Sherry thinks that it is about time for her to get a credit card. She would like to buy a car in the not-too-distant future and knows she will need to establish a credit history. She has received several offers in the mail and has downloaded offers from several card companies from card websites. As she reviews the various offers, she finds that the process of evaluating cards is more complicated than she expected.

To help her out, please answer the following questions:

• What questions should a consumer ask before accepting a credit card?
• What are the advantages of building a good credit history?
• What are the disadvantages of having access to credit?
• What are some of the possible alternatives you may have other than using a credit card to establish a credit history?