Everyone uses the terms interchangeably - charge and credit card - it's all plastic money, right? Well, yes and no.
 The lines are blurred and the uses mixed depending on which company is issuing the plastic.
 

1. A credit card is calculated for use as a revolving account meaning that customers are given a dollar limit and allowed to purchase anything that doesn't exceed that amount set by the issuer.
    A charge card is not revolving in many cases at all.
    The amount to be charged is usually lower than most credit cards.
    
2. The amount of credit issued to a consumer by the company is determined by their history of use from other institutions using a rating from one of the three credit bureaus: TransUnion, Equifax or Experian.
   The charge companies will often use a customer's already established credit card to determine the limit to which one may purchase in addition to the rating.
    
3. A credit card is issued by banks using one of the major companies, Visa or MasterCard, to handle the connectivity, or one of the major credit card companies: American Express or Discover.
    The charge card is issued to the consumer by an individual companies such as Macy's or Exxon.
    
4. The credit card can be used at millions of business around the globe, while the other may only be used at a particular business.
    An Exxon charge can only be used at Exxon locations.
   
5. The credit card is considered a revolving line of credit.
   As long as the customer's payments are up to date, they may continue to use the card up to their limit.
    They do, however, must make either partial or full payment each month in order to allow continued use.
    On the other hand, the charge card must be paid off at the end of the billing cycle and many issuers don't allow the balance to be carried over.
   

As the quest for profits increases, the individual companies that issue their own branded cards are beginning to allow the customers to pay a monthly minimum that is between 1 - 3% of the remaining balance.
 The interest is much higher than the bank issued ones, usually starting at about 21% and going up from there.
  As consumers, we need to know as much as possible about how the credit world works in order to find the best credit card available.