Credit Cards Manipulate You Into Debt

Credit Cards Manipulate

 

I just read an article on Wise Bread that tells 4 ways credit cards manipulate people into more debt.  I thought it was an interesting read and I wanted to share it with you.  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Free 0% APR Loan for 15 Months!

Discover

Discover card is offering 0% APR for 15 months!

Here’s my tip of the day:  If you must use a credit card, Discover More Card is one of the best.  Take advantage of it’s 0% APR offers and 5% cash back but never go over the 15 month limit!  It’s just not worth it!

How to Choose a Credit Card

Discover® More® Card
You may have noticed that I’ve never talked about credit cards here on Embracing Beauty and that’s because I’m pretty much an anti-credit card fanatic.  I know that’s an unpopular opinion so I’ve chosen to stay silent rather than start a debate.  The irresponsible use of credit cards has destroyed the lives of many people and I  just hate to promote something that could be so harmful.  While my attitude towards credit cards hasn’t changed I realize that people will continue to use them anyway.  I admit that there are responsible people who can pay their monthly bills with a credit card and pay them off every month.  My sister-in-law uses department stores credit cards and immediately following her purchase she’ll write them a check for the amount she just charged.  If you are incredibly responsible I can see the possibility of earning rewards on the purchases you would make anyway.

 

When not to get a credit card:

  • When you plan no using it  with no hopes of paying it off in the near future.
  • When there is an annual fee.
  • When you don’t have a budget in place or a good handle on your finances.
Things to consider if you want to get a credit card {against my advice}:
  • Make sure there is no annual fee.
  • Be prepared to pay off the credit card balance in full each month.
  • Find a card with a low interest rate (especially if you have a balance transfer).
  • Find a card with a cash back or rewards program.

 

Money magazine recommends you pay special attention to the Schumer Box which is table in every credit card application. It basically tells you which parts of the credit card application that you should look for.  Here’s a quick summary:

 

  • An annual percentage rate of 11% or less on purchases.
  • Low rates on other loans, such as cash advances or balance transfers.
  • Reasonable penalty terms. Find the penalty rate (or default rate), and follow the asterisk to see what triggers it.
  • Finance charges that are not computed using two-cycle billing. (Two-cycle is not good.)
  • Annual fee.

 

Don’t do like I did many times and sign up for a credit card just because of the sign up bonus, extra discount, or worst of all, a stupid promotional item.  {I never even liked that tote bag I got from Fashion Bug!}  Take the application home with you and read through the terms and conditions.  Try to have the mindset of car shopping.  Go looking for the best deal you can find but don’t settle for a one-time bonus.  You’ll want something that you can live with for the long term.

 

Can I be completely transparent with you?  I work for a few affiliate companies but ya’ll knew that, right?  If not, you can read my full disclosure policy here.  Well, one of the companies is of offering a pretty substantial amount for everyone I can get to sign up for a particular credit card through my link.  At first I was appalled at even the thought of promoting a credit card!  After a few days I decided to do a little credit card research and if in fact this was a “good credit card” I would write and tell you all about it.  To my surprise, it actually is!  I don’t know everyone’s circumstance and what they are looking for in terms of rewards but if you’re insistent upon having a credit card this is legitimately a good one to have.  CardRatings.com even listed this card as having the “Best Introductory Rate Credit Card” for 2012.
Discover® More® Card

Which card am I talking about?  The Discover card, specifically the Discover More Card!  You  can apply for a Discover More Card and receive a response within 60 seconds.

 

Again, I’m not encouraging anyone to sign up for a credit card but if you’re looking for one anyway this is one with a low interest rate, no annual fee, 5% cash back, and I get a little bit for you signing up.  You can apply for a Discover More Card here.

 

Thank you for letting me be so open and honest, I appreciate it. 🙂

10 Reasons to Cancel All Your Credit Cards

Cutting Credit Card

I know credit cards can be controversial and I’m not trying to open up a can of worms on here but I have an article I want you to read.  Crystal from MoneySavingMom shared this article from Smart Money called “10 Reasons I’m Canceling My Credit Cards” today and I loved it.  I think it had a lot of great points on why you should stop using credit cards and several of the points were ones that are rarely talked about.

I want to encourage everyone to take a few moments to read the article and see whether or not you agree with it.  Even if you disagree with it take time to consider the points made and think about why you have chosen to use credit cards.

Here’s a little preview:

Cash helps people I want to help. The money goes to the merchant and his suppliers. When I go into my local credit union to cash a check, I’m keeping a couple of local tellers in work. Credit cards? I’m helping finance bank executives, marketing teams and call centers in India. I am sure they are all fine people, and I wish them well. But if I had to choose, and I do, I would rather help my local merchants and credit union staff.

You can read the full article here – “10 Reasons I’m Canceling My Credit Cards

As always, I love to hear your thoughts!  Because this can be a heated issue, please remember to keep your comments kind.