Related Financial Services - The following list of company and services directories offer a wide variety of programs for consolidating bills and other similar services, such as a getting a mortgage refinance interest rate quote from a lender or an online quote for life or car insurance.
- Personal Loan Consolidation - Need a smaller loan? Personal loans are most often unsecured. That means you do not have to secure them with personal assets in order to do a debt consolidation. This type of financing is typically based upon your credit history and your ability to make your payments.
- Debt Consolidation Settlement - If you have too many credit cards and other small debts and are unable to make your payments, this form of debt negotiation may be right for you.
- Debt Consolidation Programs - If you have a large amount of credit card and other debts, now may be a good time to consolidate your debt and lower your payments.
Traveling Abroad?
Don't Leave Home Without Making Financial Preparations
Consider "prepaid debit cards" and traveler's checks as replacements for cash. A prepaid debit card allows you to load a specific amount of money on the card for purchases and cash withdrawals from ATMs (automated teller machines). You should also be able to add more value to the card during your stay, perhaps by making the necessary arrangements online or by phone, but it can take anywhere from a day to a week for the funds to become available. If the card is used by a thief, the most you can be held responsible for is the value on the card — there's no other account that can be raided — and the card issuer may provide additional loss protection. However, be aware that these cards do come with an assortment of fees and may not always be accepted at all retail locations or banks.
Similarly, traveler's checks can be used instead of cash and may even be available in a foreign currency, but not all businesses will accept them and those that do may charge a fee. Also follow the precautions recommended by the check issuer in case your traveler's checks are lost or stolen. For example, you'll be instructed to sign the top of each check as soon as possible after you purchase them; otherwise, anyone who obtains the check can use it.
FDIC Consumer News is published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
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Last updated on 5/09/2006