3 things to never do with a credit card

6 words to learn — tap cards to flip and save favorites.

For over four decades, Walter Cavanagh held a truly credit-worthy record: the most credit cards held by one person. What began as a bet between friends led him to open over 1,400 cards, ranging from traditional bank-issued to those from

airlines, gas stations, and even ice cream shops. Most people have far fewer credit cards. While useful for secure purchasing, handling emergencies, and building credit scores, credit cards can make it difficult to avoid overspending. Globally, the outstanding credit card

debt exceeds trillions of dollars. And this is no accident. Credit card companies intentionally design these systems to encourage spending and lock you into a cycle of interest and fees. So, how can you avoid their most common traps? It

starts with card selection. Lenders often aggressively advertise perks like cash back, travel miles, and discounts. But these offers only seem generous. In reality, only a small portion of cardholders actually benefit— those who pay off their entire balance every

month. But according to one survey, 46% of American cardholders carry a revolving balance. For these users, the cost of interest and fees almost always exceeds the value of rewards. If you think you may fall into this category, financial

experts recommend getting a card with the lowest annual percentage rate, or APR. This number is essentially the cost of borrowing money from the credit card company. You pay that cost through interest charges, which kick in as soon as

you carry any balance past a statement due date. While APRs are listed as yearly rates, for most cards, interest accrues daily. For example, a card with a 35% APR charges about 0.095% interest per day. So a revolving balance

of $1,000 would accumulate approximately $29 in interest over a month. Meanwhile, a card with a lower APR, say 18%, would charge about $15 in interest during the same period. This difference can add up over time. If you were

to make a $50 monthly payment towards that $1,000 balance, the card with the higher APR would take an extra $325 and an extra seven months to pay off. And interest fees can be even more complicated. If you carry

a balance and actively use a card, new purchases start accruing interest immediately, even if you pay off those purchases before the statement date. In other words, once you start to carry a balance, it’s much more difficult to avoid

interest charges going forward. And even after a bill is fully paid, you might still get one more charge, something called residual interest, for the days between your statement and payment date. Low APR cards are the best option for

minimizing these interest charges; however, be wary of cards that offer exceptionally low APR for an introductory period. These flashy offers can mask things like complicated fee structures, steep late charges, and high default APRs that kick in once the

introductory period ends. While many countries require companies to disclose these conditions, they're often buried in the fine print. Payment structures can also be confusing. For example, many people mistake the minimum payment as the standard or even recommended amount

to pay. In reality, it typically only covers interest, fees, and a small percentage of the balance. As a result, sticking to just the minimum payment can make even a low balance of $1,000 take over 18 years to pay

off. Paying the full card balance each month is the best way to avoid fees and actually benefit from rewards. But it's not always possible. So what should you do if you find yourself in credit card debt? The first

step is to assess your finances and create a repayment plan. If the debt is on a high APR card, transferring your balance to a lower APR card may help. Just be sure to check for balance transfer fees. If

you’re juggling debt on multiple cards, it may be tempting to pay off the lowest balance first. However, the most financially efficient strategy will always be to put any extra money towards the card with the highest APR, regardless of

balance. The key is to chip away one card at a time— just don’t be like Walter and open a thousand more in the meantime.