Get the best deal by shopping around

Check out as many different credit card deals as you can. Credit cards come with different interest rates, fees, and reward programs. Try and find the credit card that suits your needs and that you feel good about.

Know how much interest rate you are paying

Do you know how much interest you are currently paying? There could be a better credit card out there for you. Many credit cards charge around 20% interest. Check out your interest rate and make sure your not paying too much.

Is your credit card limit too high?

You should set the limit on your credit card to how much you can afford to pay back, not how much you may want to spend. If the limit on your credit card is higher than you will be able to repay then you should decrease the limit before you spend too much.

Pay off the balance each month

Try to only spend what you will be able to pay back at the end of the month. To take advantage of interest free days you need to pay off your credit card balance in full at the end of the month. If you can’t pay the whole balance then try to pay more than the minimum required so you can save on the interest charges.

Don’t withdraw cash from you credit card

Banks charge higher fees when you withdraw cash from your credit card. Cash that you do withdraw has a higher interest rate than other purchases and interest free days don’t apply.

Offers of higher limits or additional cards

Your credit card provider may ask you if you want to increase your limit or you may get offered an additional card. If you accept these offers then you run the risk off paying more interest as you may spend more than you can afford. If you accept an additional card there may be an annual fee, so the more cards you have then the more fees you pay. Make sure you have a good think about what you can afford before you accept offers.

Leave your card at home

If you can’t stop yourself from spending more than you can afford then leave your credit card at home. That way if you see something you want to buy it will give you the time to think about if you really need the item or if it is just something nice but not really needed.

Credit card out of control?

If you have spent more than you can afford and the intrest rate is starting to hurt then talk to your bank. Your bank may be able to help you by giving you a loan to pay off your credit card debt. Then loan will have a lower interest rate so the repayments will be a little easier.