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BUSINESS Friday 18 OctOber 2019
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Millennial Money: Surprising tricks for your credit cards

Associated Press advances.
Credit cards are daily pay- — GO WITH TWO. Issuers
ment tools for many Ameri- would love you to use only
cans, but yours probably their rewards card for all
also has unintended tacti- transactions. But one of the
cal uses you never thought best tactics is to use two
of, such as slicing open cards: one that gives you
birthday card envelopes high rewards for certain
your grandparents send. categories of spending —
Of course, credit cards of- such as 3% to 5% back at
fer convenience, and some gas stations or restaurants
also feature perks such as — and another card that
an interest-free period or gives you good rewards
rewards, the points or miles on everything else, with
earned on spending. And if "good" being 1.5% or 2%
you pay your bill diligently back. That way you reap
— in full and on time each substantially more rewards
month — credit cards help with the hassle of manag-
build your credit rating. ing only two cards.
But that's the usual stuff. — CALL AND YOU MAY
Many credit card accounts RECEIVE. The card issuer's
— and the cards them- phone number is printed
selves — can be used in on the back of your card,
strategic and sometimes This Aug. 11, 2019, photo shows a credit card in New Orleans. but it's not only for report-
surprising ways to improve Associated Press ing potential fraud or ask-
your life. ing billing questions. Make
— LOCK IT DOWN. Most multiple credit cards, des- are factors in credit scores. ample, the supermarket a mistake and get hit with a
major card issuers have ignate one as an autopay Issuers with many card op- may not allow you to buy fee? Call and ask — nicely
implemented "card lock" or card and use it for recurring tions may let you switch to gift cards with a credit — for it to be waived. Use
"freeze." It lets you turn your payments. Carry a different a no-fee card and main- card. the same number to ask for
card off or on using the is- card that's "in the wild," for tain your credit line and — OPTIMIZE THE GRACE lower interest rates or high-
suer's website or app. You everyday spending, wheth- credit history. That way, you PERIOD. If you always pay er credit limits.
use locks to head off fraud er in person or online. At ditch the annual fee with- your credit card balance — IN A PINCH, IT'S A TOOL.
when you misplace a card, some point, that card will out harming your credit. in full but have a big pur- Credit cards, especially
for example. But you can likely incur fraud — and af- — PLAY THE GIFT-CARD chase that will take weeks metal ones, can slice a
turn the spigot off and on ter reporting it, you'll get a SHUFFLE. Credit card re- to pay off, consider timing lime, open a package or
for other reasons, like curb- replacement, but with this wards for specific types it just right to maximize your scrape frost off a wind-
ing impulse spending or tactic, you won't have to of spending are typically grace period. Make the shield. They are a light-duty
cutting off authorized users. visit multiple sites to change based on where you make purchase after your state- pry bar when fingernails
And you might as well lock your autopay details. the purchase, not what you ment period closes. Then, won't cut it and a better-
cards you rarely use in case — REQUEST A DOWNGRADE. buy. So if your credit card you have about a month than-nothing screwdriver.
the numbers are compro- If you have a seldom-used gives you outsize rewards before the next statement If you damage the card,
mised. Note that some uses credit card with an annual for supermarket shopping, closes, plus the grace pe- the issuer probably won't
of this feature don't work fee, you might hesitate to for example, you can buy riod, which by law is at object to replacing it. And
well with American Express close the account , which gift cards for restaurants, least 21 days. All told, that expired plastic cards can
— its card freezes expire in could lower the average retailers or home-improve- could be more than seven be cut and repurposed in
a week. age of your credit and af- ment stores while you're in weeks of an interest-free a number of creative ways,
— USE "AUTOPAY" AND fect how much total credit the grocery aisles. Excep- loan. Note: The grace pe- from collar stays to guitar
"EVERYDAY." If you have you're using, both of which tions may apply — for ex- riod doesn't apply to cash picks.q

CSX 3Q profit slips 4% as railroad hauls less freight

Associated Press The railroad's revenue de- more volume with fewer lo- "We think we have op-
CSX's profit declined 4% in creased 5% to $2.98 billion, comotives and employees portunities to continue to
the third quarter, but tight which was roughly in line by operating on a tighter improve on the efficiency
cost controls helped the with analyst expectations. schedule. side," CEO Jim Foote said.q
railroad weather a 5% de- CSX said its expenses de-
cline in volume. clined 8% to $1.69 billion in
The Jacksonville, Flori- the quarter as it continued
da, based railroad said working to improve effi-
it earned $856 million, or ciency. Edward Jones ana-
$1.08 per share, during the lyst Jeff Windau noted that
quarter. That was down CSX found ways to improve
from last year's $894 mil- operations, even with vol-
lion, or $1.05 per share.The ume declining.
results topped Wall Street "It was a really solid quarter
expectations. The analysts for them," Windau said.
surveyed by Zacks Invest- CSX Corp. is more than two
ment Research expected years into an operational
CSX to report earnings of overhaul designed to en-
$1.01 per share. able the railroad to handle