Day Four: More on Avoiding the ?I Can?t Believe I Charged That Much? Holiday Blues

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As we said earlier, not all rewards cards are created equal. Some offer different rewards for different reasons, others offer penalties for no rhyme or reason, so caveat emptor: Read the fine print.

If you don't carry a credit-card balance from month-to-month and you have a good credit score, getting a rewards card that pays you back is a great way to get something out of your holiday shopping, besides a headache.

But remember, the devil is in the details.

You may only be able to use your cash-back card at specific merchants. Make sure the store you shop at most often qualifies for your particular card. Plus, some cards are tiered, meaning the more you spend the more you earn, so read the fine print to clearly understand the amount you must charge to earn a certain percentage.

Here are some of our favorites from CardRatings.com: Discover's More Card, Citi's Professional Cash Card and Blue Cash from American Express.

You can check out the terms of these cards and many others at CardRatings.com.

When making large purchases, use a credit card. This carries even more weight if you usually pay off your balance each month.

Credit cards offer greater protection than other forms of payment. If your card number falls into the wrong hands, you're liable for only the first $50 in charges, and most large issuers waive liability altogether.

And if you have a legitimate problem with a seller, it's relatively easy to have the charges removed until the dispute is settled, if you report the problem to the card issuer within 60 days after the charge appears on your statement.

Use a debit card when you don't mind having the money withdrawn immediately from your checking account. Debit cards are a great way to avoid piling up huge credit-card interest charges after the holidays.

But you will need to keep track of how much money you have in your account so you don't incur equally huge overdraft fees, which average around $30. Your liability with a debit card is limited to $50 only if you report the problem within two business days of discovering it. After that the limit leaps to $500, and there's no limit if you wait more than 60 days. Debit cards also provide less protection if you decide to dispute a charge with a merchant. Once the money's gone from your account, you can ask your bank to intervene in the dispute, but it doesn't have to.

Use a check if you need to make a large purchase somewhere that won't accept credit or debit, and you don't want to carry cash. Canceled checks can also be useful as receipts or for tax purposes.

If a check disappears, you can stop payment on it. Your bank is likely to charge you a stop-payment fee, of course, which could run as high as $30.

If you’re old school, or want to be noticed, use cash, as long as you can afford to lose it. There's no fear of identity theft, and it's accepted almost everywhere. But you won't have evidence of payment unless you save a receipt, nor will you have the leverage that a credit card provides in a dispute.