Credit Cards, Reports & Scores

Debit card blocking is where gas stations, rental car agencies, hotels, and others 'put a hold on' a big chunk of your money if you use a debit card to pay for gas, reserve a rental car, hotel room, etc. In effect, they're 'freezing' your account, or billing your account for an amount that's very likely more than you intended to pay for that service. They say it's for their protection...

If you're closing a credit card, make sure you follow these steps or your credit rating could be affected. Here's how to cancel a credit card properly.

Basic info about getting a secured credit card and how they're different from non-secured credit cards. Everything you need to know about secured credit cards, plus tips to determine if you really need one or not.

Do you have one credit card JUST for emergencies? Here's what really qualifies as an emergency -- what you should and should not use your credit card for.

Been considering a prepaid debit card to replace your credit cards or debit cards that are backed by a bank? Here are the pros and cons of regular credit cards, regular debit cards, and prepaid debit cards. Would you believe that prepaid debit cards are actually cheaper?!

Tired of paying high interest rates on your credit cards? Getting a lower credit card rate is not as hard as you might think. You just need to know what to say! Here are lots of great phone scripts that have been proven to get lower credit card rates.

Thinking of closing a credit card that you've recently paid off? Here are some helpful tips before you close a credit card.

There is a lot of talk in the news lately about credit card companies that are profiling shoppers and lowering credit limits based on where they shop.

Some companies look at FACO scores rather than FICO scores, but most use a FICO score. If you're paying for a credit report to learn what your credit score it, make sure you're getting a FICO score! Here's the scoop...