How to Get the Best of Your Credit Cards

Liz Pulliam Weston

Some people believe that credit cards are evil by nature. And they have a point.

By offering substantial credit limits and small minimum payments, credit cards encourage people to pile up debt that becomes harder and harder over time to repay. Interest rates tend to be high and can shoot even higher when people skip payments, max out their cards, or miss a payment to another creditor.

I’ve heard from hundreds of people over the years who viewed their credit cards as sleeping snakes in their wallets that one day rose up to bite them.

For most people in the twenty-first century, though, credit cards are a great convenience. They can help you build your credit rating, bail you out in a ...