Category: Credit Card

Are you ready to have a fun time doing something exciting and different? There’s no better way to have a memorable New Year’s celebration than to top it off with a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.

Christmas Day is the only day of the year when the tour helicopters don’t fly, so you’re cleared to go on New Year’s Eve or any other day over your break. These holiday air tours are extremely popular and they sell out in advance, so be sure to book your tour as soon as you can.

Booking early also allows you to have a wider selection in available tours, and when you buy your tour online, you’ll get the lowest price available.

Vegas Chopper Tours

Vegas is an extremely popular tourist destination, so it’s easy to see why it is also the most popular place to begin a Canyon air tour. Because of that, the Vegas tours offer a lot of options. All of the tour helicopters fly over Lake Mead, the Colorado River, and the Hoover Dam, and a few of them also include aerial views of The Vegas Strip.

An air-only tour is a good choice when you don’t have much time to spend on your tour or if you want to save money. These tours basically fly over the high points at the Canyon and then circle back to Vegas. Another, very popular tour option is the landing tour where your helicopter sets down at the Canyon, so you can get out and explore.

These tours are filled with fun and adventure. You can choose a landing tour that takes you to the bottom of the Canyon, the top, or both on the same tour.

You’ll enjoy exploring the top of the rim and walking on the scenic trails and viewing the sights from popular lookout points. You can also upgrade this tour to include Skywalk tickets. The Skywalk is a world famous structure that extends 70 feet beyond the edge of the Canyon and is suspended 4000 feet above the Canyon floor. Walking out on the glass floor is scary and exhilarating, and something you shouldn’t miss.

If you want to land on the Canyon floor, you can enjoy a Champagne picnic by the Colorado River and then take a fun boat ride along the colorful Canyon walls. This landing tour is very popular and it’s a good one to take when you visit the Canyon.

Chopper Tours Of The South Rim

All the South Rim helicopter tours take off from the airport in tiny Tusayan, Arizona. If you’re starting in Vegas, you’ll need to book a flight to Tusayan to begin your tour, but if you’ll be staying in a city in Arizona, you can drive yourself to the airport in Tusayan. The Tusayan airport is just outside of the main gates to the National Park. Even though there are no landing tours permitted at the South Rim, you’ll still find the tours there worthwhile. One tour option is the 30-minute helicopter tour that flies to the North Rim and then circles back to the South Rim. The longer tour covers the same ground, but it is even better because it includes a flight to the eastern border of the Park. This flight gives you 50 minutes of air time and you get to view about 75 percent of the entire wilderness land that makes up the National Park.

Deluxe Tours

When you book your tour, you get to choose between a basic or deluxe flight. The basic tours provide the same views along an identical flight path, but they fly on older helicopters. The choppers may be older, but they are still in top form and safe for flying.

Still, a deluxe tour is the best option if you have room in your budget. The helicopters used on these tours are newer, sightseeing choppers. The seats are bigger and more comfortable, plus they are arranged stadium style so you have a good view no matter where you sit. The cabin offers plenty of personal space and you’ll fly in comfort thanks to climate control. The best part is the windshield that wraps around the helicopter, which gives you unobstructed, panoramic views during your flight. Also, your ride is made more comfortable because the helicopters are quieter and they are more stable so they fly smoother.

To Conclude

Keep in mind, it might be cold at the Canyon during this time of the year, so you’ll want to dress in layers so you are prepared. It may even be snowing at the South Rim, so you’ll want to wear warm clothes if you go there.

There you have it, a fun-filled way to celebrate the New Year’s holiday. Don’t forget to book your tour as soon as you can or you may have to scramble for seats. For the best chances of getting the tour you want, secure your seats with your credit card by buying your tour online at least two weeks in advance if you can. Also, when you buy your tour online, you’ll be able to access the best discounts that land you the lowest price on your tour.

Tips from the Author
Going to Vegas for New Year’s? Take a Grand Canyon helicopter tour. The author recommends going here for a list of the best helicopter rides and here for a list of the best deals:

There are literally millions of credit cards in the world today and even with the current credit crunch, the numbers of cards being issued is still on the increase, so the ramifications for the credit card industry are immense and for them at least, difficult to comprehend.

