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Rewards, rates, and the plastic in your wallet—decoded for real life.
LendingTree’s September card-offer scan puts the average new-account APR at 23.82%, with the top of the range above 27% for weaker scores—while 84% of cardholders who asked for a lower rate last year got one.
Amazon is sending automatic refunds to eligible Prime members under the FTC’s $2.5 billion settlement over enrollment and cancellation practices—no claim form, but phishing copies are already circulating.
Chase and IHG reset co-brand fees on October 1, lifting the Premier card to $150 and adding a $350 Premier Select tier while most existing holders keep old annual charges until 2027 renewals.
Capital One left the Venture X annual fee at $395 while Chase and American Express pushed flagship cards past $800, giving household budgeters a rare fixed point in a repricing wave.
Cardholders whose Sapphire Reserve anniversaries fall in October are seeing the $795 annual fee post for the first time under Chase’s 2025 refresh, with a short window to downgrade or burn credits before the charge sticks.
Nearly 1,000 merchants told a Brooklyn judge the $38 billion Visa-Mastercard swipe-fee settlement fixes almost nothing for checkout costs, as President Trump again promised card-fee relief on the campaign trail.
