ARTICLE: Credit Cards Online - Where do you Start?

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Jim Slobodzian
Enroute.ca eMoney Guide

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Credit Cards Online - Where to Start?

Are you thinking of changing credit cards or looking for a new one? Where do you start to look when comparing credit cards? Let's talk about where we compare credit cards services and prices online.

If you are still in the "shopping" phase of comparing different cards and their fees, go to this site http://www.qksrv.net/click-972887-804595 where cardoffers.com provides a great service with credit card reviews and comparisons.

For an information packed portal that provides a good cross section of emoney information, visit www.bankrate.com Their credit card search section allows you to pick your priorities (cost, features, etc.) and then it will provide you with a comparison of cards, including fees! http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/cc_home.asp

If you want an objective opinion, we can look at the Gomez consumer ratings of course. They rank the top 20 Internet credit card sites according to different features, and have a tool that lets you pick two different cards to compare ratings side-by-side.

http://www.gomez.com/scorecards/index.asp?topcat_id=73&subSect=finance

Here are the latest Gomez rankings for credit cards . Top Internet Credit Card Sites for Q1 2002 ranked by Overall Score.

Firm

Score
1. Citibank (review) 5.61 2. American Express (review) 5.58 3. Direct Merchants Bank (review) 5.10 4. GM Card (review) 5.05 5. Bank of America (review) 4.98 6. Juniper (review) 4.84 7. First National (review) 4.80 8. Household Bank (review) 4.80 9. Nextcard (review) 4.80 10. National City Bank (review) 4.58 11. J.P. Morgan Chase (review) 4.57 12. Discover Card (review) 4.52 13. Fleet (review) 4.51 14. MBNA (review) 4.37 15. Wells Fargo (review) 4.26 16. Virtual Bank (review) 3.99 17. Capital One (review) 3.76 18. First USA (review) 3.74 19. Providian (review) 3.43 20. U.S. Bancorp (review) 3.29 (Source: Gomez.com)
Highest score = 10
Lowest score = 0 (A firm with a 10 for Overall Cost provides services at the lowest cost)

I know there are thousands of credit card sites out there and I won't burden you with that many links, but here are two that might come in handy if you are traveling. They are ATM locator sites if you need quick cash from your cards.

Mastercard or Cirrus -

http://www.mastercard.com/cardholderservices/atm

Visa or Plus - http://visaatm.infonow.net/bin/findNow?CLIENT_ID=VISA

The use of credit cards is a convenience that a little common sense will make sure we don't abuse.

First, pay off your monthly balance - every month! If you can't pay off your balance, that is a good sign that you are simply living beyond your means and spending more than you earn. Eventually it will catch up to you and you will find yourself in financial troubles. By paying your complete balance you make sure that your spending stays in line and you don't incur any expensive interest charges.

Secondly, be smart with your card #'s. When you buy online ensure that your transactions are secure - reputable sites will state right up front and through the buying process what kind of security and secure transactions they conduct. Don't send your card # with expiry date written in an email. You never know who will be reading the email in future, and once that email is sent it is gone forever (and so is your credit card information)!
Also watch your statements to ensure your card wasn't billed for something you didn't buy. Credit card fraud is a huge industry.

And be sure you are operating proper firewall software on your computer to prevent hackers from scanning your “clipboard” or hard disk files for credit card #’s.

Let's all be careful with our card numbers so that we don't get added to the statistics!

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Jim Slobodzian is the author of "How to Manage Your Money Online and Save" your guide to personal finance online. Jim publishes the eMoney Guide providing weekly news and tips on online. Download your copy of the eMoney Guide now at http://www.enroute.ca mailto:money@enroute.ca Copyright (c) 2002 Enroute.ca All rights reserved.

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