During the good times, credit card companies issued cards under the guidelines of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. However, in their greed to attract even greater numbers of customers each month, they forgot to ensure that their consumer credit agreements they issued to customers were legal and above reproach. This situation changed in April 2008 with the creation of new rules and regulations that fully covered every lending institution that issued a consumer credit agreement.

However (and this is the good part), there are literally millions of potentially flawed agreements in existence that mean you, the consumer, can wipe out your total credit card debt in an instant, legally and ethically/

The other thing to consider is that legal loophole applies to all unsecured debt such as personal loans, car finance, mortgages and PPI. They all have to abide by the Consumer Credit Act (CCA) 1974 and if they do not, then they could be left open to all of their customers making a claim against the vaibility of their credit agreement.

This is the hottest topic in the financial services industry at the moment as credit card companies frantically look to avoid claims and the potential for huge losses. They are full aware of this situation and are bracing themselves for the fall out as this dwarfs anything we have seen from the ‘reclaim your bank charges’ scneario that has been on the news for the last 12 months.

The process itself is simple to administer if you know how and if you have the right Barrister contacts. The Barrister in question must have an understanding of the legal process and the ensuing legal complexities of wiping out credit card debt. But remember, it is happening now and hundreds of thousands of people have started to wipe out their debts and ensure that they can start living a debt free life once again.

You need credit debt help when you feel like you are in a financial prison. All of a sudden, you can no longer do your normal activities such as go out to eat, pick up a new wardrobe, or even go to a movie without having to worry about increasing your debt or using cash that could have been used to pay down your credit card bills. Before you can figure out how to get out of credit card debt, you have to understand the reason why you are in your current situation. Most financial planners and consultants tell you that there are major causes why individuals fall behind in paying their bills. Emergency situations do occur in our lives. If you are currently in debt and an event such as finding out you have cancer, your spouse demanding a divorce, or getting sued complicated the situation. The problem isnt how you spend your money, it is more on where can you get additional funds to finance your monthly bills. A drop in income brought about by losing your job or lower business profits without a corresponding decrease in your fixed expenses. If you avoid changing your lifestyle because you believe that another job or a pickup in the market is just around the corner. In the meantime, you either spend your savings, investments or start building credit card debts. Overspending may be due to living beyond your means or simply lax financial oversight. You dont realize how high your expenses are relative to your household income. The only way out of this credit card debt situation is to go from a high standard lifestyle to modest standard of living. Credit debt help may help you plan for your next move. Maybe you bought unnecessary items while shopping or took too many vacations. Whatever happened, until you figure out how to spend less than what you earn, you are trapped. You cannot escape your ultimate fate you and credit card debt are going to be partners as long as the banks are willing to support you and you continue to be their slave by your own free will. Credit debt help is available to you if you like to extricate yourself from the grips of this problem. The first step is to pay off your high interest credit card debt then stop the blame game and accept responsibility for your own financial life and take control over your credit card debt. Seek for the assistance of experts if you feel that you cannot follow the do it yourself procedures available. If you carry excessive unsecured debt, your main three options are: 1. A loan. 2. Credit counseling service or 3. Debt elimination. If you can qualify for a debt consolidation loan and you have the disciple NOT to use your charge cards again, then this option is a good choice. Credit counseling will pay-off your debt in a reasonable time (about 5-8 years). However, if you miss a payment, you will be booted from the program. Also, your credit will be negatively affected. Keep in mind credit counseling has about a 75% drop-out ratio. Your last option is debt settlement. This is the quickest method of debt elimination. Your debt should be paid-off in about 2-4 years. Your monthly payment is also reduced. Your credit will be negatively affected so a credit repair program is recommended. Making the decision to get credit debt help is the first step of debt elimination. Good luck to you!

Credit cards customers who are trying to clear their debts are being surprised with further charges even though they may think they have already cleared the balance.

An egg customer and Guardian reader brought the problem to the media attention, the problem can occur when a customer is paying debt carried over from the previous month.

This is what many credit card companies call trailing interest on any negative balance between the issuing of the last statement and the customer paying off the debt.

Some have a minimum fee and if interest does not reach, that amount it will be “topped up” the charge, so borrwers will be repaying no lower than the minimum fee.

Unfair minimum charges

In the case of Egg the minimum is 50p, while at MBNA and Barclays it is 1. For customers with Egg, the internet bank who pay off their debt via direct debit they could incur up to 18 days worth of interest on a balance that they think they have settled in full.

