Credit-card offers How to find the catches.(CR Money)

With credit-card offers mailed to Americans last year hitting a record of more than 6 billion, come-ons to entice you to sign up for yet another piece of plastic have gone beyond the standard 0 percent teaser rates or cash-back rewards. Now they may include rebates on your dog's vet bills or offers of a free Dell laptop computer.

Don't get sidetracked by those goodies. Most of the facts are laid out in a few sections of fine print and in a disclosure box such as the one below, from a May offer for Chase's Visa Platinum card. The disclosure box must be included in all credit-card offers, thanks to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., sponsor of federal legislation mandating that credit-card interest rates and fees be spelled out in a standard, plain-English format and in a type size big enough to be easily read. That's where you'll find the less than advantageous aspects of the offer.

The annual percentage rate (APR) that applies to purchases is listed at the top of the disclosure box, but that's not the only applicable rate. You should also note the rates you'll be charged for cash advances, balance transfers, and other transactions. Because payments often are allocated to pay off lowest-rate balances first, teaser rates that apply to both balance transfers and new purchases are the best deals. And a "fixed rate" is fixed until the bank gives you at least 15 days' notice that it isn't.

Don't forget the default APR, which traps you like quicksand if you make late payments (even to other lenders), exceed your credit limit, or if your credit score drops based on your relationships with other lenders. Such a slipup with Chase, for example, could more than triple your rate from 8.99 percent to a painful 31.49. "Issuers with outrageous default penalties are just hoping you make a mistake, which even the most responsible customers do occasionally," says Curtis Arnold, publisher of Cardratings.com, a resource for comparing credit-card offers.

Fees cover practically every move you ...