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8 Tips for Choosing the Best Credit Card


Image by Andres Rueda

Why get a one-size fits all card when you can tailor your credit card to suit your needs?

Even a quick look will show there is a diverse array of credit cards available to you, the consumer. It can be hard to sort through them all and figure out which card is going to best serve your needs. Points, interest rates, rewards, air miles – it doesn’t take long before your head is swimming. Let’s dip a toe into the credit card waters and try to make sense of the various cards available to you.

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5 Awesome Free MS Office Alternatives

leader image

Unless you’re one of those people who insist on shunning all forms of technology, which in this day and age is pretty impressive, you would have heard of Microsoft Office. Microsoft is the Godfather of software applications, and for a long time, because there wasn’t anything similar available to end-users, they held a complete monopoly in the market. Now times have changed.

Developer boffins the world over have worked long and hard to come up with alternatives to the Microsoft Office suite, not just because they enjoy fiddling with code all day, but to provide a software package that offers just the same as Office at a much more affordable price. And while they may not have all the advanced features of MS Office, which most people rarely use, they do offer user-friendly interfaces and include compatibility and support for MS Office file formats – all that you need, really. Here are 5 of the most formidable challengers on the market, and they’re all free, free, FREE!

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20 Signs Your Personal Finances Are In Tatters

money machine
Image quinn.anya

It’s payday next week, and the time just isn’t going quick enough. You’ve already earmarked a dozen things you want to buy, and then there’s those nights out with your mates you planned – now you can finally afford a few drinks… or can you?

Taking inspiration from Free From Broke’s article 25 Traits of the Not So Well to Do, The Credit Letter looks into ways of recognising you may be in financial diffs, but haven’t quite realised it yet.

The ability to splurge can, for some people, be overwhelming. In fact scientists concluded this year that spending money can be like a drug. The act of willingly parting with your dosh stimulates the reward centres of the brain normally associated with addictive activities. So, when people say they feel better after a spot of retail therapy, it’s easy to see why. It’s also easier to understand why, when you actually have very little excess money each month – and you know you can ill-afford a spree – that you spend it like you’re loaded.

But how do you know when you’re verging on the brink of becoming a shopaholic? If a few of the points below make you shout out, “Hey, that’s me!” then you might need to rethink your lifestyle choices and spending habits.

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When The Economy Goes Down, What Goes Up?

escher-esque stairs
Image: Verago

Written by Joseph McCullough

Let’s face facts; things aren’t exactly hunky dory when it comes to the economy. But it can’t all be bad news, can it? A slump in the economy encourages other markets to rise. The only problem is, the markets that grow may not necessarily be of interest to you, or be something that you want to invest in, or need. Of course, if you look on the bright side, a savvy investor can make a killing in a dry market.

As the economy languishes in a constant flux of ‘will it, won’t it get better’, read on to learn about the areas that grow when the economy flounders. If you’re smart, you can make some cash by playing the odds and avoid the pitfalls along the way.

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11 Ways Airlines Could Save Money (Without Asking Staff to Work for Free)

BA leaving town
BA Leaving Town
Image via: Irargerich

Once upon a time, to fly was seen as a bit of a luxury. Not everyone could afford to jet from country to country on a whim. Economy offered more than the bare minimum of service during a flight, and it was more often than not an exciting experience for all. Now, unless you’re one of the lucky few who can afford the joy of business class, most people have very little time for airlines and their shenanigans. They are frequently viewed as nothing more than a basic service provider and are talked about with much eye-rolling. And, instead of working to regain the grace of the old days, airlines are cutting costs at every opportunity to survive in an incredibly competitive market.

Yet, there are workable ways and means of saving money instead of asking staff to work for free, or insisting fliers pay to use the loo. Those moves are only going to alienate staff and customers and drive them towards the less unscrupulous airlines.

Here, we offer a few simple money-saving strategies that we hope will save any failing airlines from a tragic end.

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10 Heart-Stopping Credit Card Statement Surprises

scary statement
Image: Jason Rogers

Uh-oh! Your credit card bill just arrived, and a familiar dread builds up as you open up the statement. Just before you look to judge the damage, a deep regret swells up as you recollect the purchases of the past month. On reflection, buying those ‘must have’ snakeskin leather shoes probably wasn’t completely justified, and somewhere, in the hazy depths of your mind, you remember stumbling home from the bar a few weeks previously, after leaving your credit card behind. Ouch!

It’s true, we all pay for things we later regret, but it seems that some people get more than they bargained for!

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5 Disasters That Make Staying In Bed Your Best Financial Bet

man in bed
Image: prettywar-stl

Have you ever had one of those days when you wished you’d stayed in bed? Maybe today is one of those dreaded days. Yep, it happens to us all. Then there are the days that go so badly wrong it would have made more financial sense to stay at home. The trouble is, due to most people’s lack of psychic abilities, we never know when the day’s going to be a shocker until it’s too late – though we’re not suggesting everyone just gives up and never goes to work in case something awful happens, no matter how tempting it sounds.

With the average person earning about AUS$190 per day, it doesn’t take much to drain the bank balance when things go wrong. Here are just a few examples of those times you would have actually saved money by snuggling under the covers.
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Incredibly Weird Dresses Made From Credit Cards

gold credit card dress

If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to have your credit card sadistically cut up in front of your face by an overzealous shop assistant, you’ll understand the excruciating embarrassment that accompanies the event. But don’t fret, because there are ways to turn the situation around. All you have to do is save all the credit card cuttings, add them to the used credit card pile, and make your own clothes.

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Incredible Credit Card Art

frog
Image of credit card frog: Hhyaena

Every few years we lament the passing of our favourite plastic friends, which like many good friends can be the bane of our life or a blessing, so it’s good to know that there is an afterlife for credit cards. Whether they’re shredded, cut, sewn or painted, post-expiry-date cards, in the hands of artists, live to be appreciated from another perspective. Here we present the most creative pieces of credit card art for your pleasure.
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Avoid Disaster: 10 Steps to Take When You Lose Your Wallet

wallet aussie dollars
Image: Martin Kingsley

You could swear it was “just there a minute ago”, but it’s too late now, your laden wallet with all its precious contents is on the run, and you have mere minutes to engage in a little damage control before things get out of control.

Once the initial shock of noticing your wallet is missing wanes away, the aggravating realization that the entire contents of said wallet will have to be painstakingly replaced leaves a horrible sinking feeling, often reserved for the end of worlds… or when you’ve lost your phone! But it needn’t be that catastrophic; following these simple steps will ensure the whole debacle isn’t quite as disastrous as it seems.
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