1. Choose the Card that’s right for you. Think about the features that are important to you so you don’t pay for features you won’t use. Consider fees, rewards and interest rates. We offer a choice of products designed to meet specific customer needs, from charge cards with rich rewards, no pre-set spending limits and annual fees, to credit cards with no fees at all. See our helpful Card Finder.

2. Take the time to understand your terms and conditions. By signing up for a Card, you agree to adhere to the terms of the account. If you don’t, there are penalties. This ensures that customers who adhere to the terms of their account aren’t subsidizing those who don’t. To help you understand the terms and conditions of your credit card, read Credit Cards: What You Need to Know.

3. Pay your bill on time to avoid late fees and higher interest rates. Paying late can be costly. Note your payment due date. You should also know that American Express will not raise your interest rate or assess fees based on your payment history with other companies.

4. Make payments electronically or by phone, free of charge. It’s fast and avoids the time and expense of mail. Sign Up to Pay Your Bill Online. (Note: You’ll be prompted to log in to your account first.)

5. Pay more than the minimum due to pay off your balance more quickly and reduce interest charges. By paying only the minimum due every month you will add to the amount of interest you pay over time. This means you’ll end up paying more for your purchases.

6. Pay your balance in full each month by the payment due date to take advantage of an interest-free grace period on purchases. Unlike cash or debit cards, using a credit card to make purchases and paying your balance in full each month gives you an interest-free, unsecured loan.

7. Use free alerts to manage your accounts via e-mail or phone. You can sign up for alerts to let you know your payment due date, that your payment has been received, if there is irregular activity on your account, to provide an update on your balance, and to track spending. Sign Up for Account Alerts (Note: You’ll be prompted to log in to your account first.)

You can also sign up to receive your statement online as soon as it’s issued – free of charge. Sign Up for Online Statements (Note: You’ll be prompted to log in to your account first.)

8. Know your credit limit and don’t exceed it to avoid over-limit fees and higher interest rates. (See above tip to sign up for alerts to let you know when you are nearing your credit limit.) Over-limit fees and default-tier interest rates will add to the total amount you end up paying for purchases.

9. Know the terms of special offers. Balance transfers and introductory offers can come with lower interest rates for a set period of time. Payments you make while taking advantage of low-rate offers will first be applied to balances carrying the lowest rates.

10. Rest assured that you are never liable for fraudulent charges on your statement. You can check your bill online for additional detail on any charges you don’t recognize. Then, simply contact us if you notice any unauthorized charges. Log In to Your Account.

Note: These tips are applicable to all American Express-issued Cards in the U.S.

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