Tag: Credit Card News & Advice

How to Build Credit With a Credit Card | Credit Cards
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How to Build Credit With a Credit Card | Credit Cards

Using a credit card responsibly is an effective way to build your credit history. By responsibly, I mean keeping a low balance on your card and then paying your bill in full by the due date. Stick to this formula and you'll be on your way to a good credit score.Let's dive into the four steps you should follow to build credit with a credit card. After that, I'll give tips for how to get your first credit card.How to Use a Credit Card to Build CreditIf you follow these four steps, you'll build a solid credit history and stay out of credit card debt. Use your credit card. You have to purchase items on credit and pay the bill to develop a payment history. Avoid trying to rack up rewards if your card has a sign-up bonus. Only use your card for expenses you have to make anyway. Your goal shoul...
How to Pay Online Without a Credit Card | Credit Cards
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How to Pay Online Without a Credit Card | Credit Cards

Charging purchases to a credit card is the way U.S. consumers most commonly pay online. But there are several reasons you might not want to use a card when you buy something on the internet. Maybe you're concerned about incurring interest if you don't pay the card off right away or about keeping your financial information secure. You could also be looking for a smoother checkout experience.Here are some credit card alternatives to consider.Digital WalletsA digital wallet is a payment mechanism that works on a connected device like a smartphone or desktop computer. Examples of digital wallets include Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal.You can link the wallet to a debit card, checking account or other source of funds, and the wallet saves your payment information. You can also store funds in ...
What Is a Tradeline and How Does It Affect My Credit? | Credit Cards
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What Is a Tradeline and How Does It Affect My Credit? | Credit Cards

Key Takeaways A tradeline is an account that's listed on your credit report. Your credit score is calculated using the tradelines in your credit report. Review your credit reports often to make sure that all the account information is accurate. On your credit report, you'll see a list of your credit accounts, which are referred to as tradelines. Since it's important to regularly review your credit reports to make sure everything is accurate, learning about tradelines can help you do a more thorough review of your reports.Tradeline DefinitionA tradeline is an account that appears in your credit report. Examples include credit cards, mortgages, personal loans and auto loans. When a credit bureau is asked for your credit score, the tradelines in your credit report are used to generate tha...
These Credit Cards Offer You Free Checked Baggage | Credit Cards
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These Credit Cards Offer You Free Checked Baggage | Credit Cards

Rewards credit cards often come with a slew of benefits, including travel perks. One such perk is getting free checked bags on certain airlines or statement credits for airline fees that include baggage. If you're a frequent flier, this benefit can equate to hundreds, maybe even thousands, of saved dollars per year.Learn more about the value of free checked bag perks, and which credit cards offer them.Why Free Checked Bags are a Great PerkFor consumers who travel often and prefer to check a bag, getting a rewards credit card that offers free checked bags can offer big savings, says Andrea Woroch, a consumer and money-saving expert. "The average fee for a checked bag is about $30 to $35 for the first bag," she says. "These charges really add up throughout the year when you consider paying ...
Survey: 75% Who Live Paycheck to Paycheck Worry About Holiday Expenses | Credit Cards
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Survey: 75% Who Live Paycheck to Paycheck Worry About Holiday Expenses | Credit Cards

A late October survey from U.S. News & World Report showed that more than seven in 10 respondents who live paycheck to paycheck are worried about affording the holidays this year. The survey revealed that a majority – 52.5% of respondents – say they're living paycheck to paycheck. Almost 18% say they're still paying off credit card debt from last year's holiday season. About one in five plan to pay for holiday expenses by carrying a balance on a credit card.  When asked where they're feeling high prices the most, 50.3% cite groceries and 21.5% say gas. Many are shopping early this year: 38.7% say they've started holiday shopping, 28.9% are starting in early November and 16.4% waiting until Black Friday. How Much Are Americans Spending on the Holidays This Year?Almost 33% of respon...
Bank of America Cardholders Can Earn More Nov. 9 | Credit Cards
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Bank of America Cardholders Can Earn More Nov. 9 | Credit Cards

