Pony Of Prey Blog

Technology moves at alarmingly fast rates now, and where glasses or contact lenses have been required in the past to correct vision deficiencies there is now an alternative. Laser eye correction is a relatively affordable procedure that means you won’t need to wear your reading glasses anymore and can correct virtually any eye problem. It is suitable for any adult with an eye problem and may be the answer you are looking for.

What is Laser Eye Correction?

Laser Eye Correction, or refractive surgery as it is also known, is a quick procedure usually taking up to 15 minutes per eye. The actual laser treatment consists of less than 1 minute. During this process a laser scans your eyes pinpointing hundreds of unique points on your cornea. Once this is done, the software used can determine exactly where the fault lies and ascertain the minor adjustments needed to restore your sight back to a reasonable level. The laser then reshapes the cornea so that your eyesight becomes at least 20/40 vision, although in most cases it can be restored completely to 20/20 vision. Your surgeon will, of course, talk you through the exact procedure before surgery commences and if you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask.

You will be administered with anaesthetic eye drops prior to any procedure and a subtle restraining device placed on your eyes so there is no danger of you blinking. The apparatus accounts for small eye movements, so even if you can’t quite manage to stare at the red light all the way through the procedure there shouldn’t be a problem.

Most patients suffer from little or no discomfort and the recovery time after the procedure is very little. It is advised that on completion of the correction you rest your eyes until next day, don’t stare at a television or a computer and don’t go anywhere where there is smoke or other pollutants. Next day you should be able to return to your normal daily life without the need for glasses or contact lenses.

Exactly how effective is the treatment?

Approximately 95% of patients have 20/20 vision or better following treatment and half have reported that their eyesight is better after treatment than when using glasses or contacts before. Ordinarily there is no need for further treatment because the sight you have after correction is the sight you will have for the rest of your life. In fact, many clinics offer the equivalent of a lifetime guarantee, so if you do need any enhancements you will receive them free of charge.

In patients over the age of forty it will probably be necessary to still wear reading glasses because they are required for problems other than cornea problems that can’t be treated by correctional treatment. As a general rule, though, if you have an eye problem that means you need to wear glasses to improve your sight and your sight has been at a steady level for 12 months or more the laser surgery should be successful.

The cost of Laser Eye Correction varies depending on the level of treatment you need and other determining factors but you can expect to pay between $800 and $1000 per eye. Usually, if you have both eyes done in the same visit (There are no known problems with choosing to do this) then you can expect to pay a little less.

The possible risks of Laser Eye Correction.

As with all surgery there are small risks associated with Laser Eye Correction.

There is a very low risk of infection, affecting only around 1 in 5000 patients. Most surgeons and clinics will provide you with a course of antibiotics and check ups to ensure that your eyes are reacting well to the surgery.

An enhancement may be required to correct your vision if surgery leads to over correction or under correction. Again, this is rare but still possible because everyone’s eyes are different. Some are softer than others and some harder. This can lead to under correction or over correction.

During a short period after treatment you may experience seeing halos around objects when viewed at night, but this should normally clear up after a week or so. If you continue to experience these problems then consult the surgeon who completed your correction treatment for further advice.

If you directly touch or injure your eye immediately after surgery or within 24 hours you should consult your surgeon as this can lead to a shifting of the flap that is created during treatment. A little care and attentiveness will prevent this from happening and almost any risk of shifting flaps is massively reduced after 24 hours.

Laser Eye Correction is now a mainstream treatment for the masses. Many people who wear glasses or contact lenses have considered Laser Eye Correction because it is a painless, easy procedure that will fix your eyesight and alleviate the need to wear glasses.

As with any surgery, there are risks associated with the treatment but they are minimal and consultation with your surgeon should allay any fears you may have.

©2005 Jenna Keys

Jenna Keys is editor and webmaster of http://www.vision-correction-resource.com, a website dedicated to providing information and resources on corrective eye procedures.

