How about to BUILD YOUR CREDIT, maybe? Having a credit card and using it responsibly is one of the BEST and most efficient ways to build up a solid credit score... which you need to: buy a house, rent an apartment, get a car, get a loan, do anything, etc.

As several people have already said, this is entirely untrue. I actually have several credit cards, for the sole purpose of building my credit; however, I also never buy anything that I could not afford that moment (I'm also terribly cheap). If I don't have the money to afford something, then I wouldn't buy it, credit card or not. They're also more convenient than carrying cash, writing checks, or using a debit card.

I have a debit card, but I never use it. Not only can I build up credit by using a credit card to pay for things (and then paying off the card each month), but I also get various rewards through my credit card, which I would not otherwise get if I were to use my debit card. The other reason I quite enjoy my credit cards is because they give you the ability to make payments over a period of time (without accruing interest on the remaining balance). I also like the fact that the money isn't taken directly out of my account that moment, that I can pay for all of my monthly purchases at once each month.

Just recently, I had to take my car in to get repaired. It cost me around $900 and then two months later I had to spend another $300 on a different repair. Instead of having to be out $1200 at once, I was able to pay a couple hundred every other week. It was easier to manage, because you never know when you may need that cash, so I don't like to be out such a large amount of money at once if I can help it. (With that credit card I had six months same as cash, so I wasn't going to be charged interest until after six months, which was plenty of time to pay off that bill.)

And like everyone else has said, I've always paid off my monthly balances on all of my credit cards (and I almost always pay the balance in full, the exception being car repairs where I'm able to split it up into more manageable payments). I also got my first credit card at 16, through my bank. It all depends on how responsible you are and that you're aware of the consequences of not paying off your bill (it's really the interest on credit cards that send people into debt, that and their own stupidity). As long as you have the mentality of only spending what you can afford, you're fine, and even more than that, having those credit cards will be an asset to you.

I vote YES for credit cards.

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