There are many things we need to remember and keep track of. One of these things is credit card information such as name of issuer, year and month of expiration, credit card number and PIN and help-line phone number. If you feel there is too much data to memorize it is best to have everything written down and kept in a safe place like a deposit box or your telephone - there are telephones that offer a special notebook feature which can only be accessed by introducing a code and where you can store data safely. Therefore, another thing you need to do is Keep Records of Important Information.

Managing credit cards is not child's play. You will need to keep good track of your money if you do not want to overspend or lose track of expenditures. You also need to learn that your money is your business and thus attention needs to be paid when giving out credit card identification information. Last, but just as important, you need to keep in handy support-centre contact information in case you need to report irregularities or you have questions to ask. Attention and common sense is actually all you need in order to use a credit card wisely.

If you want to see your credit report, you need to check with respective reporting agency. A reporting agency is a company that maintains and updates database, and sells reports to those who are interested. There are many such credit bureaus all over country, serving local markets, and three major, long-established ones: Equifax, Trans Union and Experian (formerly TRW). These are companies you need to contact when you want to see your credit report - online, at http://www.equifax.com, http://www.transunion.com and http://www.experian.com, or offline, by calling them or writing to them.

When you ask for your credit report, you will be required to provide your personal info (name, address, social security number, and so on, sometimes for your spouse as well, where applicable). Also, a small fee applies. From Equifax, 3-in-1 credit report (meaning a complete credit history from all three credit reporting agencies) is $29.95 or $39.95 for credit report with credit score included. At Trans Union, complete 3-in-1 credit report is $29.95 (the online version), with one free credit score. If you want all three credit scores, you'll need to pay an additional $9.95. From Experian, complete credit reports from three credit bureaus costs $34.95, and includes a Free Experian credit score. It is important to view results from all three major credit bureaus, because they don't share information among them, and because lenders may report to one or another of these bureaus, so results may not always match.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act entitles each consumer to one free disclosure every 12 months. Also, you can avoid these fees if you request to see your credit report within 60 days of having been denied credit or insurance because of report. Also, you don't have to pay if you're on welfare, you're unemployed and intend to look for a job within 60 days or your report contains mistakes due to fraud.