July 1999

• Credit cards are just like a loan-you have to pay what you owe.
• Keep track of how much you spend. Remember that incidental and impulse purchases add up fast.
• Save your receipts. Compare them with your monthly bill. Promptly report problems to the company that issued the card.
• Never lend your card to anyone.
• Owing more than you can repay can damage your credit rating. That can make it hard to finance a car, rent an apartment, get insurance-even get a job.
• Pay your bill on time, and in full when possible. If you don't, you'll have to pay finance charges on the unpaid balance-and it takes forever to get caught up if you just pay the minimum.

Federal law limits your liability for unauthorized charges to $50 per card.