by : Max Anderson

If you carry a credit card but know nothing about the various credit card services available, you don't know what you're missing. Ask yourself these questions... How will your credit card balance be paid if something happened to you? Who do you turn to if your credit cards are lost or stolen? What do you do if you get in over your head with debt? Credit card services have the answers. Here are a few you should get acquainted with.

Credit Card Services That Offer Insurance

Insurance can be a beautiful thing. That's why many credit card services offer various forms of it. Whether you become disabled, unemployed or (heaven forbid) deceased, there are insurance products that will take care of things for you.

While many credit card companies offer insurance directly, you might be able to save money by looking to the credit card services that offer it independently. Just make sure you understand the exact terms of the insurance policy being offered. If you become disabled, exactly how long will the insurance make payments for and how much will they pay? Are there exclusions to a death benefit? Does it have to be an accident or are illness and natural death covered as well?

Check with at least two credit card services to see what types of insurance are available to you and compare costs. Then you can be sure you're getting the best coverage at the best price.

Stolen Credit Card Services

Having your credit card stolen is a nightmare to begin with. The headaches only multiply when multiple cards are involved. Fortunately there are some credit card services that can help with this already-bad situation.

Stolen credit card services maintain the contact info and account details for all of your credit cards. Then, if your cards are lost or stolen, you just call the service and they take all of the steps required to notify your credit card issuers. Your old cards will be canceled and new ones issued. These credit card services make a hard situation a little bit easier to deal with.

Debt-Related Credit Card Services

One of the pitfalls of carrying credit cards is some consumer's tendency to accumulate too much debt. That's where debt-related credit card services can be very beneficial. These services can counsel you on how to properly manage your credit cards and can even help you navigate your way out of debt.

If you carry credit cards and have never looked into these credit card services, now is the time to do it. As a wise man once said -- it's better late than never. You just never know when these credit card services will come in handy.