You can build credit with a credit card by using it every month, paying off your purchases on time and keeping a low credit utilization (less than 30%). But there are many ways to build credit with a credit card other than making purchases and payments. For instance, you could lock your credit card in a drawer, and your score would still improve.

The key, regardless of your exact approach, is to get a credit card as soon as possible and then avoid missing due dates. Simply having an open credit card account is the easiest way to build credit. And payment history is the biggest ingredient in your credit score. With that being said, we’ll lay out our ideal approach to building credit with a credit card below.

As the U.S. continues its efforts to fully overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and new variants, staying safe remains an important concern for Americans. Safety is also essential for getting the economy fully back on track, as the lower COVID-19 transmission and deaths are in a state, the fewer restrictions there will be and the more confidence people will have to shop in person. While the country has dropped almost all restrictions and the number of new COVID-19 cases per month is down significantly since the beginning of the year, increasing the percentage of people who have been vaccinated and received booster doses is still key to getting back to life as normal. The good news is that around 68% of the population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of September 21.

Some states are already safer than others, though, based on how well they have kept the pandemic under control and how much they are vaccinating. In order to find out the safest states during the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics. Our data set includes the level of COVID-19 community transmission, the rates of positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.

The U.S. job market has healed a lot from the damage done by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the national unemployment rate is currently at 3.7%, which is 75% lower than the peak of 14.7% during April 2020. Unfortunately, high levels of inflation and the threat of a recession on the horizon could cause a surge in unemployment in the near future. Some cities’ jobs have weathered the storm better than others, though.

In order to identify where workers have been most affected by the current economic struggles, WalletHub compared 180 cities based on five key metrics. We looked at the change in each city’s unemployment during the latest month for which data was available (August 2022) compared to July 2022, August 2021, August 2020 and August 2019. We also considered each city’s overall unemployment rate.

What is Credit Card Receipt?

A credit card receipt is a written record that is either emailed or provided by a merchant directly in person summarizing a credit card transaction. Credit card receipts contain key information about credit card purchases, and they are very important for budgeting and tax purposes.

We’ll go into more detail below, explaining what receipts to keep, whether or not you have to sign them, and tips for avoiding common mistakes.

The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card is a good credit card that’s worth considering if you have a good credit score and want to earn 5% cash back on up to $500 spent in your biggest purchase category each billing cycle. Citi Custom Cash is also good for people who want a credit card with a $0 annual fee. Its initial rewards bonus and low introductory APRs are a draw, too.

Credit cards can be tricky, and it’s common for people to make mistakes when using them.  The key is to learn from these mistakes and to avoid making them again.

It's become a common question for international travelers: Will my credit card work abroad?

Central to this determination are the differences in credit card fraud prevention technology being employed around the world. While the United States continues to rely on the magnetic stripe technology adopted in the 1970’s, most places – including popular tourist and business destinations like Europe, Asia, and Canada – have progressed to chip-based smartcards based on the EMV standard.