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Melissa Lambarena

Senior Writer & Content Strategist
Expertise
  • Credit cards •
  • debt
How I Think About Money “Reaching your financial goals is possible when you build habits at a pace that works for you. The first step toward success is to get started and leave room for error and learnings along the way. ”
10+ Years of Experience
180+ Articles Written
14.6M+ Readers Reached
Previous experience
  • NBC Los Angeles
  • KTLA
  • LA Daily News
  • KCET
Education
B.A. in sociology from University of California Los Angeles
Organizations
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
Melissa Lambarena is a senior writer on the credit cards team at NerdWallet. She has enthusiastically covered credit card-related topics for over nine years. Her prior experience includes nine years as a content creator for several publications and websites. Through her work, she aims to help readers extract value from credit cards to meet financial goals like stretching their budget, building credit, traveling to dream destinations and paying off debt. Her articles have been published in The Associated Press, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, USA Today and Yahoo Finance, among others. Melissa has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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Use Your Credit Card to Get Quick Cash with Low Fees
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Use Your Credit Card to Get Quick Cash with Low Fees

Credit cards are a convenient way to pay for something, but historically they've lacked flexible or inexpensive ways to access your credit line beyond making purchases. But lately, more convenient and affordable options are surfacing. In recent years, both traditional credit card issuers and startups have introduced products and features that make it easier — and cheaper — to tap your credit line to reimburse a friend, pay off large purchases at lower rates, cover a bill you can't normally pay with a card, or get cash deposited into your bank account. We sat down with Melissa Lambarena, our credit cards expert, to chat through all of the new options on the market.

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