Friday Grab Bag - 10/2/09

I was away at Finovate for part of this week, but am enjoying catching up on what fellow pf bloggers and news sources are saying about credit. Lots of great new posts. Enjoy!

Get kudos for paying down credit cards

I'm not talking about the chocolatey-delicious granola bars, but rather the bump in your credit score you should receive for paying down credit card balances. Make sure you're getting sufficient credit for your good credit by following these three important tips from No Debt Plan.

What does your plastic say about you?

I love personality tests. According to Financial Methods, what I carry in my wallet provides insight into my innermost thoughts and desires. For instance, it says that because I am a rewards card holder I am "a bargain seeker...a modern day coupon clipper that researches each purchase carefully." Yep, that’s pretty much right on. What does your credit card say about you?

Review your monthly credit card statement the right way

Moolanomy reminds us why it’s important to do a line-by-line review of our credit card statement each month, and how to go about it. If you do find fraudulent or mistaken info, there are tips listed for disputing transactions with your credit card company.

Just how badly credit card companies are misbehaving

The CARD Act, which cracks down on the unscrupulous practices of credit card companies, was passed earlier this year. Lucky for the credit card companies, though, the law doesn’t take effect until 2010. This leaves plenty of time for them to continue to jerk us around until they have to start playing by some rules. The Red Tape Chronicles corrals stats (like interest rate increases) that highlight just how badly some national banks are still treating credit card users.

Good-bye to the Range Rover, hello to happiness

NPR’s Planet Money shares a great story of someone who made millions during the housing boom, and then lost it all. Surprisingly, he considers himself more successful now than when he had "a seven-figure income, a healthy portfolio of real estate, a gorgeous wife, fancy cars, and a Madison Avenue wardrobe."

Pay for coffee with your iPhone

Want to pay for your Starbucks latte with something other than cash, credit, or gift card? There’s an app for that. Before you get too excited though, note that there are only 16 locations (all based in Seattle or the SF Bay Area) that will take this form of payment. NetBanker reviews the new Starbucks Card Mobile.