in discussion Forum Discussion / Credit » Frontline's Secret History of The Credit Card
One reason why I absolutely LOVE Netflix is that every Frontline episode known to mankind can be rented through this site. After watching Frontline's secret history of the credit card, I almost lost my lunch. The way credit works is to thrive off the unknowing and inattentive. You will find it is a despicable and soulless industry. If you are not acutely aware of all of the rules, you will inevitably lose thousands playing this game.
The most disturbing points I feel EVERYONE needs to immediately be aware of…
Did you know that if you are late to just one of your creditors, other creditors can jack up their APR because your "creditworthiness" is now questionable? That's right - if you are late on your Visa, your Mastercard APR can go up. If you are late on your car or phone or house payment, any and/or all of your other creditors APRs can increase. This is a BIG DEAL. You can go from a 0% APR to 30%. That means on a $1000 balance, all of a sudden you will pay $300 a year unexpectedly.
Did you know that if you are late, even an hour late, making a payment - you are subject to relentless fees, the amount of which is not capped or regulated?
Did you know that even if you pay everything on time, most credit card holder agreements state that as long as they give you a certain number days' notice, the APR can change to whatever they deem appropriate?
I will be the first to admit that I am not the most financially responsible person. I'm a 30 year old newlywed with a pretty good job and lots of expensive hobbies. I used to live completely in the moment, and making payments to people I owed money to was really at the bottom of my list. That thinking has cost me in thousands of extra dollars in the form of finance charges, late fees, and higher interest rates on future loans I would acquire.
I highly encourage everyone to click here to watch this Frontline Episode.










