Plastic Money

Here is a situation that has happened to many people: You invite a friend to lunch, and after finishing the meal, you realize you did not bring enough money. What should you do? Turn to your friend and ask to borrow some? How embarrassing! Excuse yourself and rush down the street to the nearest bank? How impractical!
So what can you do to get out of this situation? It’s easy. Just take out your credit card and say, “ Charge it.” How convenient!
In fact, the conveniences of using “plastic money” are many. For one thing, you don’t have to carry a large amount of cash, which can easily be lost or stolen. This is especially important if you are traveling. Of course, a credit card can also be lost or stolen, but if it is, you just call the credit card company. After that, if anyone uses your card, you won’t have to pay the bill.
Credit cards are also useful for making large purchases. For example, if you want to buy a computer, but you don’t have enough cash, you can charge it and then pay off the bill over several months. Having a credit card is also an advantage if you want to order goods through the mail. To do so, you just give your credit card number to the mail-order company.
To enjoy the advantages of a credit card, however, requires responsibility. Often, when people first get credit cards, they go crazy. They buy everything they see; they take their friends out to eat; they live it up. When the statement comes at the end of the month, they suddenly realize they don’t have enough money to pay!
So, remember, it is easy to get a credit card --- even many students have them. But it is also easy to have it taken away! In this way, maybe a credit card is just like money: “Easy come, easy go!”