Some cardholder agreements authorize credit card companies to view your credit report and check for any behavior that could affect your credit status with them. If they see a pattern of late payments or other risky payment behavior, they may take precautions to protect themselves--thus raising your interest rates.

When these card companies look into customers' credit files, they look at the risk factors. If someone has been delinquent with another creditor, then that may be an indication that s/he may be delinquent with another creditor. So, they adjust their credit decisions accordingly.

There are a number of credit card companies out there that have implemented policies such that if a payment is missed or not received by the creditor within 30 days of the due date, then the interest rate will increase.

Credit Evaluations Happening More Often
Consumers accept the fact that having a credit card brings both benefits and costs, typically in the form of convenience and interest. So when consumers obtain credit, they accept that they will be "paying" for the convenience of using a credit card. But it often comes as a surprise when the "payment," or interest rate, increases--particularly if the consumers' payments have been made on time.

However, in the fine print of credit card statements, the card companies specifically tell consumers that they have the right to raise the rates anytime that they feel the account is becoming a risk. If creditors are seeing a rise in balances as well as late payments, the risk becomes greater for all creditors that you have accounts with.

Ways to Keep Your Rates in Check

• Keep a list of credit card accounts, due dates, balances and credit limits.
• If a credit card due date falls at a time of the month when cash is tight, call the issuer and have the due date changed.
• Get in the habit of paying credit bills as soon as they arrive.
• Monitor card accounts carefully.
• Check your credit report at least once a year to ensure the information is accurate.

Rest assured that, when an existing creditor, with whom you have an account, accesses your credit file in the course of performing a normal periodic review, your creditworthiness is not affected. These types of inquiries are not included in reports provided to credit grantors.