Credit & Cards
Credit scores, card rewards, and fees explained so you can compare with confidence.
38 articles
Credit & Cards
Credit Card Limits and Minimum Payments: Managing Long-Term Costs
A credit card's limit can look deceptively simple: it is the maximum balance the issuer allows you to carry. The minimum payment can seem equally straightforward: it is t...
Rachel Bernstein
Credit & Cards
Credit Card Debt Consolidation: Strategies and Solutions
Carrying balances across several credit cards can make debt more difficult to manage. Different interest rates, payment dates, minimum payments, and account terms can mak...
Rachel Bernstein
Credit & Cards
Secured Credit Cards: How They Work and Who May Consider One
Getting approved for a conventional credit card can be difficult when a consumer has little credit history, a damaged credit profile, or a recent financial setback. A sec...
Rachel Bernstein
Credit & Cards
Student Credit Cards: What Young Applicants Should Consider
For a college student, a credit card can be one of the first financial products used independently. Used carefully, it can provide a convenient way to pay for everyday ex...
Rachel Bernstein
Credit & Cards
Synthetic Identity Fraud: How False Credit Profiles Are Created and Detected
Synthetic identity fraud is different from conventional identity theft because the criminal does not necessarily take over a complete, existing identity. Instead, a synth...
Rachel Bernstein
Credit & Cards
Business Expense Management Suites: Integrating Corporate Cards With ERP and Accounting Software
Managing corporate card spending becomes considerably more complicated as a company adds employees, departments, subsidiaries, vendors, and payment methods. A finance tea...
Ethan Kim
Credit & Cards
Business Credit Cards & Business Credit Building: Managing Company Spending
Running a business becomes more complicated as expenses grow. Software subscriptions, advertising, inventory, travel, equipment, contractor payments, and recurring operat...
Samuel Mensah
Credit & Cards
Hotel and Airline Status Matching: Credit Card Programs, Eligibility, and Travel Benefits
Hotel and airline elite status can provide benefits that would otherwise require substantial travel activity to earn. Depending on the program, those benefits can include...
Ethan Kim
Credit & Cards
Manufactured Spending and Points Optimization: Rewards Strategies, Rules, and Risks
Credit card rewards can turn ordinary spending into cash back, airline miles, hotel points, and other benefits. For some consumers, the pursuit of rewards goes further in...
Ethan Kim
Credit & Cards
Credit Card Balance Transfers & Introductory APR Offers
Credit card debt can become expensive when a balance remains outstanding month after month. Interest charges can consume a significant portion of each payment, making it...
Ethan Kim
Credit & Cards
Credit Card Preapproval: What Lenders Typically Review
Credit card preapproval can make applying for a new account feel more predictable. Instead of submitting a full application without knowing whether you meet an issuer's g...
Ethan Kim
Credit & Cards
How Credit Card Interest Rates Affect Your Balance
A credit card's interest rate can have a significant effect on how quickly a balance grows and how long it takes to repay borrowed money. The annual percentage rate, or A...
Rachel Bernstein