Where legends now flow and flow
And scattered pieces of the hero’s pyre,

sing: the stones of Kuelap, Chan Chan

Cuzcothe Amazon ring and ring, as
Barbs on windpipes blow their echoes…!

Thus, cords of music sweep into the jungles

And the Andes; here, here dwells the city

Of the Andean seastone fortress, built

By the gods with stones blood and clay,
Machu Picchu! Here are the visions
Of ecstasies; sharper than a condor’s

Wings These legends flow and flow
And sing! and flow and sing, and flow

and sing…infinity! “The Legends of Peru!”

#1286 3/23/06 Written while in Lima, Peru. Peru has a lot to offer the adventurous person from: legends from the Amazonas, to Cajamarca, Ancash, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Cusco, and Puno; to the far off places like Huancayo, Machu Picchu (by Cusco), Kuelap (in the Amazonas), Chan Chan (by Trujillo); and to Huacachina las lineas de Nazca, to Tambo Colorado. Most of these places I have been to.

Wherever you go in Peru, you will find legends, and discovers just being discovered; yes, you become a part of history just by being in Peru. Part of the adventure in Peru is, or can be trekking on routes; for me it is more archaeological sites, for others perhaps a magical journey with a personal itinerary. Again my vice is the ancestral legends perhaps, and the journeyI want the whole cup of coffee, or whole bowel of soup, and in Peru you can have it. I do hope Peru remains the prize of South Americashe is right now.

See Dennis’ web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com Poet Laureate of San Jeronimo-Huancayo, Peru.

Charity is perhaps the best feature of humanity. It is a perfect way to support the downtrodden. There are many types of natural and man-made evils in our society. So, there are variable causes for which the blessed ones can and should donate. Unlike before, nowadays there are numerous charitable institutions across the globes that are working in different areas. The main aim of a charitable organization is to help the people in need and work for their development. For instance helping in the rehabilitation of victims of natural disasters like famines, tsunami, earthquakes etc., working for prisoners of war or any oppressed community, child education, women upliftment and so forth are some different tasks taken up by these organizations. So, charitable organizations can variously be literary, religious, scientific and so forth. These organizations largely rely on government grants and the charities/ donations by the well-to-do section of society in order to function or continue with their respective social service. However, people may have different motives behind donating money in these charitable foundations. While there are those who contribute for the sake of human welfare there are others who do it to earn recognition and save tax. Tax wavier possibly is one of the foremost reasons at the moment that instigates many affluent people, multinational companies, and corporations to give money in these institutions. However, those who donate for the purpose of saving tax should keep in mind that every charity is not tax deductible.

There are basically two types of non-profit organizations.

1. Charitable institutions that are exempted from paying taxes.

2. Institutions to which the donations made are tax-free. Such organizations are registered under the 501 (c)(3) category of the Internal Revenue Service. Once you make a donation to any such organization, get a receipt made as evidence to assist you in tax deduction.

But besides enlisted in the 501 (C)(3) category, several other things about an organization should be considered before making a donation.

• Check the annual report of the organization. Annual report will brief you with the requisite crucial details such as current work, situation, finances etc. of the organization.

• Also take into consideration the institutions aims and means proposed to achieve them.

• Notice the amount of donations the charity receives annually and its sources.

• In case of door- to- door solicitations, prior to parting off with your money, try to wrinkle out the important details (the name, full address, goals, licensing, tax deduction and so forth) of the organization. If that person is unable to present the details, he might be fake, trying to befool people.

Charities can be made in different forms. Giving cash is one way; other ways include giving those items that the constitution requires. For example if the charity is working for rehabilitation of tsunami victims then facilitating it with tents, food stuffs, clothing etc. will be an appropriate rather wonderful charity. Generally people are under the illusion that only large sum of money can be given as charity, but this is not the case like. Donation can be as small as 10 or 20 dollars. The amount does not actually make a difference, what actually matters are your philanthropic feelings and desire to contribute.

