Report any fraudulent charges on your charge cards as soon as you see them. By doing this, you will help the card company to catch the person responsible. This also ensures that you will not be liable for any further charges. All it takes is a quick email or phone call to notify the issuer of your credit card and keep yourself protected.
If you apply for a store branded credit card, make sure it is a store that you shop at regularly. When stores submit an inquiry into your credit history for a card, this gets reported on your credit report whether or not you ultimately get the card. Too many inquiries into your credit history will be a red flag to possible lenders and will lower your overall credit score.
Credit cards often lure in new users with bonuses and gifts for signing up. Read the terms carefully, however; you may have to meet extremely specific criteria in order to get the signing bonus. One of the most common terms is that you spend a set amount of money in a set period.
Make a realistic budget to hold yourself to. Just because you were given a limit by the company issuing your credit card doesn't mean you need to go that far. Be aware of how much you can pay monthly so that you can do that consistently and avoid those interest charges.
Always pay your credit card on time. You always have to pay off your credit card balance by a certain date. If you fail to make a payment by this date, you will be charged large fees by your credit card company. Not only that, many companies will make your interest rate higher, and that means that everything you buy from that point on will cost more in the long run.
Understand fully the terms and conditions of a credit card before you apply for it. You might find the annual fee, interest rate or other details are more costly than you originally thought. Thoroughly read all of the small print in order to make sure that you fully understand the credit card provider's policies.
Make sure you are being careful when you use a credit card online. If you are using your credit card online, be sure the site you're on is secure. Secure sites keep your card information safe. Also, ignore emails that ask for credit card information, these are attempt to get your information.
Everyone has had a similar experience. You get another piece of unsolicited "junk mail" urging you to apply for a shiny new credit card. You might be looking for a new card, but then again, you might not. When you toss the mail out, tear it up. Simply tossing it away leaves you at the risk of identity theft.
If you use bank cards, consider obtaining a free credit report every year. Check to ensure that all the information is correct. Compare the information on the report with your credit card statements and be certain they match.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU46mXdKNFI
In this article, you should have learned some great advice for using your bank cards. It's not possible for us to be overly careful when it comes to our charge cards or spending habits, and we frequently don't realize the problem until it's too late! Follow the advice in this article to utilize the advantages of using a credit card, and also minimize the risks.
