Extreme
Saving - Credit Cards
What
are credit cards?
The idea of
buying on credit has been around since trading began. It has now
evolved into a multi-billion pound industry.
The idea is
simple - you buy goods with your card (American Express, VISA, Mastercard
etc), the the card issuer(Egg, RBOS, NatWest etc) pays the seller.
You then pay back pay the money you have spent on the card..
The
card issues make money buy charging you interest and charging sellers
for transactions.
Benefits
Credit Cards
can be used worldwide, in many places that your debit or bank card
may not be accepted
Credit cards
allow you to spend money you don't have
Credit cards
can be a great backup incase you need extra money
Credit card
issues often provide added protection from online fraud - so are
great for online shopping!
Downside
Of
course, credit cards have their downsides. It is extremely easy
to run up a large amount of credit and find youself in alot of dept.
The interest can be high, meaning making the minimum payments often
doesn't bring down the amount you owe!
The availability
of credic cards also means that it is very easy to get one or more
credit cards, and often no consideration is given for whether or
not you have the incomings to repay the cards!
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