This document discusses credit cards and their history and features. It defines credit cards as plastic cards that can be used to make purchases or obtain cash using a line of credit. Credit cards are classified in different ways, including by mode of credit recovery (charge cards or revolving credit), status (standard, business, gold), geographical validity (domestic, international), franchise/tie-up (proprietary, MasterCard, Visa), and issuer (individual, corporate). The document also outlines the credit card cycle and provides advantages to both cardholders and credit card companies/banks, as well as some disadvantages.