Credit Cards

Citibank recently sent recipients of a special frequent flier mile promotion an unwelcome surprise: a 1099 tax form indicating those miles are taxable income. Wondering if your other credit card rewards might be taxable too? Well, stop worrying.

Savers love cash-back cards, which return a fraction of what you spend in good old U.S. currency. Disciplined consumers can bank hundreds of dollars yearly: The key is knowing how to maximize your payback.

Banks offer all sorts of credit cards. For the savers, there are cash-back cards. For the indebted, there are balance transfer cards. For the shoppers, there are retail cards. And for travelers like me, there are rewards cards.

We've schooled you on what CardRatings.com ranked as the worst credit cards of 2011, so it's only fitting for us to share which pieces of plastic would actually be wise to carry in your wallet this year.

Millions of Americans use credit cards, but are we getting the best deals we could? For those who confined their search to the major banks, the answer is probably not. Today, we kick off an ongoing series in which we'll profile some of the best offerings in plastic.

We Americans can't live without our credit cards -- but there are a few varieties of plastic that should be kept out of consumers' wallets. Here's CardRatings list of the five Worst Credit Cards of 2011 (plus one that you might want to reconsider).

Suze Orman is trying to succeed where the Kardashians failed. The host of the popular TV money show is offering a new prepaid card that works much the same way as a debit card. Her goal: Offer a credit card alternative that doesn't charge you an arm and a leg.