News from our friends the credit card companies

I just had to laugh when my latest bill included the following little note:

"To help you reduce your balance more quickly, your minimum payment is increased with this statement."

Gosh, are they really doing that to help me, or is it in fact because the recent change in credit laws have required them to increase the minimum payment calculation? Hmmm....

And then there's the lovely letter I got from AT&T Universal Card...

Since becoming a cardmember on 06/14/95, you have established yourself as one of our most valued AT&T Universal Card members.

What can we offer you? A lower rate on purchases? The opportunity to earn cash back on your everyday spending? Or perhaps you'd like to earn points toward merchandise and services or other rewards through the ThankYou Network. Just call us to see which one of these offers you may qualify for.

You can even simplify the way your card works for you Change your billing date to the beginning, middle or end of the month. Arrange to pay your bill toll free by phone. Or check your balance, schedule a payment, and view your transactions 24 hours a day online.

Please tell us what features or benefits would make your card more rewarding to use. Just call 1-800-966-8149 today to see what you qualify for.

Actually, that's a pretty cool set of offers, particularly the ability to sync up your credit card payment periods (or deliberately stagger them to make it easier for you to manage your cash flow). Why don't all credit card companies offer this feature anyway?

But both of them are less interesting than my Amazon.com Visa card: today they sent me two $25 gift certificates to Amazon.com simply because I used the card and made my monthly payments. That's a total of $75 I've earned in gift certificates in less than twelve months of using the card for my regular purchases. Nice!