Credit Card Advice | CreditCardAdvice.com » Basics

What Should You Do With Your Gift Cards?

walter — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:33:25 +0000

If you’re like most people, then there’s a good chance you received at least a few gift cards during the recent Christmas and holiday gift giving seasons. Each year it seems that gift cards are an increasingly popular option for people who may be pressed for time, aren’t sure what to give as gifts or simply want to let the recipient choose a gift themselves. So now that you have a small stack of gift cards, what do you do with them? If the gift cards are for stores that you don’t normally shop at, for example, you may feel...

Advice on How to Protect Your Credit Card

walter — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:27:44 +0000

For most of us, our credit cards are an important part of managing our overall finances. Provided that we don’t change our buying habits and purchase on credit unnecessarily, using credit cards can save us the hassle of using cash or checks. In addition, receiving a monthly statement from the credit card company makes it easy to review all the purchases you made in the prior month (and know what to adjust if you’re not meeting your budget). But credit cards need to be protected. Credit card fraud remains a significant problem, and even if the anti-fraud protections reduce our...

Advice on When and How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge

walter — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:23:28 +0000

Each year it seems that we do more and more of our shopping with credit cards. It’s hard to argue against the convenience of swiping a credit card over writing a check at (or making sure that you bring enough cash to) the grocery store. And it’s very difficult to try to purchase anything from an online merchant by a method other than a credit card. But unlike those other methods of payment, credit cards are subject to more problems and vulnerabilities when it comes to unknown or unauthorized charges showing up on your account. If you think that there’s...

Why to Use Your Credit Card When Traveling?

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:38:37 +0000

Over the past few years most people have realized the dangers of using a credit card for purchases. In addition to identity theft, there’s the very real risk of spending too much and going into debt. However, when traveling, whether abroad or locally, using your credit card offers a number of benefits. These benefits range from safety to saving money. Traveling can be a harrowing experience or it can be a relaxing and enjoyable experience. A credit card can make all the difference. Here is some advice on the benefits of using your credit card when traveling.

Rewards. Frequent flyer...

How To Make Money Using Credit Cards

walter — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:58:47 +0000

Even if you don’t know the exact numbers off the top of your head, you probably know that paying interest and fees to your credit card companies can really add up. We practically accept it as a fact of life that we’re going to have to pay something for the convenience of our credit cards. But did you know that if you manage your account properly, you can actually make money from your credit cards? The concepts behind making money from your credit cards are quite straightforward. You need to minimize the expenses you pay, and at...

Tips for Using Credit Cards (Instead of Them Using You)

walter — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 18:53:46 +0000

Even if you wanted to get rid of all your credit cards and never use them again, it would be a hard thing to do. It would be next to impossible to travel conveniently without one – just try to rent a car or a hotel room without a credit card, and see what happens if you walk up to an airline ticket counter and try to buy a ticket with cash. Since you probably want (or need) to keep using your credit cards, make sure you’re doing so in the most effective and efficient ways possible....

How To Avoid Credit Card Scams

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:31:25 +0000

It seems like today everyone wants to separate you from your hard-earned money. One way that they attempt to do that is through credit card scams. Here is some advice to avoid becoming a victim of a credit card scam. Credit cards are an easy way to pay for items and also to build up your credit. Banks issue debit cards with Visa and MasterCard logos so that you can make purchases directly from your checking account at stores and online. But with this convenience comes a level of responsibility – the most important thing you can do is...

Holiday Credit Card Offers

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:21:41 +0000

If you think you have been bombarded with credit card offers throughout year, wait until the holiday season rolls around. Holidays bring more credit card offers than at any other time of the year. However, it doesn’t mean that it’s to your benefit. When you receive a credit card application in the mail, it may seem tempting. An offer of 0% APR for six months, combined with several blank checks which you can use for purchases or consolidation of other debts may be irresistible, but your best course of action would be to shred the entire document. If you...

Identity Theft

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:52:03 +0000

Having your possessions stolen is a harrowing experience. Theft obviously deprives you of property, but perhaps even worse, it shakes your confidence in your fellow human being. You may experience such emotions as fear, anger and anxiety. When someone steals a material possession, at least we usually know fairly quickly that it's gone. But when someone steals one's identity, it may go undetected for weeks, months or even years. By the time you realize what has happened, your life may be turned upside down. Picking up the pieces is a long and frustrating process, and it's possible that you may never...

Credit Reporting Agencies

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:10:43 +0000

Having access to credit can help us get the things we need and want. In addition to borrowing money for purchasing a home we can use it to buy everything from vacations to groceries. And increasingly, our ability to rent an apartment or get a new job hinges on our credit. Information about or credit is maintained by credit reporting agencies, also known as credit bureaus. There are three agencies that keep track of everyone's credit: Experian TransUnion and Equifax. Lenders use the information provided by these bureaus to determine whether or not they are willing to lend to you. What Kind...