Credit card

The number of banking cards surpassed 171 million in Turkey in 2015, a 15 percent increase from the previous year, making the country the largest card-carrying market in Europe, the Interbank Card Center (BKM) has said in a written statement.

Travel junkies agree that being single and childless helps loosen the belt on their travel budget. One of the keys to traveling on the cheap is a tactic called “travel hacking”. Basically, all that is required is to open credit cards with sign-up mileage bonuses with rewards and downpayments that help jet-setters travel for less than average using miles rather than mileage.

Cash Credit, a Bulgarian non-banking financial institution, is taking the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) to court over the latter's decision to impose sanctions on it for issuing credit card without having a license to do so.

The company has said that the BNB did not cite any motives for its ruling.

Around 2,000 jewelry stores were closed down in Turkey last year as jewelry spending has decreased amid limitations on credit card installments and consumers instead spending on electronics and vacations, according to sector representatives.

The sector has also been losing blood amid dramatic decreases in neighboring countries, including Iraq, Egypt and Russia, they added. 

A Perth real estate agent has lost more than AUS $50,000 in a fake Greek wedding accomodation spam that drew the attention of the Western Australian Consumer Protection group that is now warning all tourism operators to be wary. The scammers, believed to be operating from Nigeria, used stolen credit cards in a complex story about arranging a Greek wedding to obtain money.

Taxpayers who wish to claim the non-taxable amount of up to 2,100 euros should make purchases of 9,545 euros with debit or credit card.

However, it is not clear yet if the taxpayer should make his purchases using a single credit or debit card and bank account which have been declared on TAXIS online platform or he can declare more than one bank account.

There will be no retroactive taxes for 2015, according to the Finance Ministry. There will be an obligation to make purchases with credit cards in 2016, however senior citizens over 75 years of age or those living in isolated regions will be excluded from this rule.

Customs officers at Bulgaria's Sofia International Airport have discovered and seized about 50 skimming devices in courier parcels intended for shipping to destinations abroad.

A double cyber attack on Greek banks has been taking place with precision over four days. A group of hackers has launched therats against the e-banking systems of three Greek banks seeking a ransom in bitcoin. Meanwhile, there are leaks of Greek debit and credit card data that  have been used for transactions with the United States in recent days.

The limitation on credit card installments to pay for a number of items has been extended from nine months to 12 months to revive consumption levels.