This Week In Credit Card News

Massachusetts Treasury Officials Splurge With Credit Cards

Recently released financial records show that key Massachusetts Treasury Officials spent more than $50,000 since July on a variety of expenses including $15,700 on trips across the country, $4,300 in parking garage fees, and over $5,000 on $589-a-night luxury hotel rooms in New York City.

State Treasurer Steve Grossman defends charges as “done for a reason or a particular goal.” Let’s hope they at least earned some decent rewards.

Experian Reveals Top 10 States By Average Credit Card Debt

Data from an Experian (EXPN)-Oliver Wyman Market Intelligence report shows that Alaska leads the U.S. in average outstanding credit card debt per person with $4,653, followed by New Jersey and Connecticut (the national average was $3,769, according to the report). We can only speculate as to what each state’s citizens were charging onto their cards.

American Express Renews Exclusive Deal With Delta Air Lines

American Express Company AXP renewed its deal to be the sole issuer of credit cards for Delta Air Lines, Inc. DAL. In a conference call with Bloomberg Thursday, Delta said it will continue its relationship with AmEx — the credit card company’s largest airline partnership — for the next six years. According to Delta, AmEx’s credit cards earn the Atlanta-based airliner roughly $2 billion in revenue a year.

Discover Budgets $35 Million To Produce Cards With Microchips In 2015

Discover Financial Services DFS announced it will spend more than $35 million to provide “a large portion of our customers” credit and debit cards with embedded microchips in 2015, Chief Executive David Nelms told the Chicago Tribune. Discover will spend an additional $75 million in 2015 to fight money laundering, following orders from the FDIC in June.

Steven Richmond worked as a government and business journalist before becoming Editor-in-Chief of BadCredit.org, a leading website for consumer credit and debt news and advice, and CardRates.com, a comprehensive guide to credit card rates, deals and information.