People
may be spending more on themselves in the next few months, even the American Express
website gives information about adults planning to spend more or the same this
year on themselves. It seems there will be some focus on saving money even if it
is less than last year. Saving even a small amount of money from each paycheck
is one area where many people could benefit for those times when emergency funds
are needed. The American Express Spending & Saving Tracker looked at consumers' views about
spending intentions and their research sample of 2,025 adults, with two subgroups,
affluent and young professionals, that indicated they seem to be more optimistic about their
finances. This may be due to personal goals and the ability to be able to spend
more. Visit the American Express website for these details.
People
may be more interested in spending money where their looks are concerned, as
grooming comes in first place when it comes to spending money. Fitness follows
second, and then clothing. This is not surprising, as this kind of spending is
common place even during hard times. Sometimes if people look and feel good
about themselves, they may be more optimistic. Entertainment is also a big
expense for millions of people, even when there are debt
problems, money is often spent on entertainment instead of paying down
bills. Many consumers start a new year with a goal to loose weight and work on
exercising, needless to say hundreds of dollars may be charged on credit cards
just in these areas.
Getting
out of debt and repairing credit is always an area of concern and setting goals
for millions of Americans. Some accomplish this by monitoring their credit
reports or using a card to rebuild poor credit. To get good unsecured credit
cards with the best terms, usually requires credit to be great. When good cards
is not an option, people can still have the ease of using a popular
prepaid card for spending money and still use Visa or MasterCard.
Visa Raises "No Signature" Limit to $50 to Increase Merchant Efficiency & Consumer Convenience
Visa Inc. announced plans to raise its Visa Easy Payment Service "no signature required" limit from $25 to $50 for two key U.S. merchant categories. Starting in October 2012, discount stores and grocery stores/supermarkets in the U.S. can accept Visa cards for transactions up to $50 without requiring a cardholder signature or PIN, or providing a customer receipt unless requested by the cardholder.[1] This change is designed to increase speed at the point-of-sale, cardholder convenience and operational efficiencies for a large number of merchants.
Previously known as the No Signature Required program in the U.S., Visa Easy Payment Service allows merchants to eliminate cardholder verification and receipts on qualifying smaller value transactions. This helps make the payment process easier and more convenient for both merchants and cardholders. The program has been available to the majority of merchant categories in the U.S. since July 2010, for purchases up to $25.
As the $50 limit is introduced, Visa will review merchant, cardholder and card issuer feedback and may expand this higher transaction limit to additional merchant categories in the near future. Approximately 80 percent of face-to-face Visa consumer transactions in the U.S. are under $50.[2]
Streamlined Dispute Resolution Process - Visa also announced changes to its dispute resolution process to reduce unnecessary chargebacks and merchant documentation requirements and promote faster, more efficient dispute resolution for all participants in its payments system.
Starting in April 2013, merchants will be protected from fraud chargebacks on transactions that have been electronically read (i.e., swiped or dipped in, or waved past, a card reader), helping to reduce merchant fraud management costs when appropriate acceptance procedures have been followed at the point of sale. In addition, Visa will eliminate the requirement for its card issuers to ask merchants for a copy of the receipt when a cardholder disputes a transaction, resulting in back office operational savings for everyone. There is no change to existing fraud liability associated with these changes.
The changes to Visa's Easy Payment Service and dispute resolution process will help its merchant and financial institution partners to better serve their customers and grow their respective businesses.
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