TonyBarri tweets an all too frightening fact of life:

some waiters are crooks and have several stolen or cancelled credit cards that they can switch with yours because they look alike….

We’ve written in the past about identity theft when you have your credit card. This example, however, is a little different.

Make sure to check your credit card when you leave a restaurant. It’s a simple way to prevent identity theft. Of course, you’ll also need to regularly monitor your purchases and credit scores to truly protect your credit. …

Carol_Phillips tweets a generational link:

“So I researched all the big boys: Chase, Amex, Visa, Discover, Bank of America and MasterCard…” http://bit.ly/aij3zH#tngg #GenY

The article is a tongue in cheek look at “dating” a credit card for its rewards.

Though it’s told with a focus on humor and benefits more than fiscal responsibility, it’s still a worthwhile read for younger …

Our peers at CreditCards.com have a syndicated article at Fox Business news that a few people have been tweeting about.

The advice is solid- use your emergency card only for emergencies, and take care of it so that it can handle the crises in your life.

In a way, you should prepare an emergency credit card the same way you’d prepare an emergency medical kit- stock up on basics, make sure you have everything you need, and only use when absolutely necessary. A credit card may not save your life- but …

Our alerts pointed us to this article, about a Pennsylvania couple that stole a credit card from a dead friend and rang up over $1,000 in charges.

A few things leapt out at us. First, you notice that the couple was caught for device fraud and using the card. Many safe cards help protect against identity theft.

Second, you should realize that identity theft can happen anywhere. Hopefully, none of us will have to worry about a situation as extreme as the one from the article. But we all have to …

Orangemoney notes a sad statistic:

Desperate Brits resort to using credit cards for mortgage and rent paymentshttp://bit.ly/5WVdeE

The news is that over 1 million British use their credit cards for mortgages and rent.

The problem with that is that high interest rates could, in effect, increase your mortgage and rent. It’s something to watch for when you’re paying off your debts.

DKeefe86 tweets a quote from financial guru Dave Ramsey:

60% of people do not pay off their credit cards each month- D. Ramsey

We couldn’t find independent confirmation of the stat. However, the sentiment is worth noting- paying off your credit card is the best way to make credit work for you.

Do you pay off your card?

Or are you part of the 60% who are paying to use their credit?

In our continuing quest to cover credit card art, we recently heard about a new invention: a credit card guitar pick machine. Where is the credit card guitar pick machine? You can find it at Gryphon Instruments in Palo Alto, CA.

Nengard is thinking correctly about credit:

i’m okay with them cutting my limit – but the whole reason i didn’t cancel them was cause longevity is good on the credit report

It’s easy to forget that credit scores are partly measured based on how long a person has had a card. By remembering it, you can adjust your financial life accordingly.

It’s only fair that we note Stinkie’s tweet about a merchant being squeezed:

More B****** From Mastercard When It Comes To Tobacco: You might remember a year ago, almost to the day I made a p… http://bit.ly/4CKZOo

The full post here accuses MasterCard of charging special fees to certain merchants, particularly online tobacco merchants. According to the author, MasterCard says they took action because of unscrupulous practices by other online merchants. The author believes a tobacco vendetta may be …

Today, we were pointed to an article about consumers taking credit.

As credit card changes to interest rates and fees rock the credit industry, consumers are reacting by applying for new cards and transferring balances.

That might be a good thing.

As long as you don’t apply to too many cards at once- since that can damage your credit score- it’s a good idea to keep your options open. Credit is changing, but your finances don’t have to change for the worse.