Hold on to your Plastic

Whenever possible, don't let your credit card out of your sight. It only takes seconds for someone to run your card through a "skimmer," which is a portable device as small as a cellular phone that can copy your credit card information. This information can then be copied to a fake card and be used to charge purchases to your account.

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• Cross-Promotions

  Sign up for promotional e-mails from your credit card company to stay current on special discount offers. Many credit card companies offer special discount promotions when you purchase airline tickets for specific airlines using their credit card partners or a retailer.

• Lock up the credit card

  It's prudent to have a credit card for emergencies, but don't carry it with you when you go out. Why? Because you'll be more tempted to say, "Charge it" with that plastic in your pocket. Stay out of credit card debt - lock it in the safe deposit box, or hide it in your sock drawer - just don't take it with you.

• Say "No" to Convenience Checks

  Ask your credit card issuers to stop including convenience checks with your statements. These are not only treated as cash advances and carry exorbitant interest rates, but they're very attractive to identity thieves who will steal mail in search of them. You may have a hard time convincing you're credit card issuers to do this, because it's a big part of their marketing ploy to get you to use more credit, but be persistent.

• Opt Out of Pre-Approved offers

  Identity thieves love to get hold of "pre-approved" credit card applications, which make it easier for them to apply for credit in other people's names. If one of these is stolen from your mailbox, you'll never miss it. You can opt out of allowing credit bureaus to share your credit data for the purpose of pre-approved offers from credit card companies by contacting each of the three major credit reporting agencies and requesting to "opt out". (Equifax, (800) 685-1111. https://www.econsumer.equifax.com / Experian, (888) 397-3742. experian.com / Trans Union, (800) 916-8800. transunion.com.)

• Don't Let Websites Store Card Information

  A lot of websites offer the convenience of storing your credit card information on their site. Supposedly, this saves you time when you shop on their site. How much time does it really save, and is it worth the risk? It seems like every month there is news about security breaches where a major company loses customer data, a company gets hacked and loses credit card data, or a company insider steals credit card account information. Also, steer clear of storing sensitive checking account and debit card account information on websites.Take the extra 60 seconds to pull your card out of your wallet and enter the information yourself.