Alice Bryant

Credit cards are important tools for purchasing, both at home and abroad. At home, credit cards are an easy way to build credit while paying off purchases. In other countries, getting cash can be very costly with foreign currency withdrawal charges at local ATMs. Furthermore, you want to have a minimal amount of cash on you in case you are robbed. Credit cards seem to be the best option when it comes to money while traveling and a smart choice while at home. However, having a credit card is only helpful if it is accepted.

Knowing your credit score is very important to maintaining good credit. However, many people don’t understand how to go about finding their score. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only place where you can get your credit report for free, but this report can only be retrieved once per year. It used to be that the only way to get a genuine FICO credit score every month was to pay a service such as MyFICO.com or Equifax. Normally it costs between $10 and $20 per month.

Buy now and pay later.  Sounds great, right? Best Buy, Home Depot, and Walmart are just some of the many retailers that offer these deferred interest credit cards.  Advertised as a free credit card with 0% interest that you can get right on the spot, deferred interest credit cards sound like a dream come true.

But there’s a catch.  These cards can end up costing you a lot more money than you think.  Take a look below before you commit yourself to something you may not want.