Easy Financing

Store credit cards charge high interest, have limited use, and provide fewer benefits than traditional credit cards. Are they ever a good idea?

How many times have you been in a store and the cashier asks if youd like to save 10 percent today?

It sounds like a good deal everyone wants a discount. The catch? You have to open a store credit card. Cashiers are trained, and typically required, to present the offer as a smart move. You were going to pay $50 anyway, so why not open the card, save 10 percent, then send in your payment?

More often than not, a consumer will sign up for the card, save 10 percent on their original purchase (plus a few other items theyll buy to really wring the value from the one-time discount), and thene back to buy from the store again, since they have the credit line.

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Credit cards give us the convenience of letting us pay off our charges over time. However, one of the risks associated with them is the prevailing problem of identity theft. Few people realize just how easy it is for someone to steal their identity using only the information from their credit cards. Here are some of the major ways identity theft is committed:

Shoulder Surfing
Beware when using credit cards in public places such as airports or ticket counters. Also, use caution when entering your credit card number on a public telephone. These are the times when identity thieves may engage in something known as “shoulder surfing”. The

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