Mansi aggarwal writes about charity donations. Learn more at http://www.givingtocharities.com

OUTSOURCING FX is No New Trend for Bank:

While today’s competitive financial market demand that banks
respond to market needs quickly and efficiently, there was a
time when only the largest money centers could afford to offer
foreign exchange (FX) service. Technological advancement has
made a foreign exchange product line accessible to bank of all
sizes. However, in today’s economy, bank has to consider the
feasibility of offering foreign exchange product and services.
As a fee-based product offering, foreign exchanges
service can enhance a bank’s revenue stream while meeting a
market need. Yet, the cost for creating a FX processing
environment can be enormous. It is for this reason that foreign
exchange is an area that numerous bank outsource to
correspondent bank or non-bank providers in order to compete in
today’s financial market. Outsourcing FX product and services
allows bank to offer an advanced technology solution, industry
expertise and superior customer service without the costs of
back office investments. Art Gillis, principal of
Computer Based Solutions, Inc. in Dallas, Texas, reported
that “About 43 percent of America’s 9,355 banks and thrifts
currently outsourcers some of their operation.”

Ten questions to be asked before evaluating the Foreign
Exchange Online Systems.

1. Is the system networked from the parent bank to branch bank?

2. Does the system provide flexibility for your bank to share
revenues with the provider or to mark up rates and still have
the ability to remain competitive? 3. is the system integrated
seamlessly with your bank’s other system? 4. Does the system
allow your bank to retain controls over profit margins,
processes and account management procedure? 5. Can the bank
re-brand the system for its bank and subsidiary? 6. What
capabilities are available to store, track, and send your
customer information’s? 7. How are investigation handled? 8.
What is the security feature? 9. Can your bank create a
centralized or decentralized process for managing its foreign
exchange transaction? 10. Does the systems enable your bank to
provide customer real-time market information’s?

For more information please log on to:
http://www.tatvasoft.com/outsourcing%5C2005%5C05%5Coffshore-outso
urcing_18.html

November 2, 2005 (Boston, MA) - Travel enthusiasts this holiday
season will unwrap the power to enjoy the best of nine cities
across the U.S., thanks to friends, family and corporate
gift-givers. Smart Destinations’ Go USA Card is the first
product of its kind and is revolutionizing how consumers
maximize their travel experience: a single card offering
unlimited, flexible, fully pre-paid admission to hundreds of
attractions in multiple cities nationwide. Customers can
purchase the Go USA Card in increments of 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 days,
to be used any time within a year at any combination of more
than 300 attractions participating in the following markets:
Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago, Orlando,
Miami, Los Angeles and Hawaii. Los Angeles will be available
starting November 15. Go USA Cards can be purchased online at
www.GoUSACard.com.

“This is the only card in any country that allows the holder
unlimited access to dozens of top attractions in multiple
destination cities, and includes the flexibility to be used over
the course of a year,” said Cecilia Dahl, president of Smart
Destinations. “Building on the Go Boston Card and its sister
products, we achieved the critical mass needed to create a card
that works universally among all our markets. As a result, the
Go USA Card is the only card that lets consumers ‘day hop’ and
‘city hop’ across the U.S., with all admissions fully pre-paid.
Plus, with dozens of attractions in each market, travelers
individualize the experience based on personal interests.”

“In theory, someone who travels a great deal could use a
seven-day Card one day in every city in which we operate,” notes
Dahl. The numbers of attractions participating include: more
than 60 in New England; 50 in San Francisco and the region,
including a dozen in Wine Country; 70 in Orlando, Miami and
across central and southern Florida. There are 35 in San Diego,
30 in Seattle, more than 25 in Chicago, and some 30 to start
each in Los Angeles and Hawaii. Card holders are able to pick up
free, full-color Guidebooks for cities they visit at several
locations in each city. Guidebooks include descriptions of
attractions, maps and general information, plus details on
additional savings possible on shopping, dining and services.

