In this regular feature, we publish stories and experiences that credit card users face everyday.

Our Reader writes:

I never used to look at my credit card bill carefully because I used e-billing, but the amount a couple of months ago was so high that I checked the charges and found $7500 of airline tickets on it! Well, I called the issuer and essentially, they said it wasn’t their problem and I’d have to file a claim with the fraud department. What I wasn’t aware of until now is that most companies allow only 60 days in which to file and if it’s not in writing, they could “lose” the complaint!

I’ve switched back to paper billing now so I can check off the receipts. Good thing, too, because I found a couple of little charges that I didn’t make. Apparently, my wife was doing free offers to earn a little cash. She didn’t read the fine print that authorized a company to charge our credit card $3.95 per month when she signed up for a contest page. She earned thirty cents from the offers-for-cash site and the “free” contest site was going to be charging us $47.40 a year!

Luckily, I caught the fraudulent charges on my card. Pay attention and check your bills!

Thanks, A.

Credit Card Swiper

writes:

Fraudulent charges are a regular problem for many credit card users, and can arise from many sources. Whatever format you receive your credit card statement in, make certain that you check your statements regularly and understand all the charges to your account, including payments, penalties and so on. There is only a small window of time to make a formal complaint, so you need to do this right away.