starpoints to get you there. You don’t have to worry about restrictions or fees. As long as there is a seat available for purchase, you can use your Starpoints to reserve it.

Flights start at 10,000 points. Just go to www.spg.com/flights to search, book and redeem your Starpoints for your next airline ticket. It’s that simple. SPG has really thought of eveything to get your where you want to go without any hassles, restrictions or fees. Use SPG Flights in conjunction with SPG Award Nights and you can get your next getaway for free.

Go ahead and set your own limits. Fly around the world without any boundaries. Stay anywhere around the world without any limitations. Your Starpoints can definitely get you there. Take advantage of Starwood Preferred Guest’s Search-Redeem-Fly program. You’ll soon understand how it feels to be on top of the world.

And the award goes to…American Express - again. American Express prides itself on its outstanding customer service. According to a nationwide survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, American Express ranked the highest of all the credit card companies in customer service. This is, in fact, the second year that customers have rated them highest in customer service.

The J.D. Power and Associate study carefully measures each credit card company in five key areas. The five factors are: interaction, billing and payment processes, fees and rates, reward programs, and benefits and services. As you can see, the study really encompasses every factor of credit cards. The study is based on a 1000 point scale and relies on real customers’ answers. American Express scored 783 points. Discover Card came in second with a total of 751 points.

American Express performed well in every category. American Express got the highest score out of any of the other credit card companies in all of the five categories. Discover performed well in the interaction, billing and payment processes, and reward program sections. According to the executive director of financial services at J.D. Power and Associates Rocky Clancy, American Express and Discover both offer a variety of services and benefits to a wide variety of customers. He said, “American Express and Discover Card are very different in their fees, reward programs and incentives, and their strong performances indicate their ability to suit the various needs that dissimilar types of cardholders have.”

The study also showed that people who pay off their balances every month (also known as transactors) tend to choose their credit cards by rewards programs 77 percent of the time. People who carry balances on their credit cards (also known as revolvers) look for low interest rates and low fees when choosing their credit cards 65 percent of the time. American Express has really honed in on these credit card trends. This is why they offer a wide variety of services and perform so well on this customer service satisfaction study.

J.D. Power and Associates also compared the use of cash back credit programs and reward programs. They found that 72 percent of all credit cardholders use some kind of reward program. Cash back programs were found to be the most common type of reward program. Customers also reported that getting cash back is the second most satisfying type of reward program. Any idea what the most satisfying reward program is? Customers who participated in the study said that getting free hotel stays is the most satisfying type of reward.

Customers who took advantage of reward programs tended to be more satisfied with the credit card provider than those who didn’t. Customers want to be rewarded for using credit cards. They want the redemption process to be as easy and quick as possible. This is another reason why American Express scored so high in their overall customer service ratings.

The 2008 Credit Card Satisfaction Study examined the spending habits of 7,665 credit cardholders. They carefully asked these credit card users to rate their credit card company based on five key factors. American Express took the lead in overall customer service satisfaction for the second year in a row. American Express has found the key in making their customers happy and giving them the opportunity to let their credit cards work for them.

We all want to get more for our money and now you can if you are a Bank of America credit or debit card cardholder. Experience more arts and culture with free access to over 70 different museums with Museums on Us®. Show your Bank of America card and valid photo ID at any of the participating museums the first weekend of each month to receive free admission. The promotion is available through the first weekend in April 2009.

Experience some of these popular art, science, history or nature museums:

• - Metropolitan Museum of Art - NY
• - Bronx Zoo - NY
• - Discovery Science Center - CA
• - San Jose Museum of Art - CA
• - Houston Museum of Natural Science - TX
• - Dallas Museum of Art - TX
• - Miami Art Museum - FL
• - Miami Children’s Museum - FL
• - Philidelphia Museum of Art - PA
• - National Constitution Center - PA
• - Many more

Visit the Museums on Us® website for full details of the promotion or to locate a participating museum in eighteen states.

If you are a LaSalle Bank customer, use your card for free admission to participating museums in Illinois and Michigan.

If you do not have a current Bank of America credit card; apply online to take advantage of this promotion and other offers from Bank of America.