A spokeswoman for Egg, speaking to the Guardian newspaper, said: “Interest is charged on the outstanding balance between our issuing the statement and the payment being made. We request payment via your direct debit 14 days after the statement date.”

Direct debits cannot be called over a weekend so if a customer’s direct debit is due to leave their account on a Saturday or Sunday, we’ll move the payment date to Monday. The longest they’ll go between statement date and paying their account is 16 days – 18 if their payment date falls over the Easter weekend.

The spokeswoman added: “If the interest amounts to less than 50p we top up the charge so it equals that amount. She added that interest would be charged on the outstanding interest and top-up fee.

“All credit card contracts will mention trailing interest in the terms and conditions but more often than not it can be hidden away within the small print of the contract. In Egg’s case the explanation behind the charges has been described as virtually incomprehensible.”

The top-up fee

In the contract it says it will charge, “a top-up fee where the amount of interest charged to your account on any statement is less than 50p and the fee will be the amount required to make the top-up fee plus that interest equal to 50p. Where this applies, your statement will show a 50p minimum finance charge”.

Barclay card mentions on its website that interest is charged until the full date of repayment meaning that you may receive a further interest charge the second month, however there is no mention of the extra 1 pound charge.

Peter Harrison, a credit cards specialist at a leading price comparison website, said too often financial services companies include these wrinkles in their terms and conditions and it is important customers check the details before applying.

He added: “Whilst the sums of money involved are quite small, many customers who want to clear their full balance will, no doubt, find this irritating.”

The extra interest charges are not likely to send customers spiraling back into debt but there is no doubt that many would find it annoying receiving another statement after thinking that the balance had already been paid off.

Obtaining a credit card with the kind of interest rate and rewards scheme you would like is never easy. Being there are many types of low interest credit cards from the likes of Visa, MasterCard, and American Express to select from. It only makes sense to stick with card that you can benefit from. Either being from a set rewards scheme or from a really great low interest rate. For example, say you are a Major League Baseball fan and would like to earn rewards and/or save money while participating in your favorite pastime. In this instance, the Major League Baseball Extra Bases Credit Card might be the best selection for you. With this credit card, The only credit card on the planet that earns you points towards autographed memorabilia by past and current players, VIP access, field-level game tickets, travel rewards and even cash rewards; you might be satisfied.

Remember, there are also a number of low interest and rewards credit cards to serve a number of folks interested in other sports as well. Take a look at the NFL Extra Points Visa Card for example. With this credit card you can perhaps earn a NFL Shield Short Sleeve Gray T-Shirt, or receive a Autographed Authentic Jersey – signed by a Former Player! The many types of rewards you can get with all the wonderful possibilities out there are seemingly endless. For just about every major sport there is a credit card rewards program out there.

I have often told many people that credit card rewards are living proof that you are already being charged to much interest. This stands to reason just as much as rewards are what you get for paying to much interest. Money saved is truly money earned as well. It makes perfect sense for one to reflect of the value of potential savings made from the reaping of rewards from credit cards. Many people however seem to forget that the credit card they select should bear them some sort of reward in the end. For example, if you applied for and received a Subaru Platinum MasterCard from Chase, but did not follow through with your planned Subaru Outback purchase, it is a safe bet to say you selected the wrong credit card as you will likely not come across any meaningful reward scheme. Not that the card of your selection was bad at the time. Now for a person about to actually own or lease a Subaru this card is a very good card to have. It is just a simple fact that the cards we carry must fit a real world scheme in order to be useful, rewarding, and save us money.

It is also wise to be aware of the disclosures for the low interest rate credit cards you select. Back in 1988, new requirements were implemented for credit card disclosures that were intended to help consumers better compare pricing information on low interest credit cards (and all other types of credit cards for that matter). These new requirements mandated that credit card issuers use a tabular format to provide information to consumers about interest rates and fees on solicitations and applications mailed to consumers. It is very easy to find these tables rather quickly on just about any credit card offer you can come across on the internet. This format, which is known as the Schumer box is claimed by issuers, consumer groups, and others; to helped increase consumer awareness of credit card costs. With this information in hand, it is much easier to make informed decisions concerning finding the best low interest rate credit cards before completing the credit card application.