By Adam Jusko, ProudMoney.com, adam@proudmoney.com

There is no reason for you to EVER pay to see your credit score. First off, there are plenty of ways to see your estimated score for free. Second, every lender uses a slightly different scoring system, so a paid score is no more valid than a score you got for free.

Remember, every credit score you see is only an estimate! All scores free or paid are going to put you in a similar range, so don’t stress out about where you got your score and whether you paid for it!

That said, here are some options to get a free credit score with no credit card required and without any hidden charges:

• Discover Credit Scorecard – Offers a free FICO credit score from the credit bureau Experian. You do not need to be a Discover credit card holder to use this, and there is no hidden charge or other string attached.
• Capital One CreditWise – You do not have to be a Capital One customer to get a free credit score using this service. This is a VantageScore credit score provided in partnership with the credit bureau TransUnion.

By ProudMoney.com Staff

This is the cut-to-the-chase list of our Top 10 credit cards (actually 17, oops), based on overall quality, which could mean any combination of rewards, low interest rates, or other features that we choose. Which is the best credit card? We’ll give you our #1 choice, but you’ll be proud to go into financial battle with any of the others, too:

#1 PayPal Cashback Mastercard – You get 2% cash back on every purchase with this card, which is accepted anywhere that takes Mastercard, both online and offline. Your cash rebates are deposited straight to your PayPal account (you’ll need to establish a PayPal account if you don’t already have one), where you can use that cash toward online purchases or have it moved to your bank account. No annual fee and a generous, easy-to-understand rebate formula puts this newer credit card right up at the top as the everyday cash-back choice in today’s market.

#2 Citi Double Cash Card – Citi unnecessarily complicates this offer, which fools some into not realizing how good it is. Bottom line: You get 2% cash back on all your purchases, provided you eventually pay them off. What that means: You get 1% cash back on the purchase as soon as you make it, then you get 1% cash back on your card balance payments. 1% + 1% = 2%. No annual fee.

By Adam Jusko, ProudMoney.com, adam@proudmoney.com

I learned recently that Black Card LLC, which issues the Mastercard Black Card (as well as two other “luxury” cards), is suing Visa, Chase, and Capital One, accusing those companies of conspiring to hurt Black Card’s business in order to gain a competitive edge in wooing affluent customers.

Is it true? I don’t know. But, to me, if you are going to sue your competitors and claim they’ve conspired against you to corner the market on “luxury” customers, it would help your case if you had a superior product that was being obviously squelched by dirty competitor tactics. That’s why I’ve decided to pit the Mastercard Black Card vs. the Chase Sapphire Reserve to see how the Black Card stacks up. Is it a better card that’s been outfoxed and outspent by its deep-pocketed rival? Let’s compare…

Annual Fees

Both of these cards charge a hefty annual fee, with the idea that the benefits will more than make up for that payment. Specifically:

• The Mastercard Black Card charges a $495 annual fee.
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve has an annual fee of $450.

Similar, though the Sapphire Reserve is a bit cheaper.

Yearly Travel Credit

In the world of high-end travel cards, the size of the travel credit is important, because, assuming you travel enough to qualify for the credit, it can be seen as directly canceling out part of the annual fee. In comparing these cards we see that:

• The Mastercard Black Card offers a $100 annual credit against your airfare spending with the card.
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a $300 annual credit against travel purchases made with the card.

If you buy the idea that subtracting the travel credit from the annual fee is a good way to assess a card’s other strengths, then the Mastercard Black Card’s effective annual fee would go down to $395 ($495 annual fee minus $100 travel credit) while the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s effective annual fee goes down to just $150 ($450 annual fee minus $300 travel credit). The Chase Sapphire Reserve is much stronger on this count.

By Adam Jusko, ProudMoney.com, adam@proudmoney.com

Delta Airlines offers four different American Express credit cards that let you earn SkyMiles frequent flyer miles as well as other perks. Which one of these Delta credit cards is best for you? Here’s our take:

No Annual Fee Card Option:

The Blue Delta SkyMiles Card is a card that lets you earn Delta SkyMiles without paying an annual fee. It skimps on certain perks that the paid cards offer, but it definitely has its attractions. First of all, it actually gives you a more attractive formula for earning SkyMiles: you get 2 SkyMiles per dollar on restaurant purchases with the card, 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases, and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. (The Delta cards with an annual fee do NOT give the 2 miles per dollar on restaurant purchases, which is interesting.) You’ll also get 20% off your Delta in-flight purchases made with the card.

However, the Blue Delta SkyMiles card does not offer certain perks that frequent travelers LOVE. With this card, you will NOT get your first bag checked for free and you will NOT get priority boarding. For the occasional traveler, maybe no big deal. For the frequent traveler, that could be a dealbreaker.

Potential sign-up bonus for this card:

• 10,000 bonus miles if you make at least $500 in purchases with the card in the first three months.

This card is best if: You don’t travel often, want miles from a major frequent flyer program, and don’t care much about extra travel perks that frequent travelers desire.

If we were looking for an opportunity to work from home, these are the 15 opportunities we’d tackle first. All are legitimate stay-at-home work jobs, and this site does not receive any compensation if you choose to work with one of them. (See also: How To Make Money Without A “Regular” Job)

• Enterprise – The well-known car rental company often hires at-home customer service representatives and reservation agents who work with Enterprise customers by telephone.
• TTEC (TeleTech) – Offers work-at-home customer service opportunities. From their site: “As a TTEC@Home associate, you’ll use TeleTech’s proprietary technology to support and assist customers with a variety of customer service and technical needs. This could include helping customers over the phone, via chat, or on social media. Best of all, you can do it all while wearing your slippers or flip flops! (To get started, you’ll need internet access and a home phone.)”