do's-don'ts-tips

DO'S

sign your card as soon as it arrives
shred your credit card statements and receipts if throwing them away
keep watch of your card when handing it over for a transaction
destroy an carbon copy receipts
check through your statements for any amounts that don't match your receipts or you don't recall purchasing
do report your card as lost as soon as it you think it may have gone missing
do keep a note of your card number for emergencies
do try and change the first/last number so only you can tell the correct number it should be (for example always add 2 to the first and last number, this is easy to remember but hard for anyone else reading it to realise)
notify your card issuer in advance of any change of address
if you think you may be running into trouble with your finances tell your card issuer as soon as possible to minimise any problems that may arise. your credit card company will work out an arrangement with you and this could avoid you being labelled as a bad creditor.

DON'TS

don't sign any slip that doesn't include full details of your transaction
don't leave your credit card where it can be accessed by others
don't record your card number in the same place you record your pin number
don't worry about reporting your card lost because you might look silly if your find it around the house / apartment
don't think the minimum monthly payment is the recommended amount, pay as much as you can to avoid mounting interest charges
never lend your card to anyone
don't cancel a credit card unless its fully paid off or you may find future card issuers charging you a premium

TIPS

Make sure you are ware of the cost of spending abroad with your card. This is not a free service by any means and its quite normal for a charge of around 2.75% to be added to your statement for that foreign purchase. Check your terms and conditions under the summary box for your brand. It will come under the section for non-sterling transactions or foreign transactions. Remember at 2.75% that £60 worth of cigarettes becomes £61.65. Billions of pounds are spent on plastic abroad each year and that's quite a little supplement for the companies on top.

Thinking of taking out PPI (payment protection cover)? Make sure you understand fully what you are covered for since like any bother insurance policy cover differs between policies and companies. The only way to be totally sure of what you are covered for in the invent that you cannot meet your payments due to say loss of employment is to have the full policy. It is not uncommon that the policy holder receives only a summary of cover. This is not sufficient. Make sure you have a cop of the full policy.