THE APP RAP

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Published May 7th, 2014

THE APP RAP

By Eric Pawlakos

Eric is a sophomore at UC Davis, majoring in statistics. He is a member of the UC Davis rugby team, enjoys playing guitar, and is a reporter on the radio show Express Yourself!(tm)

App: BillGuard by BillGuard Inc.

For: iPhones and Android phones

Price: Free

Most everyone who uses credit cards has had the frustrating experience of seeing charges (called 'grey charges') on their bill that shouldn't be there or aren't recognized. According to U.S. News and World Report, some examples of these grey charges include "...magazine and online game subscriptions, automatic renewals and free services (free-trial) that switched to premium paid services without your knowledge." Surprisingly, these grey charges cost U.S. consumers over $14 billion annually. However, there is a very simple-to-use app called BillGuard that can help spot these charges quickly. Basically, BillGuard lets you review all your credit card charges on your smartphone whenever you want and, as charges occur on your bill, the app immediately displays them. Based on data collected from its many users, BillGuard will flag charges that members of its network frequently report as unauthorized or questionable. If the charge looks 'ok' to you, just confirm it on the app. If something doesn't look right, it is an easy automated step to instruct BillGuard to contact the merchant for you. You no longer have to wait for your credit card to be frozen at an inopportune time or for your bill to arrive to find out if someone else is using your charge card. With BillGuard, you can keep close tabs on your credit card activity anytime, anywhere.



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