‘Tis the Season to Safeguard Credit Cards : Consumers: Shoppers are advised to stick to a spending limit and know a seller’s return policy.

To help consumers cope during the holiday season, the National Assn. of Consumer Agency Administrators and Visa International suggest smart ways to manage your personal finances and safeguard your credit cards:

* Know how much you can spend each month. List your income and expenses to see how much discretionary income you have and how much debt you can assume.

* Create a holiday spending budget and stick to it. Determine your gift list and set a spending limit for each recipient. Keep a record of your spending to compare with next year’s holiday budget.

* Don’t forget to budget for miscellaneous items that can quickly add up and ruin your budget, such as last-minute gifts or stocking stuffers.

* Carry only the credit cards you plan to use while shopping. Use your debit card if you want the convenience of plastic. That way you’re paying for merchandise electronically from your checking account and won’t face a bill next month.

* Find out the seller’s return policy before you buy and make sure you get all promises in writing.

* Credit card purchases may give you more protection than paying with cash or checks, since you can dispute the charge if the merchandise is not delivered properly or is defective.

* When making holiday purchases with a credit card, always verify that the card returned to you is yours. It’s easy for a hurried salesperson to make a mistake.

* Check the dollar amount on sales receipts for both cash and credit purchases before leaving the cash register area.

* Review your monthly credit card statements to make sure you were charged the correct amount and that you actually made the purchase.

* When making purchases by phone, don’t give anyone your credit card number or expiration date unless you made the call, even if the caller says it’s for verification or security purposes.

Citibank warned that in one of the latest scams, callers claiming to be from a catalogue company take orders from “privileged customers” just to get your credit card number.

In the end, you receive no products and your credit card number is used illegally by the caller and maybe others. This could cause a temporary loss of credit or more serious problems later.

Citibank said it’s unusual for catalogue companies to call customers unless they are checking an order. It recommends that consumers verify the legitimacy of such offers before placing an order. Take down the caller’s name and say you’ll call back at the 800 number listed in your catalogue. When you call back, if either the name given or the offer is unfamiliar to the company, you were probably the target of a scam.