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CREDIT CARD TEST

Use the Interest Rates and Interest Charges given to you in the handout. Read the credit card activity below and then answer the following questions:

Credit Card Activity - assume that you have had this card for more than a year and that the introductory period has passed.

January 1 no balance

January 10 use credit card to pay for a meal at a restaurant $25

January 20 buy a new computer for $1,000 using your credit card

February 1 receive credit card statement and immediately send out payment to cover the entire balance

February 15 transfer balance from another card to this one: $500

February 20 Use credit card to obtain $200 in cash from an ATM machine

March 1 receive credit card statement but did not pay the balance until March 26 which is AFTER the grace period.

March 12 Paid for airline ticket $750

April 1 receive credit card statement

April 30 send payment out to cover the entire balance

PLATNINUM CREDIT CARD

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

| | | |

| |APR – purchases |10.25 variable * |

|INTEREST RATES | | |

| | |Cash Advance APR: 16.25%* |

| |Other APRS |Balance Transfer Apr: 16.25%* |

| | |Default APR: If you incur two late payment |

| | |fees in a 12 monthperiod, the APR will be |

| | |22.0% |

|FEES | | |

| |Annual fee |None |

| | |3% of each advance (minimum of $10) |

| |Cash advances | |

| | |3% of each advance (minimum of $10) |

| |Balance transfers | |

| | | |

| |Late payment |$15.00 |

|Other |Grace period for repayment of the puchase balance |Typically, 28 days from the close of the |

| | |billing cycle. |

| |Grace period for repayment of the cash advace balance |Interest accrues from the date of posting |

*APRs are based on the wall street Journal Prime Rate plus a margin of 7.0% (purchases), 13% (cash advance, balance transfer) and 17.75% (default.)

Default: Your loan shall be in default if any of the following things occur; (a) you do not make any payment or perform any obligation under this agreement or any other agreement thay you may have with us.; or (b) you have made a false or misleading statement in my credit application; or (c) you should die; or (d) we believe your ability to repay your indebtedness is impaired.

Questions:

1. What interest rate were you charged on the January purchases?

2. What interest rate were you charged for the February 15 balance transfer?

3. What fee were you charged for the February 15 balance transfer?

4. What interest rate were you charged for the February 20 transaction?

5. What fee were you charged for the February 20 transaction?

6. What interest rate were you charged for the airline ticket (hint: the bill was not paid until April 25?)

7. What other fees did you pay with the April 30 payment?

8. How much do you pay each year just to have this card?

9. Do you always have to pay interest on cash advances?

10. This credit card has variable rates. It is determined by adding a %margin to prime rate. If prime rate changed to 10%, what would the new interest rate be for purchases?

11. This credit card includes language call the Universal Default Clause which allows credit card companies to change the terms and conditions with little notice. Highlight or underline this language in the disclosure statement.

NEW CREDIT CARD RULES Review the consumer information on new credit card rules at - I will also post this link on the blog.

12. Credit card companies must now send you a 45 day notice before they can increase your interest rate except if you have a ________________interest rate.

13. CC companies must now include information on how long it will take you to pay off your balance if you only make the minimum payments. It must include the amount you would need to pay each month in order to pay it off in 3 years. How big is the difference in the minimum payment due and the monthly amount needed to pay it off in 3 years according to this example. $_______ (difference)

a. Do you think that this will impact consumer behavior regarding making more than minimum payments or do you think this is unnecessarily confusing? Why or why not?

14. The changes include “protections” for underage consumers. Do you agree with these changes? Why or why not?

15. OTHER MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS

16. Name some types of purchases you think would be okay to use a credit card for? (for example: a car? A new tire? College textbooks?

17. Name some types of purchases that you do not think you should use a credit card for?

18. Give an example of when it would be better to use a credit card rather than your debit card simply for the protection that a credit card might provide.

USING THE MINIMUM PAYMENT CALCULATOR

on (The true cost of paying the minimum)



19. If your credit card balance is $2,000 and the interest rate is 10%, and you pay a minimum payment of Interest + 1% of the balance, then how long would it take to pay off your debt and what would you pay in interest?

a. ______ months of payments $_______ in interest

20. If you pay a fixed payment of $25 per month, how long would it take and what would the interest be?

a. ______ months of payments $_______ in interest

b. How much money did you save? How much time?

Knowing what you now know about credit cards, do you want a credit card? How would you handle one? Under what circumstances would you use one and how? What are your views? (20 points)

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