So what about the disadvantages of credit cards? It rather depends on what you are comparing them against. If you have the cash and choose to use a credit card then you gain some legal protection by using a credit card and if you then pay off the whole outstanding balance at the end of the month you will not have been disadvantaged at all. This doesn't apply to most of us though.
If you use a credit card and then pay just the minimum payment each month then the debt will go on for years. Probably far beyond the lifetime of the item you purchased and you will pay a great deal more than the ticket price of that item if you include the interest paid.
The biggest problem with using credit cards is that thy are just so easy to use. If you are out shopping and you see something that appeals to you but you can't afford at this time then you can easily pay for it with a credit card. You may be pleased with your purchase for a time but the debt will linger longer.
Credit cards are ALL about money. It may seem obvious but they are about money & profit for the shop, money & profit for the credit card supplier and money & debt for you. Two of these three make money from your use of a credit card but one doesn't. That person is you.
The greatest danger is that you lose control of your spending because of the ease of use of credit cards. This woulkd be a bad situation if you were using cash but at least when you ran out of money you would stop spending. This doesn't happen with credit cards. You can go on spending beyond what you can afford to repay and this can, and does, lead people into great financial difficulty. Next...> Types Of Credit Card Users
Before you can get out of Prison you must recognise that you are locked inside. - Anon
