Your credit card may make payments convenient online, over the phone, or at your favourite retailer, but what about using that credit line when you need cash? Maybe you’re travelling, and you want to purchase some local trinkets for friends and family back home from a small cash-only shop. Perhaps a store’s credit card machine goes down, forcing them to only accept cash for a short period. Maybe you want to use that balance to give cash gifts around the holidays, or you want to give the kids cash to spend while on a family trip. No fear–you can use your credit card at an ATM to receive cash, just as you would use a debit card. But is it a good idea? read more..

Credit card debt–some of the ugliest words you’ll ever hear. No one wants to be in credit card debt, owing money to issuing banks at often high interest rates. However, a lot of credit card debt is manageable, where consumers either pay off their balances in full regularly or they can pay off significantly more than the minimum payments due each month without really hurting their overall budgets. Is yours manageable? How do you know when you cross the line from an “okay” amount of credit card debt to too much? These five warning signs may hint at trouble: read more..

It’s a nightmare no consumer wants to face. Either you can’t find your wallet, or you open it to find one or more credit cards missing. What do you do?

First of all, don’t panic. Thoroughly search for any missing card, especially if you have a habit of misplacing them (such as putting it in a pocket rather than your wallet). If you still cannot find your credit card, there are a few steps you should take: read more..

Credit card fraud sounds scary, doesn’t it? While a serious problem, fortunately most Australians won’t experience it. A 2007 interview conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed that fewer than 400,000 Australians had been victims of credit or bank card fraud during the previous year (less than 5% of citizens of at least 15 years of age). Still, 400,000 isn’t a small number of victims. The best way to avoid being one of them is to understand credit card fraud and take precautions to protect your bank and credit card information. read more..

Credit cards are convenient. You don’t have to worry about carrying cash when you’re shopping. They offer protection that cash doesn’t if they’re stolen. They can be used to make online purchases. You can even use your credit cards to pay many of your bills, from your mobile phone bill to your home utilities. But should you? Is it a good idea to use credit cards for those routine expenses? read more..