All through college, I dreaded the idea of getting a credit card. I had heard too many stories about some idiot college kid running up a balance that overwhelmed his/her meager income and took them years to pay back. Even some of my siblings had some credit cards from college/Christmas that was a thorn in their financial side before they finally decided to do away with them. From my perspective all credit cards were simply a waste of money, another way for interest to get the better of you.
After graduating and really taking control of my finances, however, I started to see a niche that they could fill, and that was utilizing reward programs. Once I had enough confidence that I”d only use the card for specific purposes and that I could easily pay it off at the end of each month, I got to work on finding myself a good card. A site in particular that helped me do this listed the cards by type, such as or . In this way you can take a look at the card you”ll need, what rewards you can expect to get, and in what situations you”ll be using your card.
In my own case I picked a Capital One rewards card that I use for our grocery shopping and gas. If I have any large purchases that I”ve been saving up for, I”ll put it on there as well for extra points. It”s important to remember that you pay your balance off each and every month in full. Even one month with a balance could mean you get smacked with fees that would neutralize any potential benefit you derive from your card.