Credit Cards Dos and Don’ts

Ask yourself: does the credit card work for you or do you work for your credit card? Most people’s answer to that question will depend on how they use their “plastic friend” as credit cards are often known. As many people with burned fingers will tell you, they didn’t realize that things had gotten so bad until too late, because most credit card offers try so much to sound like they are actually running a charity. Well, they aren’t.

However, this is not an anti credit card campaign. They have their plus points – in America, for example, if you want to rent a vehicle, you must have a (major) credit card. But, think about this situation:

You get an offer in the mail that sounds great, perhaps it’s a new TV or refrigerator. But it costs $2,000. You have a credit card with a $5,000 limit, so you go out and buy the product right away. Often, this is how your repayment schedule will work out. Most credit cards charge a minimum percentage of the remaining balance (usually 2 percent) per month. Assuming the interest rate is 18 percent and you choose to repay the minimum amount of $40, $30 of that will go towards interest and only $10 will come off the $2,000 you borrowed!

Does it sound worrying? Well, it doesn’t have to be. The moral of the story is to use the credit card very, very carefully.

Credit Cards Dos and Don’ts

There is a great deal of truth in the advice that credit cards are not a substitute for not having money. Every time you use a credit card this should be the theme song playing in your mind. Furthermore, you would be wise to remember the following as well:

Dos.

1] Always plan for the purchases that you have to have and those that you only want. You need the essentials, but you just want everything else. The ability to differentiate might help you plan wisely.

2] If caught up in financial difficulties, it’s always good to talk to the credit card issuer who might re-schedule your payments. If you simply default, that only helps to build up an unfavourable credit history and you might find yourself being denied credit next time.

3] Unless it is an emergency, staying within your credit limits will assist you a lot. If you must spend over the credit card limit, keep within manageable levels, say within 30 percent.

4] If your mailbox is full of information on credit cards with more favourable deals than you currently are enjoying, you can approach your issuer for a better deal. They want to retain you as their customer, so they will listen.

Don’ts

1] Do not use your credit card to purchase household goods. It is too expensive in the long run.

2] Do not only pay the minimum amount necessary. You will end up paying exorbitant amounts of interest. The more quickly you can pay off the debt the better.

3] Never use the credit card to buy products you can’t afford without the credit card.

If you are considering swapping or applying for a Credit Card, have a look at the free advice on our web site about using Credit Cards wisely.

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