An affinity card is a branded credit card that is co-issued by a bank and the organization whose logo appears on the card.

Earning airline miles is easy. All you have to do is use the credit card that offers airline miles rewards when making your credit purchases. And if you pay close attention to the details that discuss how and when airline miles accrue, you'll be accruing airline miles in no time.

No other credit card offers the prestige that has come to be associated with the American Express card. What began in 1850 as a nation-wide freight forwarding company soon evolved into a company that created traveler's cheques and money orders which were sold to and used by customers around the world.

The annual fee, or membership fee, is an amount charge card companies levy for the right to use or carry their card. This fee is payable whether you actually use the card during the year or not. Annual fees range from an average low of $25 to as much as $100 or more.

Annual Percentage Rate or APR is a yearly rate of interest that includes all of the fees and expenses paid to acquire the loan or credit card. APR can vary anywhere from around 3% right up to 21% and beyond.

The Daily Average Balance is one of the three most common methods that credit card issuers use to calculate the amount of interest they charge on your credit card balance. The other methods are called the "previous balance method" and the "adjusted balance method." Of the three, the Average Daily Balance method costs you the most in interest charges.

An automatic stay is a temporary measure that is put into place automatically once a petition for bankruptcy has been filed by an individual or a company. Once an automatic stay is in place, the injunction prohibits creditors from taking certain actions against the debtor such as proceeding with lawsuits, attempting to collect debt, initiating foreclosure measures or garnishing wages.

A balance transfer is an option offered by many credit card issuers which enables the card holder to use their available credit from one card to pay off the balances due on one or more other cards. Usually the interest rate on the amount borrowed is lower than the rate of the cards that are being paid off by the balance transfer.

A Bank Holding Company is a corporation or other legal entity that owns or operates one or more commercial banks. Bank Holding Companies are regulated by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and must adhere to all U.S. Banking regulations that affect both banks and Bank Holding Companies.

A billing statement is a summarized bill that is sent by a creditor to all its customers every month. The majority of billing statements sent out are sent by issuers of credit cards. However, most every type of lender will send, either electronically or via mail, a billing statement.