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.

Falling victim to identity theft is no joke. At its mildest, a small-time crook who finds your lost wallet is able to make a few purchases before the credit cards are canceled. The credit card issuers relieve you of any responsibility for the fraudulent charges and you're left with only the creepy knowledge that someone out there might still be carrying around your driver's license and pictures of your kids.

Like most retailers these days, Walmart has its own store credit card, but is it really worth it? Lets take a look.

Promotions

Like most retailers it comes with a lot of flashy promotions. The latest attempt to hook shoppers is a $25 savings when you spend open a Walmart Credit Card and spend $75 in your first visit. Sounds nice, but nothing too special. When you consider most cards on the market these days give you at minimum a year long introductory zero percent APR, a measly $25 bucks really isn't that much in the big picture.

Rewards