You may have avoided credit cards because you have heard that they can get people into trouble or that responsible financial management means never using a credit card. However, if you use credit cards properly, you can boost your credit score, so you don’t want to avoid credit cards out of fear. Read on to learn how to use credit cards appropriately.

Don’t use credit as an excuse to buy items that are outside your price range. It’s fine to use credit cards to stretch out the payments for an item you can afford, but refrain from making a major purchase that you couldn’t afford otherwise.

It is wise to have two or three different credit cards available for your use. You will improve your credit score. Paying off all of your cards monthly helps even more. However, opening too many is a mistake and it can hurt your credit score.

Whenever you spot anything fraudulent on your monthly credit card statement, call the issuing company right away. By doing this, you can help your credit card company catch the thief who is making these unauthorized charges. Also, by notifying the credit card company immediately, you can ensure that you aren’t in any way responsible for the charges. It usually just takes a brief email or phone call to report fraudulent charges.

When you are looking over all of the rate and fee information for your credit card make sure that you know which ones are permanent and which ones may be part of a promotion. You do not want to make the mistake of going for a card with very low rates and then they balloon shortly after.

Be aware that there are credit card scams out there as well. Many of those predatory companies prey on people that have less than stellar credit. Some fraudulent companies for example will offer credit cards for a fee. When you send in the money, they send you applications to fill out instead of a new credit card.

Live by a zero balance goal, or if you can’t reach zero balance monthly, then maintain the lowest balances you can. Credit card debt can quickly spiral out of control, so go into your credit relationship with the goal to always pay off your bill every month. This is especially important if your cards have high interest rates that can really rack up over time.

A great tip for saving on today’s high gas prices is to get a reward card from the grocery store where you do business. These days, many stores have gas stations, as well and offer discounted gas prices, if you sign up to use their customer reward cards. Sometimes, you can save up to twenty cents per gallon.

As you can now see, you’ve been doing yourself a disservice all these years by avoiding credit cards. Used correctly, credit cards aid your credit score and make it more likely that you will be able to get that mortgage or car loan you need. Use the tips that you have just read, in order to help you pick the best credit card for your needs.