Wednesday Trends in Credit Cards & Debt

Thanksgiving is as much about delayed flights, crowded airports and highways as it is about turkey and cranberry sauce. As you prepare for one of the busiest travel moments of the year, know your travel rights and what to do in case you come up against any holiday travel snafus. Haven’t booked a flight yet but still want to make it for Thanksgiving dinner? For all you procrastinators, SmartMoney gives some last minute travel tips to get you on a jet plane and home for the holiday. In the meantime, this roundup of credit card and debt news can keep you busy if you have a long wait ahead of you at the airport terminal, or at your in-laws’.

Credit Card News

• Thinking about making the switch to debit? If you aren’t completely convinced yet, Kiplinger may win you over with the case for cutting out credit cards completely.
• Interest rates, new fees, and extra charges, oh my! Take back control of your credit cards with Reuter’s card tricks for managing credit.
• These horror stories of credit card bills from The New York Times might make you watch for your next bill statement a little closer–The great unknowns of credit card bills.
• Planning to shop till you drop? Follow Dallas News advice on being aware of credit card changes as you charge into holiday shopping and also to be careful of how you use debit cards.
• Should you get a credit union credit card? Bankrate.com offers a clear list of the perks and downsides to keep you in the know.

Debt News

• Merry news from MSNBC: late credit card payments dropping in 3rd quarter show that consumers are getting better at managing their debt.
• Here’s one way to calculate if you have too much debt– debt-to-income ratios. Moolanomy Personal Finance explains it all, and how you can measure if you are in over your head in debt.
• You are making late payments — one very good reason why you should not shop during Black Friday. Mainstreet offers 9 more tell-tale signs it might be better for you to sleep in that notorious Friday morning.
• How to go into debt to get out of debt, brought to you by Rich Credit Debt Loan. Sound like an oxymoron? Read on to find out how “good debt” can help you get out of “bad debt”.
• Go on WalletPop’s debtor’s diet this Thanksgiving and set your table on a budget.
• The holidays should be a time of celebration, not depression. Dismiss dampening your yuletide cheer by following Mainstreet’s tips on how to avoid a holiday debt hangover.