— CALL AND YOU MAY RECEIVE
The card issuer’s phone number is printed
on the back of your card, but it’s not only for
reporting potential fraud or asking billing
questions. Make a mistake and get hit with a
fee? Call and ask — nicely — for it to be waived.
Use the same number to ask for lower interest
rates or higher credit limits.
— IN A PINCH, IT’S A TOOL
Credit cards, especially metal ones, can slice
a lime, open a package or scrape frost off a
windshield. They are a light-duty pry bar when
fingernails won’t cut it and a better-than-
nothing screwdriver. If you damage the card, the
issuer probably won’t object to replacing it. And
expired plastic cards can be cut and repurposed
in a number of creative ways, from collar stays to
guitar picks.