It's a simple question and common question asked by many - what exactly is a credit card issuer? If you're surfing around financial websites you've probably read the term a thousand times, but what exactly does it mean and how does it affect you? Who are they, how do they work, and what really happens when you swipe that plastic?

The internet is a big place full of a lot of information, but like most of us know (hopefully all of us will know someday) not all of that information is always true. Today we'll look at the myth that carrying a balance on your credit card can actually boost your credit.

The question "Does carrying a balance help your credit?" brings up almost three and a half million search results, so obviously a few people are curious about if that rumor has any truth.

We talked about the new improvements to the American Express line of Blue Cash credit cards last week. Namely, we were most impressed with the addition of a 15-month zero interest introductory period applied to both purchases and balance transfers.

The biggest news circulating on the cyber news stands this week was the fact that late payments on credit cards are at their lowest point since 1994.

According to the Fox Business report by Kate Rogers, "payments that are at least 90 days overdue fell in the second quarter 0.57%..." That would be the second-lowest rate in almost 20 years. When grunge was king and pogs were still a thing, the rate was 0.56%.