Data helps MasterCard and its partners determine advertising that would be most attractive to the credit card user.

Data into DollarsMasterCard, the largest global payment network, is under scrutiny for a data digging project that raises some concerns about privacy. The company was said to have launched a new business whereby it uses consumer data to determine more about their users. This information is then sold to third parties for advertising and marketing campaigns.

Possibility of finding a Reward Card for budget hotels

Free airline flights are easily the best known travel rewards perks. However, for frequent travelers, cashing in travel rewards for free hotel stays can offer great value, particularly when traveling to big cities where hotels can easily cost upwards of $300 a night.

Restaurant owners reject proposed Visa, Mastercard

The country's largest restaurant trade group joined a chorus of detractors claiming that a proposed settlement over credit card interchange fees doesn't go far enough to foster competition among merchant banks. In a statement to reporters, Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, said that the pending deal with Visa, MasterCard, and a host of member banks will not "fundamentally change a broken marketplace in which swipe fees are set."