Fine print for credit cards

Ok, I'll admit that I didn't read the fine print of the credit card agreement, but who does? Anyhow, I have learned at least one big difference between some credit cards (cc). Citibank starts accumulating interest immediately at 3% of 36% APR for the foreign purchase on top of the normal APR, while American Express (AMEX) is fee-free (no change in APR). With AMEX, what you pay is what you pay. I believe there is a difference in exchange rate as well, but I didn't drill that far down. Anyhow, this is another piece of information to help me down-select my credit cards.

I have a modest number of cards, but I heard that 2 is the magic number. A friend of mine was stuck b/c he/she had reached the limit. Your credit score will be better with low balances on 2 diferent cards as opposed to hitting the max on one card.

Getting back to being ripped off... Ah, yes, Citibank sucks. Unfortunately, not everyone took AMEX, so I was forced to use the Citi Mastercard. When I was in China Town of New York, the Thai restaurant only accepted cash or AMEX. Unforunately, I did "leave home without it" that night. Perhaps the US will move forward to smart cards like the UK and France. Less fraud, more security- why not? Cost and infrastructure are my bets. I'd be ok with sticking a memory chip under my skin (this topic deserves it's own blog post in the near future). I wonder what the fine print is for that, hmm...