A Great Gift Choice - Whether for Corporate or Personal Giving

As a gift item, no other product offers the same choice,
flexibility and value - either as a personal gift to friends and
family or as a corporate gift to employees, customers and
business partners. Smart Destinations received an enthusiastic
reception from HR and marketing professionals, as well from as
wholesalers of incentive merchandise, when it unveiled the Card
last month at the major premium and incentive conference, the
Motivation Show in Chicago. Tangible awards such as travel,
tickets to leisure activities and merchandise have proven to be
the most popular motivators for customers and employees, and the
Go USA Card is an innovative, cost-effective way to give the
gift of time well-spent. Go USA Cards can be purchased online at
www.GoUSACard.com.

Grow your own

The cheapest method has got to be to grow your own. The great thing is that it doesn’t require you to have much garden space, or even a garden at all!

We grow tomatoes, and strawberries in containers and the extra benefit is that you get total control over the growing conditions.

The best combination is to have organic soil together with organically produced seeds or plants, that way you ensure you get the full flavour and benefit.

Containers can be placed anywhere that receives a reasonable amount of daylight, which means that you can use them on balconies or other hard surfaces.

Look for your local suppliers

One of the most satisfying things to do is to buy organic food locally. That way you get the freshest ingredients for your kitchen and also get to support local businesses. With no transportation costs for the supplier too you should get very competitive prices.

Don’t forget that these same businesses will be employing local staff so you are also helping the local economy, everybody wins in this scenario.

Local markets

We visit a big monthly market held on a disused airstrip. Organic food is just one of the variety of items sold there but the prices are very, very good indeed. Of course they are all local suppliers and with several of them in one place we benefit from healthy competition and get to sample a lot of fruit!

Local box schemes

If you are unable to get out of your house or are too busy working to select your groceries by hand then why not subscribe to an organic box scheme?

You will receive, delivered to your door, a weekly selection of fruit and vegetables in season.

Farm shops

Finally, investigate whether any farms near you are operating an organic farm shop. Our local one is operated on an open farm so that you can go and see where the animals are being kept and take a look at the crops being grown.

They actually have a well-designed walking route around the farm which makes a nice day out for the kids too.

If you investigate the options above you should be able to make considerable savings whilst you and your family sample the delights and advantages of organic food

Virginia Louise is a keen convert to the organic way of life, having two children has especially highlighted the benefits to be gained by them from eating organically.

Virginia runs an information site on the advantages of organic food where you can obtain lots of free information about what makes organic food so beneficial, where to get it and suggested recipes.

Some Thoughts About the Million Dollar Home Page

Okay this is a hoot. Or well it would be if the author wasn’t so successful. This student has obvioulsy learned how to “Think and Grow Rich.”

Last week I came across an interesting article in Yahoo! about a student in the UK who managed to raise $1 million in four months for his tuition–selling pixels. 1 million pixels to be exact. You can find a copy of this article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051229/ts_nm/homepage_dc

His idea was to create a page called the Million Dollar Home page http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com and sell a million pixels for $1 each (in blocks of 100 pixels).

He started by selling a few blocks to some of his friends. When he had earned $1,000 (that’s only 10 blocks), he issued a press release. What audacity! What brilliance! His press release was picked up by the media and spread around the internet. Soon, the blocks started selling like crazy. Four months later, Alex Tew is sitting on a cool million for his “crazy” idea.

I visited his web site and what I found was very interesting and telling. Some of his comments in his FAQ section and blog are worth noting for those who study success.

1. He had a specific goal–a burning desire. It was to be able to pay for his education without taking on debt.

2. The beginning of his success was an idea. He sat down and did some brainstorming for about an hour (in writing–that’s very important) about ways he could raise money for school. Here is what he said about the process:

“…after an hour or two of jotting random things on paper, the idea seemingly popped out of nowhere. Almost like my subconscious mind had been ticking over in the background, working it all out. So it just kind of happened. That’s about it. I scribbled it down and within about 10 minutes a picture of what needed to be done had emerged.”

