If you carry a balance from month to month, your top priority should be paying off your high-interest credit-card debt. Find a card with a low interest rate. It's tempting to fall for introductory rates that can dip as low as 2 to 3 percent. Those, alas, are sucker bets. After six months, the rates typically soar to anywhere from 12 to 22 percent. You can lock in a low rate, however, if you shop around. For example, Wachovia Bank currently offers a Classic Visa card and a Regular MasterCard (800-241-7990; annual fee: $88) with an 8.75 percent annual percentage rate (APR) and The Huntington National Bank charges just 9.5 percent APR on its Prime Preferred Standard Visa or MasterCard (800-480-2265; annual fee: $39).

Rates are constantly changing, though, so finding the best deal at any given moment takes legwork. Fortunately, the Internet has made it easier. The best online source for up-to-date information on credit-card deals is CardTrak (www.cardtrak.com), a financial research firm that tracks the latest rates on a daily basis. The Wall Street Journal and USA Today publish a list of CardTrak's best rates once a month. Or you can get your own monthly list by sending $5 to CardTrak, Box 1700, Frederick, MD 21702 or call 800-344-7714 to pay with a credit card.