Skip to main content

Credit Cards - Boon or Bane?

There are people who love splurging, thanks to credit card.

There are people who avoid credit card like plague, due to fear of overspending or online frauds?

There are people who love credit cards due to rewards they offer.

Which category do you belong to?

_____

Credit cards can be an amazing tool to manage your finances. Sure, the savings may not be huge if you don't spend much, but then, you can always enjoy those extra rewards that come along side.

Few ways this is possible:

1. All credit cards have a rewards system associated with it. Regular use of credit cards can help you accumulate points and later on redeem it for anything ranging from a pen drive to shopping vouchers to flight tickets to vacations.

2. Most credit card usually offer up to 48-50 days of credit period. Assuming that you pay 3 days before the due date, for a purchase made in any monthly cycle you can usually get 15-45 days of time to pay it off. Averaging this over long term, this is interest free money you are getting for this credit period. So effectively, if you spend Rs. 10,000 a month, over the year you get an equivalent of 1 month interest on Rs. 120,000. This may not be a huge amount., but can help you save!

3. Many credit cards have exclusive deals (cashback/ interest free EMIs/ Co-branded cards etc.) which don't cost any additional money.

4. Credit cards can be a handy way to keep a track of your spending which you may probably not be otherwise doing if you spend lot of cash.

5. Might be handy in case of emergency where you need some money urgently but liquidating any assets (FD/ MF etc.)  may take a day or 2.

So, if you have a good control over impulse buying & unnecessary splurging and do not use a credit card, do go for it. 

Comments

Shop @ Amazon

Popular posts from this blog

Art of question paper leaks

(Following is based upon a real discussion which I had today morning) As I was making efforts to keep myself afloat in the swimming pool, I overheard some conversations - "Puraa paper pataa hota hai, wo to humein mil hi jaata hai ... tab bhi hum nahi padhte hain" . .. and so on The guy who did bulk of talking looked around 15 years old and seemed like quite a spoilt brat. I chipped in with some expert comments and questions - "Which board?" "Kisi bhi board ka" After a minute of chat I gathered that he had just given Class 10 exams in ICSE board and was planning to take science stream(PCM), and he studied in a school (say SKP). He had earlier managed to do the same at his previous school (say CRK). Inquisitively, I tried to gather more information on how he manages to get the paper "Bus kuch nahi, security guard ko paise do. 8th, 10th, 12th ke papers. Wo ek extra copy karaa leta hai. ICSE ke paper out karna sabse easy hai. Koi seal nahi hoti" ...

Somewhere @ Nowhere - The Book

FINALLY .... After a tryst with so-called-creativity, I have come up with a book -  Somewhere @ Nowhere. You can have a sneak peek at the story & a few pages from the publisher's website and order the same & get it home delivered anywhere in India/ Abroad. Details as mentioned below- - Preview and get the book home delivered from HERE Also, you can join the following groups - - Orkut Community - Facebook Page Hope you like the work. Would appreciate a feedback. Till then ... Happy Reading!!! And yeah, please spread the word (relying on word of mouth & word of blog publicity) :-) ___ Update (18/02/2010) - Thanks for the initial response to the book :) Update2 (25/ 02/ 2010) - Thanks for the feedbacks on the book those who have read it. (hope to get a feedback by others soon). Encourages me to overcome inertia and write more! Meanwhile, those who ask for why is it currently not available in traditional retail outlets - well, I hope it wil...

The story behind credit card debts & personal loans

Any one with even an iota of interest in personal finance & its workings would probably know that credit card debts and personal loans are usually the worst kinds of debt traps that you can fall into. Yet many people fall into that trap again and again. Many people do come out of it eventually but some don't & this becomes a part of their "lifestyle". That you are eventually paying much more than you need to, if you default on credit card payments intentionally or unintentionally (probably @ 36 % per annum or something similar) or take a personal loan (say, @ 12% per annum or so) is not hard to fathom. However behind these numbers, there may be even a deeper story - that usually that of not having control over expenses or not having created a buffer amount. While there may be some pressing need like unplanned or recurring medical expenses which fuels sudden demand of money or an unexpected job loss, in many other cases this need may be fueled by lack of plani...

Snaps from The Himalayas

Some glimpses of one of the best landscapes in the country. Why long for Alps when our own old, enigmatic yet beautiful Himalayas provide such magnificent and picturesque sceneries!! Have a look. Enjoy. Location - Garhwal Region, Himalayas which lie in the state of Uttrakhand.