What happens if my card payment is returned?
Returned card payments can bring on a variety of fees and may harm your credit.
3 min read
Nov 19, 2024
Poonkulali Thangavelu
Former Senior Writer, Credit cards
EXPERTISE
- Consumer law
- Monetary policy
- Debt management
- Mortgages
- Managing investments
EDUCATION
- Master of Arts (Journalism) from University of Mississippi, Oxford
- Master of Business Administration from BIM, Trichy, India
- Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India
Making good financial decisions enables people to get more out of life, and I’m happy to contribute to that endeavor.
— Poonkulali Thangavelu
Poonkulali Thangavelu is a senior writer at Bankrate, addressing credit card-related consumer protection and debt management issues. She believes that making good financial decisions enables people to get more out of life and is happy to contribute to others’ financial education. She uses credit cards extensively and sees them as a good financial resource to draw on — if used wisely.
Poonka has extensive journalism experience covering personal finance and business topics. She draws on her financial education and expertise and likes to simplify the subject matter to enable readers to make good decisions. While covering the mortgage market for National Mortgage News, she curated and edited a newsletter targeting the home-equity lending niche of the mortgage industry. In this role, she cautioned that home prices were getting out of hand in the period leading up to the 2006 housing market crash.
She’s contributed to multiple business and consumer-oriented outlets, and her work has been picked up by various national publishers such as the San Francisco Gate, Chicago Tribune and McGraw Hill, along with syndication on Fidelity, MSN, Nasdaq, Yahoo! and others. Her career includes a stint doing consumer market research for global advertising agency Ogilvy as well as experience as an equity analyst and writer.
Find Poonkulali beyond Bankrate
- Can a bank cancel my dead parent’s credit card if I have power of attorney? (MSN)
- Can a bank seize funds from my checking for my credit card payment? (Yahoo! Finance)
Poonkulali wants you to know
It’s great to earn credit card rewards, but don’t go overboard with your spending in order to hit a welcome bonus or bonus category cap. I like the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express since it offers cash back on groceries, which I buy a few times each month anyway. The cash back rewards even offset the annual fee, so I find it worthwhile.
Poonkulali's recommended readings
- My card issuer charged me for “card present” transaction fraud
- How the Fed affects credit cards
- Bank refuses to refund fraudulent charges
Making good financial decisions enables people to get more out of life, and I’m happy to contribute to that endeavor.
— Poonkulali Thangavelu
Poonkulali's latest articles
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How the Fed affects credit cards
The Fed has finally dropped rates, but that won’t save credit cardholders in debt,.
5 min read Nov 07, 2024 -
The Fed cut rates. Why are credit card APRs still so high?
Credit card interest rates have a high mark up over the prime rate. Why are card APRs so high?
6 min read Nov 07, 2024 -
Want a better credit card interest rate? Try smaller banks or credit unions
Big banks charge higher rates than small banks or credit unions, per the CFPB.
7 min read Oct 30, 2024 -
What is credit history?
Your credit history reveals your creditworthiness and lenders use it to approve loans.
7 min read Oct 23, 2024 -
Does APR matter if you pay your credit card off on time?
Your card’s interest rate, or APR, only matters if you carry a balance on the card.
6 min read Oct 23, 2024 -
Travelers are vulnerable: Here’s how to keep your money safe while traveling
Travelers are vulnerable and you should be careful of your money when traveling
9 min read Oct 14, 2024 -
What is a business credit card and how does one work?
Find out what a business credit card is and how this type of card works.
6 min read Oct 11, 2024
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What is a business credit score and how does it work?
Your business’ credit score reflects its creditworthiness and iIt can be improved.
4 min read Oct 09, 2023 -
7 tips for using credit cards while traveling
Learn how to get more out of your credit card while you are traveling
4 min read Sep 25, 2023 -
How to check your credit score
How can you check your credit score? And why is it important to do this?
5 min read Aug 25, 2023 -
5 credit cards for people who don’t want to deal with category bonuses
There are flat rate rewards cards if you don’t want to keep track of rewards spending
4 min read Aug 22, 2023 -
How much available credit should you have?
You should accept as much credit as you qualify for, but use it responsibly.
3 min read Jul 12, 2023 -
Credit CARD Act of 2009: What is it and how does it affect you?
The Credit CARD Act comes with benefits for credit card holders.
5 min read Jun 20, 2023 -
What is a virtual credit card?
A virtual credit card uses randomly generated numbers to protect your card information.
6 min read Jun 15, 2023 -
Are credit card fees tax deductible?
Which credit card fees can you deduct for tax purposes?
2 min read May 03, 2023
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How to budget DIY projects
Calculating the costs in advance is crucial. Here’s what to factor in.
4 min read Mar 29, 2022 -
What is the HUD-1 settlement statement?
The HUD-1 settlement statement is only required in certain cases.
2 min read Mar 28, 2022 -
Changing the due date on your credit card bills
Balance your cash flow by reordering your credit card payment dates.
3 min read Oct 26, 2021 -
Want to pay almost any bill with a credit card? You need Plastiq
Plastiq helps you pay bills that you’d usually need to pay via check or bank transfer.
6 min read Aug 30, 2021 -
Worst credit advice from friends and family
Credit advice from friends and family is often well-intentioned, but we’ve gathered our top ten worst pieces of advice that can hurt your credit and credit score. Find out what to avoid, and what to [...]
6 min read Jul 05, 2021 -
Surge in Hispanic applicants seeking financial disaster assistance; Help is on the way
A massive increase in the number of Hispanic applicants seeking financial disaster assistance has prompted JPMorgan Chase and Money Management International (MMI) to team up to address the situation. The [...]
3 min read May 14, 2021 -
How much does it cost to furnish a house?
Paying for furniture, especially right after purchasing a house, can be challenging.
4 min read May 05, 2021