Why you should use credit cards
Credit cards provide us with the privilege of responsible short-term borrowing. Yes, they can be abused, but when used wisely and responsibly, credit cards provide valuable benefits, including:
Convenience. With plastic, there's no need to carry wads of cash with you everywhere you go.
Peace of mind. Unlike credit cards, if you lose your wallet, the cash in it is gone forever. Worse, those seen with large sums of cash are more vulnerable to being robbed. I hate being robbed. In fact, it's happened to me twice.
Expense tracking. Credit card companies send monthly statements of all your purchases that make it very easy to track your expenses.
Consumer protection. How many times have you bought something on the Internet and never received it? Or didn't get what was advertised and the merchant refused to give you your money back? A simple call to your credit card issuer is usually all that's required to fix the problem.
Insurance benefits. Often, credit card companies offer product insurance if an item is stolen, and many offer free rental car insurance and attractive travel insurance.
Extended warranties. Some credit card companies will offer extended warranties on certain items.
Credit history. When they're used responsibly, credit cards help establish your credit history and build your FICO scores, which is especially valuable if you need longer-term credit extended to you. Those with high FICO scores get the most favorable interest rates, which can mean savings of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of a loan
Rewards. Whether it's cash back, airline miles, free gasoline or other incentives, plenty of credit cards offer rewards. I've received thousands of dollars in cash and other perks over the years by simply using my credit card to make purchases
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