Credit cards

Credit card is a piece of plastic about 85 mm by 54 mm, bearing the name and computer number of the holder¹ and the period of availability² as well as the signature of the holder. Any grown-up creditworthy person can be a credit card holder.

There are many kinds of credit cards. Many large shops issue their own cards to customers. There are also the all-purpose cards; among these are the bankcards (the best known are Visa and MasterCard) and the travel and entertainment cards³ (the most prominent are American Express, Carte Blanche, and Diners Club).

Bankcards were originally issued only by banks, but by the early 1990s, some cards were issued by large corporations such as General Motors or Sears, Roebuck & Co. All credit cards are accepted in many countries for all kinds of purchases – even for paying fines and hospital bills.

Travel and entertainment cards are issued by the corporations that own them. Originally intended for charging travel expenses and restaurant meals, they can now be used for many other kinds of purchases, such as for clothes and foodstuffs.

Some oil companies, such as Amoco, Mobil, Shell, and Texaco, issue credit cards that can be used to charge gasoline, tires, batteries, and services offered by gas stations. There are also plastic cards with identifying codes permitting telephone calls to be made on credit. It can be inserted into specially equipped pay phones that record the call in the caller's account for later billing⁴ and allow the caller to place a call without the use of change or cash.

Notes: ¹holder – владелец, обладатель

²availability – гoднocть

³travelandentertainmentcard– карточка оплаты развлечений, туристских и деловых расходов

⁴billing – выписывание счета

Apartment rent is increasing in moscow

Nowadays Russian economy is developing, and as a result, apartment rents are growing. Every year, rents increase by 5-10%

Rents are usually very high in autumn and in summer. High level of prices can be explained by constantly growing demand¹ for apartments. Besides, new apartments cost more and property owners must spend more money on Western style renovations².

Tenants³ are prepared to pay high rent if the apartments are renovated to a high standard. That means new wallpapers, new light fittings, and new tiles. Apartments with Western-style renovation usually have expensive furniture and imported appliances⁴. The rent for such an apartment can reach $6,000 per month. Apartments with old wallpaper and soviet-made furniture are not so expensive.

The high-end market⁵ is in the area of Patriarch's Ponds, Kropotkinskaya and Arbat. These areas are in the very center of Moscow and at the same time, they are quiet. As a rule, rent becomes lower if the apartment is far from the city center.

When people choose an apartment they take into account many factors, including how comfortable the apartment is, availability of schools and shops. First, people usually concentrate on the area, which they like. If they understand that they can't find a proper flat for their money, they start looking in other areas.

Foreign corporations usually pay the highest rents for their employees, but now they can't pay as much as before the 1998 crisis. At that time, rents could reach $8,000 and $10,000 per month, and these days maximum rents reach $5,000 or $6,000.

Notes: ¹demand – спрос

²renovation – peмoнт

³tenant – apeндaтop, вpeмeнный влaдeлeц

⁴appliances – бытовые приборы

⁵high-end market – рынок для потребителей с высокими доходами