Owning a credit card is easy and using it is so convenient too. But having a bad credit really sucks. Here are some tips to keep your card in good standing:

1. Don’t apply for too many credit cards. Now, this is obvious. Though having an extra card may come in handy, not having one will give you less worries of having to pay something come pay day.

2. Don’t apply for a supplementary card. Though you can control yourself from spending, your supplementary may not be so responsible.

3. Buy only things that are necessary. A common misconception about credit card is that most people think that when they have one, they can buy anything. And so, they tend to buy anything they want even it isn’t necessary. Buy only the things you need and not what you want.

4. Secure your card. If you shop online, make sure that you only use your card on secure shopping websites. Always check that the website you are submitting your card details to, have a “https” in its URL. Having an account on a payment processor such as PayPal makes your card more secure and reduces the need to enter your card details every time you shop online.

5. Avoid due dates. Make sure to pay your credit card bills on or before the due date to avoid being charged for late payment and interest rates.

6. Get lower. If you can’t pay your credit card bill in full, request for a lower interest rate. Competitions among banks are high and chances are, your bank might give you a lower interest rate just to keep your account in them.

Keeping yourself from bad credit not only keeps you from a lot of phone calls from your bank but also gives you peace of mind.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 3rd, 2007 at 1:43 pm and is filed under Credit Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.