When To Use Your Credit Card
If you’re wondering if you should use your credit card for everything (including day-to-day purchases), our simple answer is yes! Credit cards offer security, the opportunity to build your credit, rewards, and convenience.
Make sure you’re maximizing your credit card by not only using it every day but more importantly, having a responsible strategy for paying it off. Keep reading to learn about some key benefits of using your credit card for all of your purchases.
BUILD YOUR CREDIT SCORE
Your credit score tells creditors how you manage borrowing and repaying money. A strong credit score shows you have a good record of making on-time payments on any money you’ve borrowed. However, if you’ve never had to make these payments, you’ll need to build your history to establish a score.
Putting your regular expenses like gas, groceries, and subscriptions on a credit card helps establish your credit without going into debt. Paying off your credit card balance in full and on time each month reports a solid repayment history to the credit bureaus.
This responsible action also ensures you won’t have to pay any interest on charges made to your card. Your payment history makes up 35% of your FICO credit score, so this is one of the best things you can do to build your credit.
PROTECT YOUR PURCHASES
Only using cash or your debit card for purchases doesn’t provide many security protections to you as a consumer. Credit cards offer the most secure method of protection for your purchases with zero liability protection plans. This means, if your card is ever lost or stolen, you aren’t responsible for any fraudulent purchases made because your card issuer covers the cost.
Credit cards are especially useful at gas stations where it’s common for thieves to install a swiping machine that targets your card information. Making purchases online is also safer than using a credit card for the same reason.
Another safety benefit is not having to pay for your purchases until the end of the month when your bill is due. In the event of a fraudulent transaction, you would have time to report it so that you’re not responsible for payment, and—unlike a debit card—the money would not have been immediately taken out of your account.
EARN REWARDS
You can quickly stack your rewards and bonus perks when using your credit card for everyday purchases. At GHS, our Visa Platinum cards afford you the benefits to redeem points on travel experiences, event tickets, cash back, and more!
That said, try not to spend more money than you normally would just to earn rewards. Earning a bonus for spending money you wouldn’t normally spend isn’t a best practice and will do more harm than good when it comes time to pay your credit card bill.
CONVENIENTLY TRACK YOUR SPENDING
With online banking, you can quickly track your expenditures and balance to make sure you’re not spending over the credit limit or beyond your budget. Most banks also have mobile apps that make it easy to keep tabs on your spending with a glimpse of your mobile device.
SAVE ON INTEREST AND FEES
Every billing cycle that you don’t pay off your entire balance will add interest, or extra money you owe, to your next bill. At GHS, our credit card offers a low, fixed Annual Percentage Rate (APR) to ensure you aren’t over-charged when this happens.
If you obtain a credit card from any large store, they will typically charge an annual fee. But at GHS, we don’t require an annual credit card fee.
FIND YOUR GHS CREDIT CARD MATCH
Using your credit card for everyday purchases offers many benefits. To ensure you get them without overspending or racking up too much debt, have a set plan to budget and pay your monthly bills on time and in full. To find the best credit card to match your everyday spending, click below!