Visa credit cardsMasterCard credit cardsAmerican Express credit
cardsDiscover credit cards  Wednesday, December 11th 2013   Are
credit protection plans worth the cost?   Opening Credits
Columnist Erica Sandberg  Ask a question.  'Opening Credits'
stories  Question for the expert Dear Opening Credits, What are
your thoughts on credit protection programs? Every time you open
a new credit card or loan account these days, creditors want to
offer credit protection plans. You pay a monthly fee based on
the account balance. Then if you're laid off or injured and
can't work, it would pay your minimum payments for a period of
time. Should I sign up for these programs? -- Barb  Answer for
the expert Dear Barb, Call me crazy, but when I pay for an item
or service, I expect to receive something in exchange. Yet in
all my years of talking to people about their credit card
problems, I have never -- not once -- heard someone say, "Thank
goodness for my credit protection plan! It was a lifesaver when
I was down and well wort