And so I reminded him that my account was in goodstanding and had been for many years now. I had not made any late payments and always made more thanthe minimum payment due.

Again he informed me that best he could offer was a rate of 15.9% that would be good until August 2003. So now not only was I not feeling like I was getting a very good deal but this new rate would only be a "promotional" rate !

I remained calm and friendly, knowing that yelling at him or telling him what a "lousy" company he worked for would be counterproductive to my end goal - a lower and better APR for this account. I thaned him for his time but told him I didn't feel this was a very good offer.

And then "magic" happened. He asked if I would like to speak to an account manager and that perhaps they could better assist me. I thanked him for his time and assistance and was then transferred to an account manager.

I explained my dilemma to her and reasoned with her that as a good customer I expected a much better rate. She empathized with me and then offered to upgrade my account to their platinum status which carried an APR of 9.9% ! In addition, platinum card offered many more benefits and had no annual fee. She also assured me that this was a "contract rate" and not a promotional rate. I would keep same account number so I would not be opening a "new" account but simply upgrading my current account status.

Next time you are reconciling your monthly statements take a close look at various APR's you are paying. If you notice a disparity in rates you are paying, call your card issuers to negotiate a better rate. My persistence paid off. Be persistent - it can pay off for you too!

According to PRBC’s founder and chief executive Michael Nathans, new bureau will earn revenue by selling supplemental credit reports to lenders. CitiMortgage, Inc., one of nation’s major home lenders, is already a subscriber of new service.

Some other highlights of PRBC’s service include:

- 24/7 access to online files by consumers, free of charge. - Consumers must give permission to have their files accessed by lenders. - Consumers can input up to 36 months of documented on-time payments. - They accept payment histories from phone, credit and debit cards so long as source (merchant) can send a date-stamped electronic receipt of payment. - Many consumers who bank online can have their payment information recorded by PRBC once bureau becomes fully functional

PRBC can benefit not only renters but also young and minority borrowers who have little or no credit history with traditional bureaus. “We think we can help create equal credit opportunities for everybody who deserves a a prime rate loan, “ Nathans said.

Consumers can register for free with new bureau online at