You may be surprised to find out that your bad credit habits are exactly what your credit issuers want. Carrying a balance may be convenient for you, but the interest you pay is where credit card companies make their money and you start sinking into debt. Paying the minimum amount due means you’re paying mostly interest and hardly touching the principal. This habit causes you to pay much more than the original purchase price. If your credit is poor when applying for a new card, credit card companies can charge you a higher interest rate. Reward programs are rarely rewarding compared to the interest charged, and you pay a fee for going over your limit.
Read full article here: 5 Things Your Credit Card Issuer WANTS You To Do
Carrie Rattle is a Principal at BehavioralCents.com, a website for women focused on mind and money behaviors. She has worked in the financial services industry for 20+ years and hopes to inspire women to better prepare themselves for financial independence.