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Avoiding common credit card mistakes

On behalf of Shults Law Office • November 28, 2018

From holiday shopping to everyday expenses, people use credit cards for a wide range of things. When it comes to credit card use, there are many mistakes people can fall into. Avoiding credit card mistakes is important, as such missteps could leave a person more likely to face significant financial difficulties, such as crushing debt. Today, we’ll go over some common credit card mistakes to watch out for.

Not knowing  the  terms of your cards

It is critical to be aware of the key terms of the credit cards you use, including interest rates and fees. Not knowing these things could lead to unpleasant surprises on credit card bills. It could also leave you without the information you need to determine if your current credit cards are the right ones for you or if there are better options out there.

It is also important to know and understand the benefits programs and other benefits associated with your cards. Ignoring benefits could lead to you not getting the most out of your card use.

Not having a payoff plan

Having plans for how to tackle credit card balances is important. If you have multiple credit cards, this includes plans regarding what order to prioritize payoffs on. What plan would be best depends on the situation and personal characteristics.

Without a clear plan, you could end up not making much progress on tackling your credit card debt and falling into certain traps. This includes the next common credit card mistake.

Falling into the minimum payment trap

Regularly only making the minimum payments on your credit cards is very risky. It can lead to little to no progress being made in reducing balances and allow significant interest to build up. This can lead to credit card debt hanging around for a very long time.

Missteps in responding to credit card debt problems

Sometimes, despite a person’s best efforts to avoid credit card mistakes and engage in sound credit card practices, circumstances lead to him or her facing overwhelming levels of credit card debt. How a person responds to this situation is very important. Mistakes such as ignoring the issue, not picking the right debt relief option or making errors when pursuing an option could greatly endanger a person’s future financial goals. So, seeking out quality legal guidance can be important when credit card debt gets overwhelming.

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