Using Credit Cards

Using credit cards wisely can help you avoid a credit calamity.

What You Need to Know

Whether you’re using your credit card to buy a laptop or a box of laundry soap, you have rights and responsibilities under the law.

Payments – Pay promptly. If you don’t, your credit card issuer may charge you late fees and additional finance charges.

Errors on Your Bill – Card issuers must follow rules for correcting billing errors promptly. They are required to send you a statement outlining the rules when you open an account, and at least once a year while your account is open. A summary of these rights is often included on your billing statement.

If you find a mistake on your bill, you can dispute the charge and withhold payment on that amount while the charge is being investigated. You still have to pay any part of the bill that’s not in dispute, including finance and other charges.

Unauthorized Charges – If your credit card is lost or stolen, report it to the card issuer as soon as possible. Some issuers have 24-hour toll-free telephone numbers to accept emergency information. If you report the loss before the card is used, you can’t be held responsible for any unauthorized charges. If a thief uses your card before you report it missing, the most you’ll owe for unauthorized charges is $50. If the thief uses your card number, not your card, you have no liability for the unauthorized charges.

Disputes about Merchandise or Services – You generally can dispute charges for goods or services you find unsatisfactory if you’ve made a good faith effort to resolve the dispute with the seller, the charge is for more than $50, and you made the purchase in your home state or within 100 miles of your current billing address.

Refunds of Credit Balances – If you have a credit balance on your account, perhaps because of a return, you can keep the credit on your account or write your issuer for a refund if it’s more than a dollar. Your card issuer must send you a refund within seven business days of receiving your request. If you don’t ask for a refund and you don’t make any other purchases for more than six months, the issuer must make a good faith effort to send you a refund.

Tips for Using a Credit Card Safely

• Never lend your card to anyone.
• Never sign a blank charge slip. Draw lines through blank spaces on charge slips above the total so no one can change the amount.
• Never put your account number on the outside of an envelope or a postcard.
• Always be cautious about disclosing your account number on the telephone or online unless you know the person you’re dealing with represents a reputable company.
• When you go out, carry only the cards you expect to use that day. If your wallet or purse is lost or stolen, it minimizes your loss and the resulting headache.
• Keep your receipts so you can reconcile the charges on your bill.
• Keep a record – in a safe place separate from your cards – of your account numbers, expiration dates, and phone numbers of each issuer to report a loss quickly.

Choosing Credit Cards

When you are shopping for a credit card, it’s wise to compare fees, charges, interest rates, and benefits. Some credit cards that look like a great deal at first glance may lose their appeal once you read the terms and conditions of use and calculate how the fees could affect your available credit and your payment.

What You Need to Know

Credit card issuers generally must disclose the important terms of use regardless of whether they require you to complete an application.

Fees. Many credit card issuers charge membership and/or participation fees. Issuers use a variety of names for these fees, including “annual,” “activation,” “acceptance,” “participation” and “monthly maintenance.” These fees may appear monthly, periodically, or as one-time charges: they can range from $6 to $150. What’s important is they can have an immediate effect on the credit that’s available to you. For example, a card with a $250 credit limit and $150 in fees leaves you with $100 in available credit.

Transaction Fees and Other Charges. Some issuers charge a fee if you use the card to get a cash advance, make a late payment, or if you go beyond your credit limit.

Annual Percentage Rate. The APR is a measure of the cost of credit, expressed as a yearly interest rate. The APR must be disclosed before your account can be activated, and it must appear on your account statements. Your card issuer also must disclose the “periodic rate” – the rate the issuer applies to your outstanding balance to determine the finance charge for each billing period.

Grace Period. A grace period lets you avoid finance charges if you pay your balance in full by the date it is due. Knowing whether a card gives you a grace period is important if you plan to pay your account in full each month. Without a grace period, the card issuer may impose a finance charge from the date you use your card or from the date each transaction is posted to your account.

Balance Computation Method for the Finance Charge. If you don’t have a grace period – or if you plan to pay for your purchases over time – find out how the issuer calculates your finance charge. Which method is used to compute your balance can make a big difference in how much of a finance charge you’ll pay – even if the APR and your buying patterns stay pretty much the same.

Balance Transfer Offers. Many credit card companies offer incentives for transferring your balance – moving your debt from one credit card (Card Issuer A) to another (Card Issuer B). Each offer is different – and the terms can be complicated.