If you're thinking of waiting until Black Friday to do holiday shopping and you're a Bank of America credit card holder, you may want to get your shopping list in order a bit sooner.For the second year in a row, Bank of America is offering its credit card customers More Rewards Day on Nov. 9. All Bank of America credit cards are part of the promotion to score bonus cash back or points – an additional 2% cash back or two extra points or miles per dollar. Last year, cardholders earned approximately $25 million in extra rewards. Here's what you need to know.How to Earn Bonus RewardsMake purchases with your Bank of America credit card on Nov. 9 and you'll earn bonus points. There's no sign-up required, and all eligible purchases earn a flat rate, so you don't have to worry about category spen...
DoorDash and Chase Deliver a Rewards Mastercard | Credit Cards
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DoorDash and Chase Deliver a Rewards Mastercard | Credit Cards

Some of the links on this site contain offers from our partners. Chase and food delivery service DoorDash have cooked up a DoorDash credit card with Mastercard. The DoorDash Rewards Mastercard, which has no annual fee, offers exclusive DoorDash benefits to cardholders and earns rewards on purchases on and off the platform. The card could help you save money if you frequently use DoorDash for takeout and delivery orders, groceries and convenience store items, and household essentials.This card, which launched in March 2023, offers cardholders 4% cash back on DoorDash and Caviar orders, 3% cash back on dining, 2% cash back at grocery stores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. You also get free access to a year of DashPass – DoorDash's monthly subscription service – upon opening an ac...
How to Load Your Walmart MoneyCard | Banking Advice
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How to Load Your Walmart MoneyCard | Banking Advice

The Walmart MoneyCard is a reloadable prepaid card that allows those without traditional checking accounts to spend and manage their money. It's available as Visa or Mastercard, making it easy to use just about anywhere. The MoneyCard also awards cash back on certain purchases.So how do you load funds onto a Walmart MoneyCard? There are a few ways to do it. Here's what you need to know.What Is the Walmart MoneyCard?The Walmart MoneyCard is a prepaid debit card issued by Walmart in partnership with Green Dot, a banking and financial technology company. It's designed to offer an alternative to a traditional checking account.Since it's a prepaid card, you need to load money onto the card before you can use it. Once funded, the card can be used for online shopping and in-store purchases where...
Dun & Bradstreet Business Credit Score: Here’s What You Need to Know | Credit Card News & Advice
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Dun & Bradstreet Business Credit Score: Here’s What You Need to Know | Credit Card News & Advice

Business credit scores incorporate payment history, available credit and other financial factors to measure the creditworthiness of a business. Dun & Bradstreet is a leading provider of business credit scores, so if you've ever applied for a business loan or line of credit, the lender might have checked your Dun & Bradstreet number to evaluate your company's reliability and financial stability.Since your D&B score can make or break your approval for a business loan, it's important to understand what impacts your rating and, if necessary, find ways to improve it. Here's a closer look at Dun & Bradstreet credit scoring and how it can play a role in your business's access to financing and investments.What is a Dun & Bradstreet Business Credit Score? Similar to a personal ...
What Is APR? Understanding Credit Card Interest Rates | Credit Card News & Advice
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What Is APR? Understanding Credit Card Interest Rates | Credit Card News & Advice

All credit cards come with more than a few moving parts. Among them is an annual percentage rate, or APR – the cost of borrowing money using the card. However, the tricky thing with credit cards is that they can have multiple APRs, each of which applies to a different transaction type. Knowing how credit card APRs work can help you keep your debt in check and better compare cards when you're in the market for one.What Is APR on a Credit Card?When you don't pay your credit card balance in full each month, your card issuer charges interest on your carried balance. The rate you pay is the card's APR – a figure expressed as a percentage. A card's APR is the annual cost of borrowing money using the card.For instance, say you make a $1,000 purchase using your credit card but can't pay the balan...