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9 questions before choosing a credit card

Can anything I charge be used against me?
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Can anything I charge be used against me?

Some card issuers use your purchase records to assess your ongoing creditworthiness.

That means if you suddenly use your card to purchase retread tires, pay for a session with a marriage counselor or make a purchase at a market on a sketchy side of town, you could see your APR climb or your credit limit fall, says Frank. If you see this practice as an invasion of privacy, ask beforehand if the issuer does this, he says.

How to phrase it: Can my transactions ever be used in rating my credit risk?

And that's one question the customer service representative "might not known the answer to," says Frank. "You might want to ask them to transfer you to the credit department manager."


 

 

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Balance Transfer Cards 16.00%
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Another study shows the imperfection of credit reporting. Almost 1 in 4 encountered problems with their credit reports.
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