Your debit card and credit cards might be fine for everyday transactions. But what if you want a little extra privacy protection for a single purchase or don’t want to bother with credit checks for the simple convenience of a credit card? Prepaid credit cards can offer some of that same convenience but with greater privacy.

Let’s look at three ways prepaid credit cards (or prepaid debit cards) can help you better protect your privacy as a consumer. read more..

How will you use your credit cards this holiday season? Will you use them to buy gifts online or as a way to borrow money for gifts you want to pay off over time? Will you use them to buy holiday decorations? Will you use them to book a trip to visit family?

Credit cards have many uses over the holiday season. Here are four of them. read more..

Available credit card offers can change pretty drastically over time, even one month to the next. A credit card deal you got months or years ago might have seemed great at the time, but it might be much worse than deals you could get right now.

How does your existing credit card account stack up? Is it time to switch cards?

Re-evaluating Your Current Credit Card

You probably already have a good idea about whether or not your current offer is a good deal. You just have to think about the basics and how they make you feel.

Do you think you’re getting a fair interest rate? Do you dread your annual fee? Do you feel like you’re being taken advantage of in any way? If you aren’t happy with your card, that’s a good sign it’s time to look into better offers in the current market.

Checking Out the Competition

When you’re ready to see how your current cards really measure up, it’s time to do some market research. Visit your favourite credit card comparison website and look for cards in the same category (like low interest credit cards or rewards cards). See how the rates and fees for current cards compare to your own.

If your credit cards still have reasonable terms compared to newer offers, it probably wouldn’t be worth switching unless you’re unhappy with your issuing bank’s customer service. But if market conditions have gotten better on the consumer side and offers have become more competitive, it might be a good time to apply for a new card.

If you already have an existing balance, another consideration is a balance transfer. Even if general offers haven’t changed much, you might be able to get more out of your cards by taking advantage of introductory balance transfer rates.

Comparing credit cards isn’t just for people who want a new credit card account. It’s also for people like you — consumers who want a better credit card. The only way you’ll know if your card’s terms are still fair and competitive is to keep an eye on that competition. And if you find that your deal is no longer as good as you thought it was, maybe it’s time for a change.

When it comes to holiday shopping, you have several payment options available to you. Two options are credit cards and cash. Each have their benefits and drawbacks (like the potential for debt with credit card purchases and the fact that cash limits your spending power). But there’s another option that offers some of the best of both worlds — debit cards.

Let’s take a look at how using debit cards for your holiday shopping can give you some of the benefits of both cash and credit card payments.

The Benefit of Buying With Cash

The biggest benefit of using cash to purchase gifts is the fact that you only spend money that you actually have. You won’t go into debt and have to pay for holiday purchases for months to come.

The same is true if you use a debit card like the St. George Visa debit card. Because a debit card is traditionally tied to your checking account, you can only spend money you already have available in that account. You don’t borrow anything. And you get to start the New Year without any new debt to worry about.

The Benefits of Using Credit Cards

On the other hand, credit cards offer several benefits that debit cards can share. For example, credit cards offer more security than cash. If your cash is stolen while you’re shopping, you’re out of luck. If your credit card is stolen, it can be replaced. So can a debit card.

Credit cards — and debit cards — also offer greater convenience. You don’t have to make sure you have the right amount of cash on you at each store, and you don’t have to carry a lot of cash at any given time. Carrying a single debit card gives you access to your bank account balance wherever you need it.

Then there’s the benefit of online shopping. Debit cards can be used to buy gifts online just like credit cards can. That’s another convenience cash just doesn’t offer.

That’s not to say that debit cards have every benefit of both cash and credit cards. For example, credit cards can let you earn rewards points or frequent flyer points (depending on the card). And a debit card won’t help you if you need access to financing beyond the cash you have in your account. But if you’re attracted to the debt-free nature of cash purchases and the convenience of credit cards, debit cards just might give you the best of both worlds.

We may have a little more than a month left in 2011, but it’s a good time to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. More specifically, it’s a good time to start preparing for financial changes.

Here are three credit-related goals you might set for the New Year — resolutions you might want to start on early to increase your chances of success in January. read more..