Your credit file is meant to be an accurate portrayal of your credit history — something credit card companies use to determine your creditworthiness. Having incomplete, out-of-date, or otherwise inaccurate information in your credit file can hurt you in the future. You may not get approved for a new line of credit. If you do get approved, you may receive a lower than expected credit limit or less than optimal interest rates. read more..

You have too much credit card debt, and you want to trim some of the fat. Which credit card should you pay off first? Your high interest card? Your card with the highest annual fee? Your rewards card?

Sure, there are other ways to reduce credit card debt (like balance transfers and debt consolidation), but let’s assume you’ve decided to simply pay off the cards you have. How should you go about it? read more..

Smart consumers always try to get the most out of their credit cards. For you, that may mean finding a card with an attractive rewards programme, like the Citibank Gold credit card. When you take advantage of rewards cards, you’ll earn points for every dollar spent. It doesn’t matter if you charge a large purchase or everyday expenses (or both) — when you make purchases on your card, you get something in return. With the Citibank Gold card, you not only have a lot of freedom in choosing your rewards, but you’ll receive a nice rewards point bonus to kick off your card spending. read more..

Suppose you wanted to start a small business. You have several personal credit cards with credit limits that would offer adequate startup capital. You would prefer not to take out a new loan, and you don’t have enough cash saved up to cover the expenses. Should you use your personal credit cards to finance the launch of your small business?

Here are some factors you should consider before deciding to fund your startup with credit cards, and some tips to help you use them responsibly if you do decide to use them: read more..

What’s the most attractive feature to look for when choosing a credit card? If you’re like many people, interest rates are probably a top consideration. Little, if anything, beats a low interest rate. That’s exactly what you’ll get if you choose the BankWest Lite credit card, which advertises itself as having the lowest MasterCard purchase rate in Australia – less than 10% on purchases! read more..