Notice the section that I marked in bold type above. This is often how ideas come to us. The problem is that most of us don’t think with a Definite Major Purpose in mind, we don’t write them down, and we don’t follow through with definite action.

In many ways, the goal was achieved in that 10 minute time frame. Everything else was just implementing the details of his plan.

3. He noted his ideas in writing. Putting your ideas in writing is the first step to moving it from an intangible idea to a physical reality. There is something about putting your ideas in writing that gives clarity and focus to your thoughts.

4. The idea–literally a million dollar idea–came to him quickly. But he had to make that idea tangible through bold, confident, intelligent action. He made it a big idea. He was audacious and confident enough to call it the Million Dollar home page. Not the 10,000 Home Page. Or the 100,000 home page. He gave people a bold idea to capture their imagination.

5. He issued a press release. He wasn’t shy about letting people know about his idea. Towards the end of the project, he even did interviews on CNN and Fox (and probably other networks).

6. He added real value for his customers. His customers are getting hits from their tiny ads for a fraction of the cost of most other ads. And the page is guaranteed to be up for 5 years. He is getting a ton of traffic to his website that his advertisers are benefiting from. His current “Alexa” rank is 1,302. No matter how novel your idea, you still have to add real value to your customers if you are going to succeed.

7. This is a simple, yet profound demonstration of the power of the internet and viral marketing–”word of mouse.” What million dollar idea can you come up with that will capture people’s imagination?

How Does Alex Measure Up?

Well, the proof is in the success. He’s got the money in the bank, so obviously he achieved his initial goal–and then some. Did I mention that he is already receiving job offers as well? If I compare what Alex accomplished with some of the principles in Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich,” I see a lot of similarities:

1. Desire - he had a specifc Definite Major Purpose backed by a burning desire.

2. Faith - he was loaded with self-confidence and belief that his plan would succeed. He probably saw the money coming in with his “mind’s eye” before he ever saw a dime.

3. Auto-suggestion - I don’t know if he specifically implemented this principle, but he did put his ideas in writing.

4. Specialized Knowledge - He had to have specialized knowledge to know how to put together a web page and to successfully issue a press release.

5. Imagination - He used synthetic imagination to organize existing elements into a new idea.

6. Organzied Planning - He had to go through the process of fleshing out the initial flash of an idea into plans that were practical.

7. Decision - he clearly made important decisions quickly and took immediate action.

8. Persistence - Given the fact that he achieved his goal in only 4 months, it’s hard to guage how much persistence he had to use, but he clearly used enough. Also, I note that he must be a persistent individual as he is starting school at a later age (21) than most.

9. Power of the Master Mind - It’s hard to tell from his description if he applied this principle. But it looks like he implemented this to some degree based on the inital people who purchased his pixels. Also, I note that he identifies a contact person in his contact info. Also, he had to organize a group of people and services in order to implement his idea–a web service provider, a company to collect the payments, etc.

10. He used is subconsious mind. By his own testimony, he believes his idea came from within his subconsious mind.

It’s no wonder that his project was a success. This is a great example for us to study and analyze. The internet has changed everything. We are now playing on a level playing field. You are only one sound idea, properly implemented, away from achieving your goal.

Copyright (c) 2006 Bill Marshall - All rights reserved. Feel free to republish this article with copyright and link information included.

For practical self-improvement tips, visit http://www.poweraffirmations.com. Get my new free e-book, “Power Affirmations: Power Positive Conditioning for Your Subconscious Mind”

Credit cards can offer customers the option of a quick solution to financial worries. However, many people who begin using credit cards often find it to be almost addictive. For many people who begin using credit as a means of payment for expenses, credit card debt can become a huge problem. Credit card interest is usually the cause of this. Nave customers who sign up for credit cards and do not have experience with credit cards can be easily coerced into applying for credit cards with high interest rates that will eventually lead to extreme credit card debt.

