Welcome to Trade Research Guide
Fair Trade Seattle Restaurant Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Fair Trade Seattle Restaurant. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Two Things You Need To Know About Prepaid Debit Cards
from: Gunnar BerglundAccording to the September 2004 issue of the Nilson Report, around $588 billion dollars worth of debit cards were bought in the United States in 2003. By 2008 that volume is expected to grow to $1.231 trillion putting a significant dent in the nation’s use of pure credit cards as consumers continue to favor the use of prepaid debit cards. If you are among the nation’s millions who are currently using prepaid debit cards or are among those considering their use, you need to know two things that may detract and enhance your use of the prepaid debit card.
First, know what you’re getting. Most people understand the prepaid debit card as the retail gift card. Others know that such gift cards can be purchased through their local bank. What some consumers don’t know is that those purchased through their bank can come with hefty fees attached, and those fees can come in a myriad of disguises from up-front purchase fees to various administration fees including replacement costs account maintenance fees and fees for checking the balance. Such fees are currently being debated in the courts, but until a fair resolution is offered, it is up to the consumers to be aware of what they are buying.
Second, despite consumer and fair trade concerns, some applications of the prepaid debit card are both innovative and convenient. For example, there are now some tax preparation services offering what is known as the “stored value” card. In other words, in lieu of waiting for your refund to arrive, you can simply tell your tax preparation service that you would like to have your refund loaded onto your prepaid debit card. Once you have your prepaid debit card “loaded” you can make arrangements with your bank to assign it a routing number so that you may use it just like a checking account. Another new use of prepaid debit cards come from the currency exchange companies, better known as remittance services. The usual remittance companies such as Western Union and MoneyGram are facing new competition from small companies who are targeting the immigration population by offering speed and convenience in sending money on-line using a bank account, a credit card or a PayPal account. The customer simply electronically “loads” the desired amount onto a Visacard which is then mailed to the beneficiary.
With the help of the internet, the potential to send money via “loaded” cards is without precedent. The ease, speed and convenience of such services are becoming so popular that many companies are aggressively marketing prepaid debit cards to consumers through customization. Visa, for example, has a prepaid debit card marketed exclusively to teens, know as Buxx. American Express has the TravelFunds Card marketing “for people on the go” and MasterCard has its I-Gen MasterCard marketed to those who prefer to either forego traditional checking accounts or keep only a minimum amount while “loading” their card with the cash their budgets dictate they can spend.
About the Author
© Gunnar Berglund>br? Gunnar Berglund has been working
on the Internet for about five years and run
http://www.global-prepaid-cards.com since September 2003
Fair Trade Seattle Restaurant News
Seattle's Best Coffee Warms up the Winter Season with the New ... - MarketWatch (press release)
Seattle's Best Coffee Warms up the Winter Season with the New ... MarketWatch (press release) - Organic French Roast is also Fair Trade Certified(TM) and will again be featured in a 1 lb promotional package during the winter season. ... |
Your Guide to the Nation - The Nation.
Your Guide to the Nation The Nation., NY - In 1999, with the Seattle world trade meetings looming, Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum constructed a website for the WTO (GATT.org), which powerful people ... |
Separating the Music from the Murder - TheStranger.com
 TheStranger.com | Separating the Music from the Murder TheStranger.com, WA - Gangs have no heart to hear about why it is important to respect black women, to spend time with your kids, or to purchase fair-trade coffee. ... |
Watch 2009 arrive with a bang ... or tunes, good food or some laughs - Seattle Post Intelligencer
 Seattle Post Intelligencer | Watch 2009 arrive with a bang ... or tunes, good food or some laughs Seattle Post Intelligencer - But when all goes according to plan, the 1962 Seattle World's Fair landmark lights up like a Saturn rocket. In the eight-minute show created by Pyro ... |
Flavours of the months - The National
Flavours of the months The National, United Arab Emirates - Bite of Seattle brings all these attractions together under one manageable roof. Over 50 restaurants participate in the festival, serving affordable tasting ... |
New Year Policy Address to the Nation - 코리아타임즈
New Year Policy Address to the Nation 코리아타임즈, South Korea - The size of global trade has shrunk, and the United States, Europe and Japan all expect to post negative economic growth simultaneously, ... |