Lifestyle and Budget

Credit card bills are never fun to pay, but they cannot be ignored. And, as it turns out, you may have more control in the situation than you think.

As summer comes to a close, and college students prepare to return to school, many will be able to apply for their own credit card account for the first time.

These tips can help you build credit, even if your credit history is sparse.

Forty-five million Americans have no traditional credit score, according to a new report by the CFPB.

While the overall job market has improved over the past few years since the Great Recession, not everyone has been able to return to the workforce. At the same time, others are without employment because they are in school, transitioning to a new career, are stay-at-home parents, or have simply retired. In these situations, is it still possible to be approved for a credit card?

Consumers make some basic math mistakes when it comes to paying their credit card debt -- preventing them from paying it off in the most efficient way.

The recent announcement from American Express that it will raise interest rates for more than 1 million cardholders has a lot of people asking questions. If you’re one of the cardholders who will be affected by this change or are worried your credit card issuers will make similar moves, there are a few things you need to know.

Is there a downside to accepting an offer for credit monitoring from a credit card company? One Credit.com reader, April, received such an offer and wondered if accepting it was a good idea.

Don't get trapped by mounting credit card debt. Stay in control with these tips.

Hotel credit cards rival airline cards for a place in the wallets of travelers. For a long time, hotel cards were becoming a better value as airlines devalued their loyalty programs by making fewer award seats available and requiring more miles to reserve them. But in 2013, as hotel occupancy rates rebounded, several of the major hotel chains altered their own award charts to require more points for award nights.

In the past few years there has been a lot of news about credit card thieves tampering with ATMs and gas pumps. Now there’s another common place that’s recently emerged as a hotspot for credit card theft: parking lots.

Molly wants a new credit card and has her sights set on one issued through a community bank. But there’s a problem: She doesn’t have an income, at least not in the traditional sense.

You probably know that you shouldn’t keep your Social Security card in your wallet. But do you know when you actually have to give it to someone who asks?

Paying down loans with credit for rewards may cause more trouble than it's worth.

For some people, the scariest person to visit their house this fall will be the mail carrier, due to the surprises that may be lurking in their credit card statements.

Here’s one of the tricky things about credit scores: They’re about more than credit.Your credit score may not be top of mind while you’re driving to work or browsing the Internet, but if you’re not careful, you could jeopardize your financial future when you least expect it’s at risk.

One question has become a standard part of the check-out process at many retailers: Would you like to open up a store credit card?

If you have a Bank of America debit card, you might soon get an upgraded piece of plastic. While many Bank of America credit cards are already enabled with chip-and-PIN technology, the company announced Sept. 30 that all its new and reissued debit cards will contain integrated circuit cards also known as chips.

Like previous retailers hurt by data breaches, Home Depot started offering free credit monitoring once it discovered that its security had been compromised.

Before you apply for a secured card, it's best to know what fees will be charged and whether that card will be the best fit for your credit profile.