TravelClub

Keep A Tab On Credit Card Blocking To Have Room For Financial Emergencies
When a business such as hotel ‘blocks’ or keeps your credit card on hold for certain amount while you avail the services of the hotel or business is termed as credit card blocking. It must be sounding rather confusing, perhaps the example below will make things more clear.

When a person checks into a hotel and uses his/her credit card for registration, the booking clerk contacts the credit card company and depending on your estimated stay will tell the credit card company about your bill. Now, the credit card company confirms whether your credit card actually has the ability to pay the sum or not. If the answer is in affirmation the booking clerk will add other expenses such as travel, and utility to your bill and keep the entire amount in reserve.

Credit card block is pretty much useful for travel and business companies, because it helps them get paid for their services and check fraudulent credit card misuse. But, it hurts the credit card holder in more than one ways.

First, the amount blocked during any such activity is usually much more than the actuall bill. The hotels and travel agencies try to include every single expenditure in it to safeguard their interest. This thing can severly limit your ability to pay for other things with the credit card.

Secondly, if one of your credit card is blocked and incidentally you pay off the hotel or other bills with another credit card, the blocked credit card will remain in that state for anything between 10-15 days. The reason simply being that the credit card company doesn’t know that the dues are cleared and the block should be removed. Again this will limit your spending ability.

These things can be avoided if a person takes proper measures. The first thing to do is to ask the booking agent about the amount of money blocked on the credit card, and how did they calculate that amount. Secondly, always pay your bills with the same credit card that was used for registration purposes. It will automatically save you from the hassles of getting the credit card unblocked. If for any reason, you have to pay with another credit card, ask the booking clerk to get the previous credit card unblocked, and verify that it was done properly.

Credit card blocking is somewhat good for the credit card holder in a sense that it doesn’t allow him to cross spending limits with his credit card and cause unnecessary billing related problems for the hotel or travel company. However, credit card by their inherent nature are instruments to provide financial support during emergencies. By keeping a check on the credit card block, one can ensure that the unexpected financial demands are met easily with the credit card.

Cynthia Stewart an expert author and credit card consultant,provides great American Express credit cards tips. Read more credit card articles at his credit card website.

Buoyant And Proud Of It – Galicia’s Economic Success Story
It is one of Europe’s leading success stories and conversely is one of Europe’s least well known success stories.

Now the above line might sound fairly enigmatic but what we’re actually referring to is actually the economic development that has emerged from the autonomous region of the Galicia in north-western Spain and the last decade.

There is an increasing degree of optimism throughout the region that is now filtering down from an expanding and buoyant economy actually down to the man in the street. The figures in question certainly are impressive and cannot be disputed.

Basically the story is this. Throughout the last decade of these years gross domestic product grew by a staggering 28.8%. Now this has to be compared to comparable growth throughout the rest of Spain for this period of 26.9%.

Both these figures are good when you compare them against the average growth of the European Union’s GDP of 20.8%.

How has this come about? Well the bottom line is that it’s come about as a result of extremely hard work and quite astute and inspired leadership from the top.

Nobody has ever said this would be an easy route to take but in an interview in 2002, but then president of the regional government, Manuel Fraga described the Galicians as “the people of Galicia are known for being hard-working, honest people who care deeply about the education of their sons and daughters” he went on to say further “we know where we came from and we know we are part of something over which we can be proud.”

Being proud is something they certainly they can be.

“Galicia’s economy is a thoroughly modern one with the distribution of the production sector similar to that of the rest of Spain” Mr Fraga went on to say “services account for about 7% of gross domestic product with industry accounting for around 24%, construction accounts for almost 8% and agriculture and fishing account for well over 6%”

At present it is estimated that there are over 172,000 businesses located in Galicia from small, family-owned enterprises to several multinational companies such as the clothing giant Inditex which owns the retail chain Zara amongst others.

As well as dealing with an economy that has moved from very much of rural and agricultural one to very much a fully fledged modern economy the Galicians authorities are not content to rest on their laurels.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the whole approach towards research and development. Galicia was one of the first of Spain 17 autonomous regions to have a law covering Research and Development and the first sign of that was a government-sponsored plan to cover technological research, development and innovation which ran from 2000 to 2005 in which approximately $74 million was invested annually.

They have come a long way in Galicia, they know they have and they are aware of the fact but they are so aware of the fact that they also have a long way to go but are fiercely determined and proud of the fact that they will get there. Watch this space.