The long string of numbers, the magnetic stripe, the signature strip and the hologram all play roles in making credit transactions work. Get to know the standard parts of a credit card by moving your mouse around the image below.

Consumers who sign up for store credit cards may also find that their personal information is shared with other companies or that they are placed on marketing mailing lists. Stores such as retailing giant Wal-Mart routinely provide data to third parties looking to offer you special promotions or services. While buyers' personal information and buying habits represent another source of revenue to companies, it may be an annoyance to consumers who are already flooded with offers they don't need or want.

Grant has a final warning for online holiday shoppers: "One thing to recognize is that despite having lots of rights when making a credit card purchase, it's cold comfort if you don't get the gift for that person in time," she says. "If it's very important for you to get something by a certain date and you haven't dealt with that site before, I suggest looking for the item in the physical world or exploring other options."

The precariousness of the credit card industry was one of the issues raised during a sometimes tearful, sometimes tense Dec. 4 U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on credit card practices.

Gather all of your credit card and loan statements and add up the outstanding amounts you owe -- you do not want this to be a last-minute surprise. Be sure to note what the annual percentage rate (APR) is for each account and whether the payment is fixed (a car loan) or variable (credit cards).

Thanks to a marketing company's advice, Wood and McBride dropped building and insurance restoration from their menu of services to focus on remodeling -- 80 percent residential and 20 percent commercial.

The topic came up in 2005 with the massive destruction from Hurricane Katrina and the related outpour of charitable giving to organizations such as the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Through television, direct mail and online advertising, word quickly spread that donors could make a difference by providing immediate relief with their credit cards.

That regulation would formalize a now-informal practice, giving consumers a firm right to argue directly with companies that provide negative information to the credit bureaus. The bureaus compile information, positive and negative, into credit reports that dictate whether consumers can borrow money and at what rate.

Business credit cards that offer points rewards typically earn at a rate of one point per dollar spent on the card, but American Express often sweetens the deal with numerous opportunities for small businesses to earn multiple points per dollar spent for various categories of purchases or through specific merchant promotions.

Credit card and debit card users need to file a claim by Jan. 9, 2008, if they hope to get a refund on purchases made in a foreign currency or with a foreign merchant between Feb. 1, 1996, and Nov. 8, 2006. That deadline was established in the settlement of a class-action lawsuit that challenged how banks went about fixing and disclosing information on foreign transaction fees, commonly called currency conversion fees, to customers.