Surveys shows 50 percent of credit cardholders don’t pay their bills in full or on time. More than 40 percent of credit cardholders say they don’t know the interest rate on their cards. Suppose you carry a $1000 balance from month to month. That costs you $180 in interest a year if you have a credit card with no annual fee and an 18 percent interest rate. But many credit cards do have annual fees, especially the gold cards with the enticing travel rewards. You’ll be astounded at what you pay once you factor in the fees.
You’re fooling yourself when you slice and dice your debt onto several credit cards. Better to have everything in one credit card, so you know exactly what you owe. You’ll have an easier time monitoring your indebtedness and not letting it get out of control.
Here are some signs of credit card trouble:
1. You’re making only the minimum payments on your accounts.
2. You’re missing payments or due dates.
3. You’re near the credit limit on most of your cards.
3. You’re borrowing from one card to pay another.
4. You don’t know how much you owe.
5.You...