Credit Card Cons
1) The potential to overspend is real. It’s easy to spend more than you intend when using a credit card versus cash–and there’s a science to prove it.
2) It’s expensive if you don’t pay off the balance every month. Credit cards have high-interest rates that can take years to pay off when only paying the minimum balance.
For some people, having one credit card is enough. It allows them to build credit, earn rewards, and track their spending while paying off each month’s balance.
Only owning one or two credit cards may lead to a high utilization rate. If you don’t pay your credit card balances on time, you run the risk of looking like you’ve maxed your credit line.
As you’re building your wallet of credit cards, ask yourself the following questions to help you determine if you have too many:
– Can I track my credit card spending properly?
Here’s a list of good credit card habits to build:
1) Use a budget. Use your budget to track credit card spending by category. Don’t spend more than you plan to pay back at the end of the month.
2) Pay the monthly balance before the due date. There’s no rule that you have to pay the balance on the due date. Instead, pay the money back to the credit card as you spend it.