There are many differing opinions about credit cards, especially among Christians. My husband and I have had credit cards all of our fifteen years of marriage. We made the commitment that we would always pay off the entire bill when we received it. We made a few rare exceptions to this but only with careful planning before we made the charge. For example, a couple of years ago we needed a “new” car. It was an unplanned purchase since we expected to keep our then-current vehicle for a couple more years. We figured out how much we could afford to spend, how long we could pay finance charges, and when we could repay the entire credit card debt. I believe that we only paid two months’ finance charges.
The best kinds of credit cards are those that give YOU something: rebates, bonuses, frequent flyer miles, etc. They should also have low interest rates for those rare instances when you do carry a balance. If possible, get cards that charge no annual fee. Most of the cards that offer frequent flyer miles charge an annual fee. If you use your credit card instead of checks or cash to purchase gas, food, medicinal items, etc., your miles will quickly add up. Some credit cards actually give you double miles if you use certain vendors.
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