Nowadays it is easy to apply for and be given a credit card. However, some people experience problems when they are not be able to pay their debts back. In your opinion, do the advantages of credit cards outweigh the disadvantages?
People generally buy many items through credit card transactions, and this makes their lives much easier than having a lot of money in their wallets. Nevertheless, credit cards can make people pay more money once fallen due.
For a variety of reasons, credit card simply makes people’s lives easier in many ways. Firstly, people basically do not have to carry a lot of money when they go shopping or travel to overseas, and this typically helps them to become safer. For example, frequent travellers who fly to overseas may carry just a certain amount of money they desire to spend on food and street shopping, while accommodation and flight charges can be easily done via credit card transactions. Secondly, reward programmes of most banks provide credit card users with a wide variety of advantages and privileges. Rewards can easily be achieved by earning points from every transaction on credit card. Finally, users of credit cards can defer their payment for up to a month after they have spent, they do not have to spend money on the spot they purchase any item or service in shops, restaurants or hotels.
On the other hand, credit card has several drawbacks. First and foremost, people often think they have the ability to make a payment for credit card bills before they fall due. They may spend money on credit cards buying some luxury items such as televisions, jewellery and brand-name items. In some cases, many users of credit cards go overdrawn, and as a result they cannot afford to cover their debts. In addition, credit cards are usually a target of thieves and hackers. For instance, there could be some spams in a mail box that convince credit card holders to fill out personal information such as date of birth, name and income. Hackers use this information to log in to view a holder’s account and may use it for criminal and commercial purposes.
In conclusion, credit cards are a convenient way to buy many things online without a delay of a transfer of payment. However, it can be dangerous for our lives if we lack responsibility to use them in a proper way. From this perspective, I believe the advantages of credit cards outweigh the disadvantages.