Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

Q&A

Q&A: If the credit card is paid off, will the credit score go up or not?

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Dear Liz: If I pay off my credit card and carry a zero balance, will my credit score go up quite a bit?

Answer: That depends, among other factors, on how much of your available credit you were using on that card. The closer you were to being maxed out — which means using most or all of your available credit — the more dramatic the improvement you might see.

But your credit scores also depend on a number of other factors, including how long you’ve had credit, how many open accounts you have, how much of the available credit you’re using on those accounts, when you last applied for credit and whether you have any negative marks, such as late payments, in your credit reports.

In general, credit scores respond favorably if you use only a small portion of your available credit. People trying to obtain top scores generally try to keep their credit usage below 10% of their credit limits.

Q&A: Social Security’s complex rules

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Dear Liz: You recently mentioned that people can’t always trust the information they get from Social Security representatives. I worked for Social Security for 25 years. When I was ready to file for spousal benefits a few years later in another town, the rep I got immediately told me I wasn’t eligible and was not even going to fill out an application. I knew he was wrong but he was adamant. Always, always tell your readers to insist on filing an application no matter what, as that protects their appeal rights. The applicant might be wrong but will receive a formal determination telling them why. I spent 20 minutes educating that rep on what he should have already known. They don’t train them like they used to.

Answer: Social Security rules can be immensely complicated and, as you note, not every Social Security representative understands those rules as well as they should.

Anyone who’s thinking of applying should first educate themselves as much as possible (the latest edition of “Social Security for Dummies” by Jonathan Peterson is an excellent place to start). Consider using Social Security claiming software or getting personalized advice from a fee-only financial planner. Once you’re well informed, you’ll be better able to recognize and avoid bad advice.

Q&A: How to practice good credit card hygiene to avoid getting hacked

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Dear Liz: We have one primary credit card, which we use all the time, that collects airline miles we use for travel. Every few months it is “compromised” and we have to get a new one. Is there something we’re not doing right? Are there “good hygiene” rules for credit cards?

Answer: Yes, and most involve reducing the number of places that have access to your card’s information.

Many online retailers and web browsers offer to save your card information to make future purchases easier.

While these autofills save time, they mean your credit number information is being stored in databases that are outside your control. Refusing this option — and deleting your stored cards from browsers and retail accounts — means less convenience but more security.

Another option is to add two-factor authentication to your retail accounts, which makes them harder to break into. This would require you to enter a code that’s texted or emailed to you or generated by an authentication app.

Some credit cards offer the option to use virtual numbers online. If yours does, this is another option worth using. The retailer never has access to your real credit card number, so it can’t wind up in a potentially vulnerable database.

You can avoid exposing your credit card numbers while shopping in person by using mobile payment apps such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

These apps create a “token” from your credit card information that’s transmitted to the merchant when you want to buy something. Again, the merchant never sees and can’t store your actual card details.

Other good practices involve steering clear of unsafe merchants and sites. When shopping online, always make sure the little lock symbol shows in the left side of your browser’s address bar and that the site’s address starts with “https” rather than just “http.” If a site doesn’t offer these basic security features, you shouldn’t shop there.

Be wary of in-person merchants that use old-fashioned magnetic card readers, the ones that require you to swipe, without the option of tapping or inserting your chipped card. It’s much easier to clone the information on a card’s magnetic stripe than from its chip, so avoid swiping if you possibly can.

Also be wary of skimmers and shimmers, which are devices that thieves install on unattended ATMs and fuel pumps to steal card information. These devices can be hard to detect, so consider paying for your gas inside the station and using ATMs attached to banks.

You also should avoid using public Wi-Fi for any financial transactions because these networks usually aren’t encrypted and are easily compromised. Finally, be on the lookout for phishing attempts, which is when criminals try to get you to divulge credit card and other sensitive personal information by pretending to be from a trusted source.

Understand that you can do everything right and criminals may still steal your card’s information. Fortunately you’re protected against fraudulent charges, so a compromised card is more of a hassle than a financial disaster.

Q&A: How to build a credit history so you don’t turn ‘credit invisible’

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Dear Liz: After reading about people being “credit invisible,” I’m wondering if I should have a credit card to build a payment history. I’m 67 and on Social Security. I thought having a guaranteed income and no outstanding debt would be appealing to a potential landlord while applying for an apartment, but maybe that’s not the case. What do you recommend?

Answer: Roughly 1 in 10 U.S. adults doesn’t have a credit report and is considered “credit invisible,” according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Without a credit history, many common financial transactions can become more difficult or expensive, and that includes renting an apartment. Landlords often check credit reports or credit scores or both when evaluating potential tenants.

You can use the free AnnualCreditReport.com site to see if you have credit reports at the three major credit bureaus. (Make sure you type “annualcreditreport.com” into your browser, because using a search engine may turn up a lot of lookalike sites that will try to charge you for credit monitoring and other services. If you’re asked for a credit card, you’re on the wrong site.)

If you don’t have a credit history, there are a number of ways to start building one.

Perhaps the quickest is to ask someone with good credit to add you as an authorized user on one of their credit cards.

Another good option is a credit builder loan, which is offered by some credit unions and online lenders. The money you borrow is typically placed in a savings account or certificate of deposit that you can claim once you’ve made all the monthly payments.

Finally, there are secured credit cards which give you a line of credit that’s usually equal to the amount you deposit with the issuing bank. Ideally, you would be able to upgrade to a regular unsecured card in a year or so.

Q&A: When to start Social Security

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Dear Liz: I’m confused by your answer to the question about starting Social Security too early. You wrote that someone who decides they made a mistake can suspend the benefit once they reach full retirement age. From the description, it sounds like there is no penalty for this option, so everyone should do it! This sounds too good to be true, so I (and maybe others) might be misinterpreting this. It sounds like you get early benefits from 62 to full retirement age, then the full delayed benefit at 70.

Answer: Keep in mind that your Social Security benefit is permanently reduced when you start it early. The earlier you start, the bigger the reduction.

Social Security allows you to suspend your benefit once you’ve reached full retirement age (currently between age 66 to 67). While it’s suspended, your benefit will receive delayed retirement credits that will increase your checks by 8% each year until age 70. Your benefit also continues to receive cost of living adjustments, whether you’re currently receiving it or not.

A suspension can help you offset some of the reduction you incurred by starting early, but you’ll never get as much as if you’d waited until age 70 to apply.

Q&A: Service at online banks

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Dear Liz: You recently wrote about online banks versus brick and mortar, but you missed one point in favor of local banks. If there is a major screw-up, you can go there and talk with a person. That’s better than being stuck in an endless phone loop or with an unhelpful “bot” online. And being face to face (pleasantly) is more likely to get help and sympathy.

Answer: Banks vary enormously in the quality of their service. Some online banks pride themselves on quickly connecting their customers to well-trained human representatives around the clock. Meanwhile, some local banks have indifferent staff and inconvenient hours.

But we can agree that chatbots — computer programs that purport to answer common customer questions — often provide a truly awful user experience. Any bank that refuses to connect you to a human being on request is a bank to be avoided.