Business: Now It's the No-Credit Card

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Visa and MasterCard users will now have to pay more for using plastic. The main advantage of Visa and MasterCard over other cards is that they were issued for free, but now many U.S. banks are charging an average of $12 a year for the plastic-packing privilege. Banks may be moving their operations to states where they can charge higher interest. Pending approval, New York's Citibank will transfer its entire service on 5 million credit cards to Sioux Falls, S. Dak. The reason: New York limits interest rates for consumer loans to 18% for the first $500 and 12% thereafter. South Dakota has no limits. Plainly, it is becoming more expensive simply to say "Charge it."

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