This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
Credit cards should be used at all times unless you’re an irresponsible user
A higher credit limit does not guarantee you won’t max it out. It’s actually very easy to max out a high-limit credit card when you’re recklessly spending. Reckless spending doesn’t always look extreme. Sometimes reckless spending is not paying attention and tracking your purchases. If you’re not tracking your credit card usage, who is outside the credit card company that looks forward to the interest you will have to pay? No one.
To this day, I know someone who got mad at their credit card being used to pay a monthly bill they owed. Instead of checking their credit card statement daily, weekly, or monthly, they allowed months to pass by without checking their statements and fell tremendously behind with their payments.
If you’re going to use a credit card, then you must use and track it responsibly. When you stay on top of things, you can never get behind; nor can you get trapped making interest payments, which all credit card companies want.
Do Any Of The Following Describe You?
You enjoy spending more than you earn.
You don’t maintain a budget.
You don’t think in advance about your purchases.
You struggle to pay your bills on time.
You enjoy consistently investing in materialistic items.
You have debt in collections.
You are carrying a debt-to-income ratio of 30% or more.
You don’t understand how to utilize credit cards.
You plan to carry a credit card balance each month.
You don’t regularly check your credit card to track purchases by you or someone else.
You add an authorized user who does not use credit cards responsibly.
I’ve seen credit cards destroy relationships, lives, families, and financial profiles. Credit card companies know exactly what they’re doing. Credit cards are not good or bad; they are tools to be utilized. How you use them is up to you.
If any of the following eleven items from the list above describe you, you might want to reconsider using credit cards. Though these are excellent tools when used properly, the slightest mistake can turn your finances upside down. I’ve seen it happen too often – even for the unexpected ones.
Credit cards won’t harm you if you do the opposite of the eleven items listed above.
Reminder – When you use credit cards responsibly, you get to experience the best part of credit cards:
The rewards
The perks
The security
The delayed payments
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.