A pair of mid-summer surveys come our way, showing that Americans really like using the plastic in their wallets, but are still learning all the ins-and-outs of what it means to have both credit, and a credit score.
Tag: consumer trends
A Midsummer Night’s Gift Card Giving
Well, strictly speaking, the “Midsummer Night” of Shakespearean fame comes just after the summer solstice in June. Here in America, summer seems to run from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with July 4th in-between, making July our own “midsummer.”
For the 4th: Fireworks and Fiscal Facts
Our annual holiday week 4th of July “snapshot” the nation’s economy commences with this week’s post.
In last summer’s Independence Day overview, we noted a AAA report saying that more Americans were planning to travel, due to the uptick in the economy, even though gas prices were then at their highest levels in years.
Smart Cards, Smarter Passwords
The nature of payments, and how they’re made, continues to change — whether credit, debit, or prepaid. Payments continue to move from one digital platform to the next, sometimes leaving customers wondering if making any of the changes are worth it, or if something even newer will come along first.
Summertime — And Is the (Consumer) Spendin’ More Easy?
Memorial Day’s arrival — and recent departure — marks the unofficial kick off for summer, at least as far as travel plans, imminent graduations, giddy weddings, and other features of what is supposed to be more languorous calendar time.
Fed Report: Mobile Payments, Commerce on the Upswing. But…
The Federal Reserve has issued the 2015 edition of its Consumers and Mobile Finances report. Among the findings, as reported by “Digital Transactions,” are that “the number of mobile-payments users in the United States is growing steadily, but most mobile-phone owners still find other payment methods more convenient.”
A “Freak” Attack That May Not Be So Rare; MasterCard Touts Mobile
In the ever-evolving world of payments, it would seem to always be the best of times and, well, not the worst of times, certainly, but let us say the most aware of times, in terms of needing to stay alert to the security challenges in a rapidly changing electronic environment.
The Science of Super Bowl Spending — and ID Theft
Economics has been called an imperfect science by some of its critics, and differing conclusions about the benefits of the recent Super Bowl to the local economy may show that the field does still lack the precision regularly used by, say, astrophysicists.
“I Spy” More Changes in Payments, More Need For Security
As you know from being a savvy/frequent readers of these posts, the world of payments shares a critical motif with life itself: Change is the only constant. And by “change,” we don’t mean those coins in your pocket, left over from the last time you used cash. No, we’re talking about how the way payments are made is shifting, faster and faster — bringing along the need for constantly-changing security, as well.