Secured Credit Card Marketing Scams

The predators are coming out of the woodwork: scam artists follow the headlines, and news about tight credit, foreclosures, and layoffs has given them a new lease on life. Through ads in the newspapers, on the Internet and on TV and radio, they’re preying on people’s anxiety and working hard to get them to part with their money.

These crooks are really good liars: Their claims are just good enough to be believable; their services and products just practical enough to seem legitimate. Some even try to look like a government agency to enhance their credibility.

Secured Credit Card Marketing Scams

ANYONE CAN QUALIFY FOR A MAJOR CREDIT CARD!

Separated? Divorced? Bankrupt? Widowed?

BAD CREDIT? NO CREDIT?

NO PROBLEM!

900-555-1111

• Make the call NOW and get the credit you deserve!
• Even if you’ve been turned down before, you owe it to yourself and your family.
• Your major credit card is waiting.

Ads like this may appeal to you if you have a poor credit history or no credit at all. Beware: while secured credit cards can be an effective way to build or re-establish your credit history, some marketers of secured cards make deceptive advertising claims to entice you to respond to their ads.

Secured vs. Unsecured Cards

Secured and unsecured cards can be used to pay for goods and services. However, a secured card requires you to open and maintain a savings account as security for your line of credit; an unsecured card does not.

The required savings deposit for a secured card may range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Your credit line is a percentage of your deposit, typically 50 to 100 percent. Usually, a bank will pay interest on your deposit. In addition, you also may have to pay application and processing fees — sometimes totaling hundreds of dollars. Before you apply, be sure to ask what the total fees are and whether they will be refunded if you’re denied a card. Typically, a secured card requires an annual fee and has a higher interest rate than an unsecured card.

Deceptive Ads and Scams

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against companies that deceptively advertise major credit cards through television, newspapers, and postcards. The ads may offer unsecured credit cards, secured credit cards, or not specify a card type. The ads usually lead you to believe you can get a card simply by calling the number listed. Sometimes the number is not toll-free. A ‘900’ number service, for which you are billed just for making the call, may instruct you to give your name and address to receive a credit application, or give you a list of banks offering secured cards. It also may tell you to call another ‘900’ number — at an additional charge — for more information.

Deceptive ads often leave out important information.

• The cost of the ‘900’ call — which can range from $2 to $50 or more;
• The required security deposit, application, and processing fees;
• Eligibility requirements like income or age;
• An annual fee or the fact that the secured card has a higher than average interest rate on any balance.

How to Avoid the Scam

To avoid being victimized, look for the following signs:

• Offers of easy credit. No one can guarantee to get you credit. Before deciding whether to give you a credit card, legitimate credit providers examine your credit report.
• A call to a ‘900’ number for a credit card. You pay for calls with a ‘900’ prefix — and you may never receive a credit card.
• Credit cards offered by “credit repair” companies or “credit clinics.” These businesses also may offer to clean-up your credit history for a fee. However, you can correct genuine mistakes or outdated information yourself by contacting credit bureaus directly. Remember that only time and good credit habits will restore your credit worthiness.

Credit Reporting

If you’re considering a secured card as a way to build or re-establish a credit record, make sure the issuer reports to a credit bureau. Your credit history is maintained by companies called credit bureaus; they collect information reported to them by banks, mortgage companies, department stores, and other creditors. If your card issuer doesn’t report to a bureau, the card won’t help you build a credit history.

For More Information

To build a credit record, you may want to apply for a charge card or a small loan at a local store or lending institution. Ask if the creditor reports transactions to a credit bureau. If they do — and if you pay back your debts regularly — you will build a good credit history.

If you cannot get credit on your own, you can ask a relative or friend with a good credit history to act as your cosigner. The cosigner promises to repay the debt if you don’t.

If you’re having problems paying bills, you may want to contact a credit counseling service. Non-profit organizations in every state counsel consumers who are in debt. Counselors try to arrange a repayment plan that is acceptable to you and your creditors. They also can help you set up a realistic budget. These counseling services are offered at little or no cost to consumers. You can find the office nearest you by checking the White Pages of your telephone directory.

Sometimes, non-profit counseling programs are operated by universities, military bases, credit unions, and housing authorities. They are likely to charge little or nothing for their services. Or you can check with your local bank or consumer protection office to see if it has a list of reputable low-cost financial counseling services.

Where To Complain

The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Watch a new video, How to File a Complaint, at ftc.gov/video to learn more. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.