Credit card debt leads to a number of bankruptcies every year throughout the United States. With so many people falling prey to credit card debt, it must be made easier to eliminate credit card debt. Once credit card debt gets up to a certain point, payments can be huge and it may seem as though you are unable to keep up. This is why it is important to keep your credit card at a manageable rate. Once your credit card debt gets too high your payments will also rise. If you miss payments, credit card interest will cause your credit card debt to climb even if you have not recently used your credit card.

Keeping on top of payments and not using your credit card to an extent to which you will have trouble making payments on time is the ideal way to keep yourself free of credit card debt. If you are already facing a large amount of credit card debt, do not worry, there are ways to eliminate it. If you are like many other people across the United States you may be facing a number of separate credit card payments to make each month.

The best way to face multiple credit card bills is to approach one at a time rather than give yourself a number of bills to try to eliminate at once. It is best to start with the credit card that you owe the least amount of money on because it will be the easiest to pay off. Once you eliminate credit card debt for that credit card you can move on to the next and so on until you are debt free. It is best to limit your spending while paying off your debt and try to make the largest payments you can whenever possible. This will reduce your credit card debt faster than paying the minimum payment each month.

If you limit your spending in other areas you will find that it will become easier to meet your payment deadlines and even, in some cases, be able to make larger payments. However, if you cannot afford to pay more than your minimum monthly payment, settle with paying that habitually and eventually you will find yourself debt-free.

Peter Sissons, Retired Bank Manager and Low Interest Credit Cards advisor - focusing on Credit Card Debt and Credit Card Service

Keep your business promises, no matter how small they may be.

Sounds like the most basic of business principles, doesn’t it? Why then do so few businesses keep their day to day promises? This is something I’ve always taken for granted in my business dealings, but my own recent experiences have highlighted how much of a real differentiator reliability can be to online and offline to businesses that excel in this area. If you want to make people remember and trust your brand, keep your promises, no matter how big or small.

Think about it this way. If your business website promises delivery within 24 hours, but your actual delivery time is 48 hours, what does that say to to your customers? Surely 48 hours is still a good turnaround time? Probably not to your customers, at least not any more. Simply put, you have created an expectation in your customers’ minds, and your actual delivery has been 100% overtime on that expectation. If your site promised 48 hours, and you delivered on time, I doubt that your customers would pay attention nearly as much to the turnaround time as to the fact that you keep your business promises of timeous delivery.

Now, when it comes time for your customers to assess that big expectation of a one year guarantee on the quality of your products, it will certainly be skewed heavily by your performance on smaller promises to date. When it comes to the big promises, your customer will probably be having some serious doubts about your ability to deliver. After all, if you cannot keep your small promises, it’s much more likely that you won’t keep your big ones. That makes it very unlikely that customers will believe anything more that you say to them, simply because you didn’t even keep a very simple promise made up front. That is bad for referrals, bad for repeat business, and bad for the general reputation of your business.

I recently had need to contract with a number of businesses for various facets of my wedding. Of those that promised to phone me back about something, most who made that promise never did, at least not within the time frame they promised to, and in some cases up to a week thereafter. In most cases I had to follow up and make sure that they delivered according to their promised deadlines.

One of the businesses that I contracted was a small, home-based catering business. When we visited them, we were treated like royalty, and I was promised a phone call on a specific date, a number of weeks into the future. Did I get my call on the specified date? Absolutely. In fact, at the time I was in a meeting with a client, and the caterer not only left messages on all available contact numbers, he phoned me again first thing the following morning, before I had even had a chance to return the messages. So, when it came to worrying about our catering, do you think I did? Not at all. I knew that this was one service provider who always kept his word. So while I spent a great deal of time keeping close tabs on the progress of some of our other suppliers, this was one that I knew I did not need to worry about.

Check the promises made on your website carefully. Are they well-intended but overly optimistic when it comes down to your actual ability to deliver? Do you promise high quality products and services that are actually only reasonable quality, but at a very good price? Chances are that if your sell them as what they really are you will get a far better match of customer expectations to actual results, which results in trust. And the results of customers trusting you is that they will refer you to their friends and make use of your services again, because they got what they expected the first time around.

