Although the credit card industry is rapidly changing, some tips from the past may still be valid. Here are four of them:

1. “When ordering airline tickets, pay for them with credit cards” (rather than cash, e-checks or debit cards). “The airline industry is experiencing a spate of bankruptcies. People who pay cash are in danger of losing their money if a carrier goes under. Credit-card customers usually can get a refund.” — “New Choices for the Best Years,” as quoted in “The Complete Book of Retirement Secrets”

2. “When you have more than one phone call to make from a hotel or pay phone” (assuming you can still find a pay phone), “don’t hang up after each call. Push the # button between calls. This will allow you to stay connected with your chosen long-distance carrier. Most hotel computers will register several calls made this way as a single local call, saving you surcharges.” — “Travel and Leisure,” as quoted in “The Complete Book of Retirement Secrets”

3. “Pay down your outstanding credit card balances. If you have money to spare, paying off that balance is the best use of cash. For example, if your interest rate is 19%, eliminating this non-deductible debt is the equivalent of making an investment that yields 30%. No investment today can beat that rate...without subjecting your investment to great risk.” — William E. Donoghue, as quoted in “The Complete Book of Retirement Secrets”

4. “Let’s say you lose your job or get sick and can’t work. If you have credit card insurance, it kicks in and pays your monthly credit card bill. Or at least that’s what you are led to believe. What really happens is that the credit card company freezes your credit card bill. No payments are expected, and interest charges are stopped, but the bill doesn’t actually get paid down. This insurance is usually too costly, and most consumers should avoid it” (if paying extra for it). However, “If you know a layoff is coming in your workplace, this insurance can be worth it, but read and understand the fine print.” — from the book, “Michael Finney’s Consumer Confidential”