Name: Credit Card Advice & Resources
Item: Credit Card Advice & Resources
Author: Staff Writers

Understanding Credit Cards

These resources are for people who are new to the world of credit cards. Consider going through these if you've just received your first card, want to better understand commonly used credit card terminology or want to learn how credit cards work.

Beginner's Guide to Credit Cards: How Credit Works

A credit card is much more than a plastic rectangle; it's a loan. Used wisely,...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

How to Get Your First Credit Card

A complete guide to choosing, applying for and obtaining your first credit card. Learn how...Read More

by Nathan Paulus

How to Read Your Credit Report (Plus When and Where to Get It)

Learn what's actually in your credit report and what that information means for you. Moneygeek...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

How Credit Card Interest Works

Your credit score, the amount you owe on your credit card balance and the time...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

Learn the Difference Between APR and APY

Both APY and APR measure the interest rate on savings and credit accounts, but how...Read More

by Nathan Paulus

What to Know About Credit Card Annual Fees

An annual fee credit card may be a beneficial financial tool. Learn about the benefits,...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

Building Credit

People with poor or no credit history may benefit by understanding what they can do to improve their credit, how much time the process takes and the factors that impact their credit scores.

What Is a Good Credit Score? Plus Everything Else to Know About Credit

A good credit score ranges from 670 to 739 for FICO and 661 to 780...Read More

by Nathan Paulus

Can You Build Your Credit Score Fast?

Having bad credit can make your financial life more difficult than it has to be....Read More

by Christopher Murray

How Credit Union Cards Can Help Improve Credit

Get all the insight you need about joining a credit union and getting a credit...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

Does Requesting a Credit Increase Hurt Your Credit Score?

Requesting a credit limit increase without permanently hurting your credit score is possible when done...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

What Does Your Credit Score Start At?

Where does your credit score start? It’s certainly not at zero. Find out where it...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

How Credit Utilization Ratio Works

More credit is never bad, but using more of that credit can leave you with...Read More

by Brett Holzhauer, CPFC

Managing Credit Card Debt and Balance Transfers

People often turn to balance transfers to manage their existing debt more effectively. If you plan to tread this path, it’s important to know how much money you stand to save, the effect the process has on your credit score and the time the balance transfer might take to complete.

Credit Card Balance Transfers: What Happens Next?

What happens after a credit card balance transfer? We break down its impact on your...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

Do Balance Transfers Hurt Your Credit Score?

A balance transfer done right will improve your credit score over time despite having to...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

How Long Does a Balance Transfer Take?

Explore how long credit card balance transfers take, factors that influence the timeline, and strategies...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

Balance Transfers: Pros, Cons & Tips for Debt Reduction

Explore the advantages and challenges of balance transfers to manage credit card debt effectively and...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

Balance Transfer vs. Cash Advance: What’s the Difference?

When making the balance transfer vs. cash advance comparison, there are many things you'll want...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

How Does a Cash Advance Work?

We explain what a cash advance on a credit card is and highlight its pros...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

Can You Do Multiple Balance Transfers?

Doing multiple balance transfers is possible and can save you interest. Be sure to check...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

Featured Credit Card & Financial Experts

Financial gurus from across the U.S. help scrutinize all our content to ensure you get access to the most accurate and up-to-date information possible. They also help answer questions you see on different pages. Here are the experts who’ve worked with us on all the pages for new credit card users and for those hoping to build their creditworthiness.

Carrie L. Johnson

Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at North Dakota State...

Daniel Roccato

Clinical Professor of Finance at the University of San Diego School...

Bri Peck

Financial Planner, CFP® at Stepp & Rothwell, Inc.

Kevin Payne

Personal Finance Freelance Writer

Lee Huffman

Credit Card and Personal Finance Expert

Maximizing Rewards

The credit card advice that follows focuses on what you may do to maximize your reward-earning potential. We shed light on credit card churning, the best credit card combinations to use, responsible travel hacking and the probable pitfalls you need to avoid. All the content you read here is the result of meticulous research and is vetted by industry experts.

Best Credit Card Combinations to Maximize Rewards

If you want to maximize credit card rewards, it’s best to approach your spending with...Read More

by Brett Holzhauer, CPFC

What Is Credit Card Churning?

We explain what credit card churning is and highlight its pros and cons so you...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

How to Travel Hack Responsibly - Credit Cards

Travel hacking can get you free flight tickets, flight upgrades, discounted accommodation and more. However,...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

Which Credit Card Rewards Program Is the Best?

We help you find out how credit card rewards programs work, and we also help...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

How cash back works is not the same with every credit card. We highlight the...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

What Is a Rewards Credit Card?

Do you want to learn how rewards credit cards work and how you may earn...Read More

by Doug Milnes, CFA

MoneyGeek’s Best Credit Cards for Every Category

We’ve collected and reviewed data for close to 2,500 American credit cards. Our experts arrive at revised lists of the best credit cards from different segments each month. They do this by subjecting new and existing cards to our unique ranking methodology that considers category-specific parameters. For instance, not all the factors that go into arriving at the best cards for bad credit are the same as the ones we consider when selecting the top cards for excellent credit.