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Always try to use your savings rather than using your credit card. There’s no point on earning interest on money in a savings account if you end up paying interest on your credit card. Credit card interest rate will always be higher than any savings account or even term deposit. This is especially true if you find it hard to even make the minimum repayment each month.
If you simply prefer the convenience of having a credit card, consider getting a debit card instead which can be linked to your existing savings account. Most major banks now offer VISA debit cards as part of there product range. Also, be wary of rewards programs, and consider the actual cost of the item in dollar terms before signing up with them. For instance, if you need 10,000 points for a flight and the flight can otherwise be purchased for $100 cash then you know that each point is only worth 1 cent. Also, calculate how much you have to spend to earn these 10,000 points. If you only get 1 point for every 2 dollars, then your rewards program is only giving you back 0.5% of what you have spent. If there is an annual fee for the rewards program, it almost certainly isn’t worth joining.
Check the interest rate you are paying on your card. If you have trouble paying the entire amount off by the due date (not just the minimum), you are probably better off with a low-interest rate card instead of one that offers interest-free days. Often the percentage rate difference between these cards is 5 – 9%. In the long term this sort of saving can make a real difference to you.
It is true that credit cards are convenient, and can indeed make things easy for you if used correctly and paid off by the due date. If however, you end up paying interest on some or all of your credit card balance each month, then you would certainly be better off without one.
