by Wayne Leon Learmond

Created on: August 08, 2010

Credit card debt is one of the biggest single factors for all chronic debt. The problem with credit card debt is that in the wrong hands, credit cards can become like lethal weapons. A credit card that is misused in such a way will soon see you spiralling out of control and falling head-first into the pit that is debt.

One of the other problems about credit card debt is the fact that when people apply, and receive their card, they then believe it is 'free money'.  This is especially so with teenagers, who will spend and spend without a moments thought to how they are going to pay the money back.

We truly live in what is now called the 'cashless society' in which we buy and sell through our credit cards and not hard cash. For most people, they can deal with this as they are able to manage and  pay their bills whenever they are due. But for many others, this is a different story.

For many others the shock arrives when that first credit card bill comes hurtling through the letterbox. Many people are shocked about just how much they have spent, and now have to pay back. What many people seem to forget, is that in applying for a credit card they are effectively applying for a loan.

Of course, like all loans they have to be paid back, and this is where the problems begin for the vast majority of people. They spend spend spend without little thought at all about how they will be able to afford the bill. One must always remember here that the APR [the Annual Percentage Rate that is on the card before you apply] only kicks in if the payments of your credit card bill are overdue.

Then you will not only have to pay the original debt that you have built up, but also the APR too. One of the ways in beating credit card debt is to pay off what you owe on or before the date that the bill has to be paid. If you do this, then there will be no APR added to the original bill.

If you pay off your credit card bill in full, regularly, then you will become a trusted customer, and the bank or lending company will eventually offer you a higher spending limit on your card. Of course, it is up to you to decide whether or not you will be able to manage and control a higher cash limit. There are many people who can trust themselves not to spend what they cannot afford to pay back.

Yet, there are others who will jump at the chance to spend what is on offer but then find that they are in a predicament when the bill arrives. The trick is being able to manage your credit card in such a

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