credit cards

Living Without Credit Cards: She Made It Work, and You Can Too

Every time you make a plane reservation or rent a car or pay for concert tickets, you're asked to provide a credit card number. Liz Smiley provides a debit card number instead. Smiley has lived without a credit card for more than four years, and she doesn't miss it a bit.

5 Extreme Ways People Paid Off Their Credit Card Debts

We all know the usual ways people try to save or generate more money to pay off their debts -- but some people go to extremes to escape those IOUs. We asked credit counselors across the country to share some of the more dramatic approaches their clients have used to get out of debt.

Most Americans Have More Savings Than Credit Card Debt

A recent survey shows that a majority of Americans have more money in their "emergency funds" than the owe on their credit cards. But if most people have more savings than credit card debt, how come it also feels like the majority of us are broke?

Restaurants Hold a Credit Card Boycott - With a Twist

Twenty restaurants and cafes in the Boston and Washington, D.C., areas staged a one-day credit card boycott on Tuesday, targeted at interchange fees charged by card issuers. But it wasn't an grassroots, merchant-led event. It was organized by mobile payment processor LevelUp.

5 Ways Every Credit Customer is Judged

We all know that red flags like late payments or have too many lines of credit can bring down your credit score. But there are other ways banks and lenders measure all of us that you probably don't know about. Adrian Nazari, CEO of CreditSesame.com, explains.

Year-End Debt Checkup: Make Sure Yours Is Healthy Debt

Not all debt is created equal. And even in today's low interest rate climate, too much of the wrong kind of debt can quickly snowball. So as you consider your overall financial picture, make sure you only take on healthy debt -- and even then, only if you can afford it.

U.S. Consumer Borrowing Rises to Record $2.75 Trillion

Americans swiped their credit cards more often in October and borrowed more to attend school and buy cars. The increases drove U.S. consumer debt to an all-time high. The Federal Reserve said Friday that consumers increased their borrowing by $14.2 billion in October from September. Total borrowing rose to a record $2.75 trillion.

5 Great Credit Cards for Holiday Shopping

When it comes to holiday shopping, not all credit cards are created equal. The best card to choose depends on the kind of shopper you are. But no matter how you do your holiday shopping, there's one credit card strategy to avoid.

5 Fee-Free Ways to Donate to Disaster Relief Efforts

It's a recurring problem with making charitable donations online: You're not just donating to the charity -- you're also "donating" to the companies that process the payments. But if you'd like to get the most bang for your charitable buck, there are ways around those processing fees.

How High Credit Card Rates Could Be Good News for You

Despite ultra-low mortgage and savings interest rates, the average credit card rate is still high, and has barely budged over the past year. That's not so lucky for you as a spender -- but it could guide you to a windfall as an investor.

Credit Card Debt Payoff: How She Shed $32,000 in 22 Months

In 2008, when the foreclosure crisis was raging, Simone Griffin spent her days counseling homeowners behind on their mortgage payments, and her nights worrying about the precarious state of her own finances: $32,000 in debt on two credit cards. Then came her "scared straight" moment.