Credit cards can be great tools when they are used responsibly. Aside from earning points and rewards they often provide extra insurance on things like rental cars and cell phones. They are often necessary when booking hotels and vacations and can be very useful in managing monthly bills. However, the opposite can become true when balances accrue and payments aren’t made on time. Credit card debt and late payments can become a major hurdle when trying to qualify for a mortgage. Here’s a wonderful article from CNBC that talks about how to ask the right questions to your credit card company and get your rate and fees lowered, and it works 80% of the time.