JCB, a payment brand and a credit card issuer and acquirer, and its subsidiary JCB International have launched the new Minsheng Lady Flower-Aupres Co-branded Card with China Minsheng Banking and Shiseido Liyuan Cosmetics.

The new card is available in both US dollar and Chinese Yuan Renminbi. The cardmembers can automatically join the Aupres point program of Shiseido Liyuan Cosmetics (SLC), and would avail various kinds of reward programs.

Minsheng has started marketing the new JCB credit card, targeting Chinese consumers who are interested in beauty and cosmetics.

Most savvy consumers know about the FICO score -- the three-digit number that companies use to determine interest rates. Even though Fair Isaac has published the main factors that affect FICO credit scores, many still wonder what will happen to their credit scores if they cancel credit cards or sign up for new ones.

With no clear-cut answers as to how specific actions impact a score, consumers must resort to trial-and-error credit management, or they do nothing for fear of making any changes that might damage their credit ratings.

We decided to touch base with readers to see what they wanted to know about FICO scores. From the responses to our newsletter call for questions, we learned that many people wondered about the impact of closing credit cards and keeping inactive cards, as well as improving their scores and re-establishing credit.

I was discharged on my debts in bankruptcy but had a car loan which was my major bill that was always paid on time for two years. Now I need to rebuild my score. I was told that getting a secured credit card that reports to credit bureaus was a good start. Do you agree?
— Mary, Hephzibah, Ga.

Yes. One of the most important parts of a good credit record is a solid payment history on more than one loan or credit card. That can be a problem if you’re just starting out — or your credit history is so bad no one will give you a loan or a credit card.

A secured card is an account that includes a deposit you make up front, usually equal to your credit limit, which should pay you interest like a savings account. That may sound like the debit card you use to get money from your checking account, but there are a few important differences.