Credit Cards, Are They Really Evil?

I have been contemplating this for the last few years. Now that debit cards are out and seem to be more in abundance, I wonder if I even need my credit card. In this article, I attempt to break down the pros and the cons of credit cards.

First, let me give my personal view on credit cards. Credit cards are like guns, in the hands of the wrong person, they can be trouble! It takes extensive training and discipline to use a credit card wisely. Let's start with a list of pros of the credit card below:

1) Using interest free money for 28 days
2) Convenience and speed at the checkout
3) Buy things without waiting to save up for them.
4) Easy approval ( a college kid with no job can get one).



Now let's list some cons of credit cards:

1) Forget to pay your bill on time and get whacked with high interest charges.
2) Aggressive credit card marketing and easy approval.
3) Constantly changing terms and conditions.
4) Additional fees besides interest charges (cash advance, finance charges, late fees, etc.)
5) Credit card collectors.
6) Credit cards are debt.


Did you really think that this was an article that would not blast credit cards? Credit cards are debt, and all forms of debt are problematic to me personally. Debt makes you a slave to your payments. Why do we go to work everyday? First, to support our families.

Second, to pay our bills. Would you like to have a more flexible job? Something that didn't require so much time and energy. Something that would enable you to spend more time with your family and do things that you enjoy more. Well, with a few lifestyle changes you could easily accomplish all of these things.

Let's face it. We all have a case of the big "wants". I want this, I need that. Credit cards give us the ability to fulfill those wants immediately. That is how they get you trapped. Before you know it, your head is barely above water and that $800 couch you bought four years ago now has a total cost $4000!

I know families that credit cards have destroyed! I know other families that credit cards have destroyed them financially and only their faith holds the family together. So are credit cards evil? Yes, I think they can be.

If you can't handle the temptation with the credit cards, cut them up, otherwise you and your family will get burned!