The plastic money’s use has been increasing outstandingly in recent years. However, even when we are used to paying by credit card, we are not completely aware of neither its advantages nor its disadvantages.
On the plus side, credit cards can be used in both actual and virtual shops and all of our purchases are registered in our bank account so we can control easily our budget. Moreover, plastic money is safer than paying in cash, especially when a huge amount of money has to be paid. Besides, credit cards always allow us to have money on and if we travelled abroad, exchanging currency wouldn’t be necessary. What is more, even when we get our wallet stolen, there are some safety mechanisms that protect our savings from the pickpockets.
However, paying by card has drawbacks too. For example, although credit cards’ use has spread widely, there are establishments where we only can pay in cash or they don’t accept credit cards if the amount of money is rather small. Furthermore, as plastic money seems to be endless, it encourages us to buy things we don’t actually need or even can’t afford. That can lead us to lose our shirt. Finally, using credit card doesn’t protect us from having our money stolen while withdrawing, or from having our credit card cloned and misused.
In conclusion, paying by credit card can be certainly useful as long as we are conscious that money doesn’t last forever. As a thrifty person, I prefer paying in cash for my daily shopping and using plastic money just for large payments. If a piece of advice can be given, you won’t never regret following what the idiom says: “a penny saved is a penny earned”.