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Saturday, November 21st 2009

What's your credit card IQ?

Sure, you have a card or two in your wallet, but do you know how they work? Let's find out with these 10 questions. We warn you: They'll get harder as we go along.

1. We'll start you out easy. What's a credit card? Pick out the one best answer.

A device by which a bank extends you an instant loan, which you agree to pay.
A plastic device with a magnetic stripe or embedded chip that consumers can use to pay for purchases directly from their checking accounts.
My worst nightmare.
Credit cards are the instruments through which the Trilateral Commission drains the wealth of nations into the hands of just a few members of their secret society.

2. When we're talking about credit cards, what do the letters APR stand for?

Accelerated percentage rate.
Average percentage rate.
Annual percentage rate.
Anticipated performance rate.

3. True or false: If you pay your credit card bill in full, on time, every time, you'll never pay a dime in interest.

True.
False.
True, unless you use convenience checks or get cash advances.

4. Can a credit card issuer change your interest rate at any time for any reason?

No. The issuer is bound by the terms of the contract, just like the consumer.
Yes, but only after going through the Federal Reserve Board for permission.
Yes, after giving consumers 15 days' notice.
No, thanks to the landmark 1987 Supreme Court ruling in re Ferguson v. GigaBank, a Delaware corporation.

5. Canceling a credit card is likely to have what impact on your credit score?

Your credit score will rise; credit scoring algorythms recognize this as responsible behavior and reward it.
Your credit score is likely to fall.
Canceling a credit card has no impact on your credit score.

6. What role do Visa and MasterCard play in credit card purchases?

They provide processing networks that authorize and settle transactions.
They're the companies that consumers borrow money from to make credit card transactions.
They're the credit version of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, established under federal charter to encourage consumers to borrow on credit cards, because the federal government believes that freely flowing credit is good for the country.
They're voluntary associations using copyright free trademarks to establish international branding and marketing in a Web 3.0 paradigm.

7. Finish this sentence: Adding someone to your credit card account as an authorized user in an effort to raise their credit score is ...

... impossible. Credit scores don't work that way.
... legal, but only in community property states.
... called piggybacking, and it's used most often to help boost the credit score of a child, spouse, or other person who has new or tarnished credit.
... possible, but best left to certified financial planners, since it employs arbitraged hedge funds.

8. On a variable rate credit card, the interest rate is usually comprised of what components?

The collateral, the principal and the late fee.
The prime rate plus the fed funds rate.
Your average daily balance multiplied by the prime rate.
The prime rate plus a margin.

9. Which of the following is NOT a factor in your credit score?

Your payment history.
The amounts owed.
The length of time you've had credit.
How much new credit you have.
The mix of credit types.
Whether you own versus rent your home.

10. Failure to pay your credit card can cause which of the following to happen? Check all that apply.

Your credit score could go up.
Your interest rate could go up.
Your credit score could go down.
You could be hit with late fees.
You could be turned over to debt collectors.
Your wages could be garnished.
Dandruff.

 
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