When you think of fiscal responsibility, what are the words that come to mind? Many people think of stocks, bonds, or saving, but few people consider Credit Cards to be responsible. The truth is, that most successful people do use credit cards, however, they are responsible with their usage.
When making purchases with your credit cards you should stick to buying items that you need instead of buying those that you want. Buying luxury items with credit cards is one of the easiest ways to get into debt. If it is something that you can live without you should avoid charging it.
When it comes to premium credit cards, find out if an annual fee is involved to make sure that you do not pay too much for the card. Depending on the card, annual fees for platinum or other premium cards, can run between $100 and $1,000. If you can’t benefit from a premium card, find a card with no annual fee and don’t waste your money on the premium card’s steep annual fees.
If you have multiple cards that have a balance on them, you should avoid getting new cards. Even if you are paying everything back on time, there is no reason for you to take the chance of getting another card and making your financial situation any more strained than it already is.
If you have any credit cards that you have not used in the past six months, then it would probably be a good idea to close out those accounts. If a thief gets his hands on them, you may not notice for a while, because you are not likely to go looking at the balance to those credit cards.
Don’t have any new credit cards sent to you if you have a mailbox that is not locked at all times. Many scammers have admitted to stealing cards that were in mailboxes with no locks on them.
Do not close active credit accounts. Although you may think doing this will help you raise your credit score, it can actually lower it. When you close an account, your available credit is decreased and the ratio between it and what is owed decreases.
Every time you use a credit card, think about the extra expense that it will incur if you don’t pay it off immediately. Remember, the price of an item can quickly double if you use credit without paying for it quickly. If you keep this in mind, you are more likely to pay off your credit quickly.
Do not go on a spending spree just because you have a new card with a zero balance available to you. This is not free money, it is money that you will eventually have to pay back and going overboard with your purchases will only end up hurting you in the long run.
Don’t lie about your income to get a higher limit credit card. Sometimes, a credit card company won’t verify your income, and give you a limit that is more than you can afford. This is a very quick way to get into a large amount of debt.
Always try to avoid credit cards that have annual fees associated with them. Usually, no annual fees cards are offered to those with better credit scores. The perks of these cards are often negated by the fees they contain. Make the calculations. Any fees for a card are more than likely typed in fine print. Use a magnifying glass on all those terms if you need one. Look at the small print to determine if the fees of using the card outweigh all of the benefits. As a general rule they won’t.
If you feel like your credit card balances are getting out of control then get before you get to far in debt. There are many helpful services which can help such as Consumer Credit Counseling Service. CCCS is a non-profit organization that provides cost effective services to consumers who need a plan to repay their debts and get their credit score higher.
If your credit card company offers to raise your spending allowance, think carefully before you accept. A higher spending allowance on your cards raises your possible debt to income ratio, and that can harm your credit score. If you do not need the higher spending allowance, ask your creditor to keep your balance where it is, instead.
Make sure that you are aware of your available balance on your card and that you do not try to make purchases that end up getting declined. Many credit card companies see this as a bad things and they will be hesitant to raise your card limit if you ask them too later.
If you would like to use a credit card, you must understand the ins and outs. This is because the truth is that credit cards, while useful, can also be dangerous in the wrong hands. You need to be aware of the common traps that happen with credit usage, in order to avoid them.
