Our world is a little bit different now and so is the way you pay – less cash, more credit cards. But before you sign up for a credit card for the free stress ball or the chance to win an iPad, it is important to know why you should consider a credit card in the first place, how to choose one that is right for you, and understand how to use it.

Why Consider a Credit Card?

If you’ve been living that cash life you may have noticed a shift in preference for people and availability at retailers for a contactless transaction. If you’ve never had a credit card, you’ve probably had to rely on your parents or your friends to hold that hotel room for your annual girls trip or to simply complete your Amazon order. Here are some of the benefits of having a credit card in your wallet:

Opportunity to build credit
Make purchases online
Handle emergencies or unplanned expenses
Contactless transactions
Ability to put a hold on a hotel room or car rental
Ability to earn points and redeem for cash back, travel or merchandise
Purchase protection and extended warranty

Before Adding a Credit Card to Your Cart

Stress ball or iPad aside, choosing the card that is right for you is the most important part of the process. Credit cards offer a variety of different features with the key differences between being interest rates, the fees and the rewards and benefits. This page does a great job of breaking down the different factors you should consider when choosing a card:

Compare credit card interest rates

The interest rate, which is the price you pay for borrowing money, may be an important factor to you if you regularly carry a balance. Although, spoiler alert, in the tips for using a credit card section below, I’d recommend always paying your credit card bill in full on-time and avoiding carrying a balance if possible.

Compare credit card rewards and benefits

Many cards offer benefits like rental or travel insurance and rewards programs that allow you to earn and redeem points for cash back, statement balance credit, travel and accommodations or merchandise to list a few popular examples. When comparing, you’ll want to think about which are appealing to you, how often you’d use them and understand how you accumulate points and any limitations to earning the rewards and benefits. This article also includes a few examples of estimating the value of rewards and benefits to help guide you.

Compare credit card fees

Credit card fees can include anything from the annual fee (which usually means the card offers extra rewards and benefits or a lower interest rate), to cash advance fees, to inactive account fees, and more. When choosing a card, make a list of all the fees that could apply and understand which you have to pay and which ones you can avoid by learning how to use your card properly.

There is a lot to think about when choosing the card that is right for you, especially since there are so many options out there. If at any point you’re feeling overwhelmed, I would recommend reaching out to friends, family or a trusted financial advisor to get their opinions and experiences!

Tips for Using a Credit Card

Whether you are a new card user or have had a card for years, here are some tips to keep your credit card game strong:

Pay your bills on-time, in full – not just the minimum

This is something I wish I would have known when I got my very first credit card. Without knowing any better, I thought paying the minimum was standard and I’m still not quite over the fact I let my hard earned dollars go to interest simply because I didn’t understand that I would be charged on carrying a balance.

You will never pay interest if you are paying your bill on time and in full each month. Paying in full can also help you spend within your means. Want to know the real cost of carrying a balance on your credit card? Check out this blog for a breakdown of the actual cost and even better, a tool to figure out how long it might take you to pay off your balance!

Make it a routine to pay attention to your credit card bill

Review your charges – this way you can view and adjust your spending habits as well as report unauthorized charges. Rest assured, many cards have you covered with “Zero Liability” if that were to happen!

Use your card to build credit

Lenders and credit card issuers want to see how you use credit for future lending. Your credit score is determined by how you manage your card, so make purchases, make payments and take advantage of card benefits and rewards. If you display a pattern of being able to pay off your card with no issues each month over a long period of time, lenders will trust you more and will be able to offer you more credit for bigger purchases (ie: house). To learn more about the importance of credit, check out this blog for the building blocks of credit and how to use it responsibly.

Take advantage of the card benefits and rewards

You will want a card that gives you something in return – so understand the card benefits, rewards and features and take advantage! For example, if you’re earning points – use them! I personally love to use my points towards flights to feed my travel bug but while I’ve had travel on pause, I’ve been taking advantage of redeeming my points for cashback straight into my savings account! Some other options for points redemption can include a statement credit or spending them on merchandise items like gift cards to stores and restaurants. What does your card offer?

Sharing is caring, what other tips would you suggest to keep your card game strong? Comment below!

Kailyn T.

While proudly calling Regina my home, I also spend a lot of time in the mountains, at the cabin, or in Oakland watching the Raiders. When I’m not re-watching The Office for the 100th time, you can find me snowboarding, travelling or building a puzzle. As a newlywed, my husband and I are looking to make that move from crammed condo to house heaven…(Full Bio in “Meet The Authors”)

(To read more of my blogs CLICK my name)

https://www.conexusmoneytalk.ca

Many of us have been there – we really want something, but don’t have the cash to pay for it. So what’s the harm in putting it on our credit card? And maybe at the end of the month we may not have enough money to pay it off, but you tell yourself “that’s a future you problem”. Fast forward to the end of the month and it turns out you were right, you don’t have enough money in your account to pay your credit card bill. What do you do now? There are many different options that can make sure you can pay for it and you are avoiding the cycle of borrowing from one place to pay for another debt.

