A credit card can be an asset to your lifestyle, but if not handled carefully it can become a liability, especially if you find it so convenient and easy to use that you lose control of your spending.

This short guide will help you understand how you can use your credit card so it works to your advantage, not against you.

Advantages

A credit card can:

1.    Offer free use of funds, provided you always pay your balance in full, on time.

2.             Be more convenient to carry than cash.

3.    Help you establish a good credit history.

4.    Provide a convenient payment method for purchases made on the Internet and over the telephone.

5.    Give you incentives, such as reward points, that you can redeem.

Disadvantages

On the other hand, credit cards can:

1.    Cost much more than other forms of credit, such as a line of credit or a personal loan, if you don’t pay on time.

2.    Damage your credit rating if your payments are late;

3.    Allow you to build up more debt than you can handle;

4.    Have complicated terms and conditions;

What is a credit card?

A credit card is more then a simple piece of plastic, it is first and foremost a flexible payment tool accepted at 30 million locations worldwide, and if the card balance is paid off every month, then no interest is charged on purchases made so, essentially, short-term credit is granted without the consumer paying any interest.