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The general idea of owning a credit card is to gain the ability to make purchases without worrying about immediate payments. In many cases, mortgages can also be paid off minus any problems with a credit card in hand. Generally a credit card company issues cards to individuals who have a clean record as far as their account history is concerned. When applying for credit cards, customers may want to check the record of the company issuing the card too, avoid companies with bad accounting practises and hidden charges. The key factors that should help individuals make the most of their credit card are maintaining an enhanced credit history, benefiting from offered credit card rewards and being able to transfer credit card balance to other accounts if necessary.

With the credit card holder assuring the issuer of timely payments of the credit given to him/her, using a credit card can be an efficient way to actually manage finances. A revolving account is generated by the creditor to the account holder which allows the latter to benefit of a line of credits. This grants the consumer the ability to borrow funds or make payments if required by a vendor. The user may also employ a credit card as a means of cash advance depending on the issuer`s policy. Users must avoid having a non-credit or bad credit history so as to carry out the maximum potential of the card they hold.

Paying off debts on time assures the creditor a lowered risk involved in crediting an amount to an individual. It also helps to create a good reputation about the account holder among other creditors who can then consider him/her for future loans. A bad credit history on the other hand generates a number of problems not just for the account holder but also for the issuer. While minimizing the chances of the creditor considering the individual for other monetary benefits, it also puts the credit card holder in a mess with the interest rates issued on the card.

Generally individuals who haven`t been able to pay their balance on a certain card look to transfer their balance to another account. Credit card balance transfers may thus be a convenient way to take care of a credit card that has a huge amount of debt on it. Though one can`t really say if it`s a way out, on creating a new account with another company does often give individuals a grace period to cover their debts. The grace period provided may vary from company to company with most issuers offering a duration of six months to a year to pay the balance. The best part of this is that the new company gives the credit card holder the power to pay the balance transferred at a rather low interest rate.

On the contrary, individuals who refrain from having a bad credit history are given credit card rewards as incentives from the company issuing the card. The reward programme is typically different for the kind of credit card held and offers benefits like free flight tickets, gift certificates and other exciting things as reward. Consumers are in this way encouraged by creditors to make more payments through their credit card.

Money being a very important part of most of our lives, it is necessary to handle credit cards appropriately to avoid mismanagement of finances.