When you do your buying of things using that credit card, pay those purchases early; you do not have to wait for the credit card collection system to catch up with you. In this way, you can reduce, or even avoid entirely, the hidden fees that you are bound to pay if you just unknowingly go by the rules of the credit card business, like paying up when you get the bill, etc.
There is a way to circumvent paying these fees. When you get your cash in the next payday, liquidate those bills that you incurred during the period between paydays, by paying for them before the date that the credit card system will start collecting those fees from you. Of course, this is assuming that you only made those credit card purchases because you ran out of cash in-between paydays.
For example, you were forced to pay for the gasoline for your car with your credit card. It would be a good idea to settle this particular bill right away, or as soon as you can.
As you can see, one good habit to develop is to pay cash if you can help it, and use your credit card only on an emergency basis. When you settle your credit card bills by this early-payment practice, it is as if you are paying cash, and avoiding payment of the interest or those other hidden charges of buying on credit. You may not be helping the credit card industry this way, but at least you are helping yourself.
Other articles of interest:
- How To Deal With Credit Card Debt Before It Happens Or After It Happens
- Cash Advance vs. Credit Card
- How To Juggle Credit Card Bills
Posted by Liz 
February 2008