Don't let summer travel leave you with a credit sunburn

COSTA MESA, Calif., June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer officially arrives on June 21. The busiest travel season of the year is on the horizon, and freecreditscore.com™ wants to help travelers mitigate post-vacation credit debt that can impact their credit long after a vacation ends.

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130618/LA33754-INFO)

"Summer travelers can avoid common credit pitfalls by planning ahead," said Ken Chaplin, senior vice president at freecreditscore.com. "Small steps can make a real difference in preventing missed payments, credit card theft or a high debt-to-credit ratio while traveling."

Here are five tips to avoid the pitfalls of a post-vacation credit sunburn:

1. Save early. Each month, put away a small amount toward a vacation to avoid charging all travel expenses on a credit card. Charging all travel expenses to a credit card can take a long time to pay off, accruing interest and raising your credit utilization ratio (which isn't good for your credit score).
2. Know credit card payment dates. Missing payments hurts your credit score. Traveling when a credit card payment is due? Set up a payment ahead of time using mobile banking. That way, even when lounging on the beach, you can rest assured that your credit card payment is made on time. Paying off credit card balances on time will help you establish a good payment history.
3. Select a card with travel benefits. Planning to do a lot of traveling? Do some research and consider switching to a credit card that offers better travel-related rewards that can save money on airfare, hotels and car rentals. Don't run up a credit balance just for points, however; that could raise your credit utilization ratio.
4. Go old school — Bring traveler's checks. Use traveler's checks to avoid relying on a credit card when vacationing abroad – and to protect against credit card theft. They're replaceable, convenient and won't impact your credit report if stolen.
5. Check your credit before and after travel. Approach credit proactively. Check your credit report before and after a trip. If your identity has been compromised while you were traveling, the sooner suspicious or fraudulent activity is detected, the sooner you can take action to resolve the problem.

Staying on top of your credit score as part of overall credit understanding is important. freecreditscore.com provides quick, easy and inexpensive access to personal credit scores, daily credit report monitoring, alerts to key changes and educational materials. It also features its innovative Score Planner^TM, which is free to both members and nonmembers. To learn more about creditworthiness, visit http://www.freecreditscore.com.

About freecreditscore.com
freecreditscore.com, which features the patented online Score Planner^TM tool, is part of a family of online consumer credit management sites belonging to ConsumerInfo.com, Inc., an Experian company. ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. was founded in 1995 to give consumers quick, easy and inexpensive access to their credit profile. It is now the leading provider of online consumer credit reports, credit scores, credit monitoring and other credit-related information. ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. provides credit monitoring to its more than 3.1 million members and has delivered more than 20 million credit reports on the Web. As part of the Experian family, it continues to grow its membership base and develop innovative products to help consumers better understand and monitor their credit.

This press release is provided for general guidance and information. It is not intended as, nor should it be construed to be legal, financial or other professional advice. Please consult with your attorney or financial advisor to discuss any legal issues or financial issues involved with credit decisions.

About Experian

Experian^® is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2013, was US$4.7 billion. Experian employs approximately 17,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts:

Matt Basta
Edelman PR
1 323 202 1045 (office)
1 310 292 1676 (cell)
[email protected]

Becky Frost
freecreditscore.com
1 949 202 7296 (cell)
[email protected]

SOURCE freecreditscore.com