Another point I should make here relates to first impressions and your first few interactions with prospective and new customers. I am consistently amazed by how many business still have “Contact Us” forms on their website that don’t work, or that are not monitored for submissions. If a client emails you with a query, reply promptly and efficiently, and that is how they (probably correctly) will perceive your future communications with them when they really have a pressing need. When you promise to email or phone a customer on a specific date or time, make a note of it and stick to it rigidly. When you promise delivery of a product or service in a certain way, by a certain date, you can be sure that your customer will not be as forgiving as you would hope if you do not deliver as promised. If you really cannot deliver as expected, most people are reasonable if you give them a call to explain the problem, and assure them of your fullest attention at resolving it. Most people will still prefer to deal with a business that encountered difficulties delivering, but explained the problem and worked hard to resolve it, over a business that makes promises and only delivers in their own time.

Think about it. A few small basics that are neglected by your competitors can really make you stand out. After all, is it really that difficult to remember the small things like punctuality, courtesy and efficiency? If you don’t, your customers certainly will!

David Malan is an internet and e-commerce expert with over ten years experience in designing and developing enterprise grade online solutions for business.

He owns and runs RealmSurfer Consulting, based in Perth, Western Australia.

Website: Web Design Perth
About: About RealmSurfer Web Design Perth

In the infancy of online credit card applications, it was possible to apply for a credit card and receive not only confirmation of your approval, but also the card’s 16 digit number and expiration date as well. Getting a credit card online was truly an instant process back in the early days. For a wide away of reasons, identify theft being a major one, the instant online credit card approval process has changed. While a handful of credit card issuers will provide instant online credit card decisions, the vast majority of “instant credit cards” aren’t that instant anymore.

At present, American Express is the major credit card issuer that advertises and delivers instant credit decisions upon submission of an online application. To be precise, they offer 60 second decisions. If you are approved, you are given notice of your status. If you do not qualify for online approval, then your application is reviewed and you are notified of your decision via mail. For consumers with good to excellent credit looking for an instant credit card, American Express credit cards might be the best place to start.

The remaining players in the credit card industry generally take anywhere from five to seven business days before reaching an approval decision. With some companies, you can expect to wait as much as 30 days. Yes, 30 days. So is the instant credit card gone? In a nutshell, the “instant” answer is yes.

Individuals that are in a rush to get a new credit card, for whatever reason, can now expect to wait at least five business days to get the card they applied for. The length of this wait varies not only between companies, but also, within companies. For example, if a particular company decides to take more time than usual before making an approval decision, you may be waiting on a decision for a few weeks. These far from instant decisions often effect people with borderline credit more so than those with excellent credit.

So what should one do if they truly need an “instant credit card”? One solution is to consider applying for credit cards from different issuing banks. Since each bank varies in its approval time, applying for credit cards from different companies can expedite the process of obtaining an “instant credit card.”

This also provides you the opportunity to make a more informed decision on which credit card to accept. A quick glimpse at the fine print of most credit cards will show you a simple and important fact: the lowest APR available is not necessarily the one you will be granted. Thus, if you apply for three credit cards from three different companies, you have the ability to evaluate the actual APRs you are given and make a more informed decision. Yes, you will probably be waiting over a week to make your decision about which “instant credit card” to use. However, you will be ultimately saving yourself money on interest in the long term.

So, perhaps the end of the “instant credit card” is not such a bad thing after all. Aside from protecting you from identity theft, the waiting time consumers must now endure before the completion of the approval process allows you time to evaluate the credit cards you are approved for and make more thoughtful decisions on which “instant credit card” is the right one for you.

Jeffrey Weber operates the website http://www.Credit-Card-Depot.com For over two years, Credit Card Depot has helped consumers by providing them with the information they need to make informed credit card decisions. To learn more about and apply online for Instant Credit Cards including American Express credit cards that offer online approval decisions visit Credit Card Depot.