My wife and I moved from Seattle to Thailand for work late last year. Other than preparing myself for lots of spicy food, tropical weather, and a 12-hour time difference with clients on the East Coast, I also wanted to make sure I was prepared to properly handle my credit cards while living overseas. I have always traveled internationally for work, and ever since my first trip abroad I quickly realized that credit cards were my lifeline. They could mean the difference between staying at the Hyatt, or sharing a hostel room with a talkative German named Franz. That said, over the last seven months I have learned some valuable lessons - many the hard way- about managing my credit cards internationally. Hopefully some of these experiences will be of value to you wherever you happen to call home.

One of our favorite business credit card issuers, Advanta, has decided to cease lending to its business credit card holders. Whereas other credit card lenders are simply ceasing to lend to new customers, Advanta will also shut down all existing accounts for future use. So if you have an Advanta credit card, you'd better start looking for another way to pay for your business expenses.

Is the worst of the credit crunch behind us? According to an April study conducted by the Fed, which surveyed more than 75 domestic and foreign banks regarding their lending practices to businesses and consumers, there are some leading indicators that credit markets are beginning to loosen.

President Obama has already made transparency a key theme for his administration, and it's clear he expects the same from leading companies in the credit card industry. Sitting at a long table surrounded by key executives from corporations such as American Express, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Capital One, Obama stated, "No more fine print, no more confusing terms and conditions. We want clarity and transparency from here on out" (The Washington Times). Has the moment finally come?

According to a study published by Nellie Mae (2005), 56% of undergraduate freshman obtain their first credit card at age 18. Unfortunately, most fail to receive any education about how credit works or what it takes to build a solid credit history after the card arrives in the mail