Beware of Shark Infested Water

You’ve seen them popping up everywhere – on the corner, on your TV and in your mailbox: Payday Loan Companies are always there ready to “help” you out with that short term loan, but how much is that “helpful” loan costing you in the end? The answer is… a lot! The annual interest rate on a $300 14-day payday loan from Money Mart in SK is 443.21% at a rate of $17 per $100 borrowed. So that means that your $300 loan will actually cost you $51 and the total amount owed will be $351. For 7% of Canadians, this is an avenue they have gone down and it can be very difficult to get out of the cycle. The best advice? Avoid payday loans entirely.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

A revolving line of credit, when used properly, can provide peace of mind as you are aware that you will have access to funds if you need them. They can definitely be beneficial, but the goal should not be to be use it every month and should never be included as available money in your budget. It should be used as a safety net and something you access as a last resort because you do pay interest on the amount that you use.

Have you ever been stuck in a revolving door?

Would you borrow from your grandma to pay your friend back? Then borrow from another friend to pay your grandma back… and then borrow from… I think you see where I’m going with this.

You’re literally borrowing from one person to pay the other and it has the potential to be a never-ending cycle. The same is true when you take a cash advance from your credit card to pay for something. You are being charged interest as soon as you borrow the money and are left trying to figure out how to pay it back when you didn’t have the money in the first place to buy what you wanted. You can check out Francis’ blog to learn more about Cash Advances.

I could have cruised to Australia for that amount.

If you can’t pay off your credit card every month, you should at least be making the minimum payment. That’s probably good enough, right? The credit card company must be trying to help you if they put a minimum payment on there, right? No, they’re not. While paying the minimum is important, it is the bare minimum you should be doing and doing that will not get you that far ahead.

Here’s an example to show why this is true:

You decide to go on a $2,500 vacation, but you’re going to put it on your credit card and pay the minimum balance. It shouldn’t take that long to pay it off and it won’t cost too much, right? Not quite. It will actually take 334 months to pay it off and the total cost of the trip will be $8,400! WHAT?! Yup, of the $50 minimum payment, only $12 goes to principle.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never taken a vacation that was worth triple for what I paid for it.

Using credit cards is very common for Canadians, with 92% saying they use their card every month, so it’s important to know as much as possible about them. Here are some stats about credit cards you may not be aware of:

One in seven Canadians use credit to buy daily essentials such as groceries because they are short on cash.
- Nearly one in ten admit to being impulsive shoppers, which leads to buying things they cannot afford.
More than two in three Canadians don’t know that credit card interest is calculated daily on the balance and one in three Canadians admit they were somewhat unlikely or unlikely to make the minimum credit card payment
Transunion identifies the average credit card balance as $4,265 in Canada.

At the end of the day, or month, you want to make sure that you are borrowing wisely and making the best decision for you and your financial well-being. The best choice is always to have the cash to pay for something. There are benefits to using credit cards such as building your credit score and some cards have great perks. However, if you aren’t able to pay off your card in full each month, it negates the benefits you will have gained.

Some tips to break the borrowing cycle:

Shop around and understand the terms and conditions before you sign the loan contract. Specifically, look for interest rates and the repercussions of missing a payment.
Don’t use your credit card to spend more money than you have. It should be used as a tool to help you make purchases that are within your budget.
Save up for bigger purchases rather than purchasing on your credit card. Once you have enough cash, purchase it on your credit card to take advantage of points perks but make sure to pay that off immediately.
Pay your credit card balance every month in full. If this isn’t possible, shrink the amount of times you pull out your credit card and increase the amount you use your debit card.
Don’t use your credit card to take out cash. This is known as a cash advance and works differently than a purchase made on your credit card. The biggest difference is that interest is calculated the moment the money comes out of ATM until it’s paid back.
DO NOT use payday loans. Ever.

With the Holiday season coming, it’s really important to make sure you’re borrowing wisely, but also that you’re spending wisely too. Checking out Courtney’s blog about Christmas Budgeting will give you some great tips on how to stay within what you can afford this Christmas. And don’t forget that Giving the Gift of Time and DIY Gifts are two great options too! Have any advice of your own? List it below!

Mason G.

Former Marketing Manager and In-Game Host for the Saskatchewan Roughriders who still gets his football fix by taking his office fantasy football league a little too seriously. Moved to Regina after growing up in a small town of 275 people and now after 10 years of “big city living” and loose spending habits – I’m working on being a little more disciplined with my money…(full bio in “Meet the Authors”)