When her school break was over, she realized she could no longer afford the payments. After missing a few, she paid off the card only to find that her credit score had decreased dramatically, affecting her ability to access other types of credit.
“I didn’t get an actual bank credit card until I was 21, just because of that fear,” said James, who is now a financial expert and creator of The Boujie Budgeter. “Because of how it impacted my credit and also made it harder for me to buy a car a couple of months later.”
With holiday shopping season around the corner, experts recommend caution when your favorite store offers you a credit card.
“If you’re offered one at the checkout counter, most of the time it makes sense to say no,” said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate.
According to the Federal Reserve, outstanding credit card balances reached $1.14 trillion as of August 2024, meaning credit card debt is increasingly a concern for millions of Americans.
Bankrate found that the average store-only credit card has an average annual percentage rate of 30.45%, significantly higher than the average APR of 20.78% for all credit cards. The APR is how much interest you’ll be charged if you can’t pay your balance in full every month.
Here are recommendations from experts when considering a store credit card:
DON’T IMMEDIATELY SAY YES TO A STORE CREDIT CARD
This article is part of AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Be Well.
Store credit cards are usually offered at checkout, and they provide shoppers with a line of credit that incentivizes spending more on the store’s products. If not managed correctly, these credit cards can negatively impact your credit history.
When offered a store credit card, Bruce McClary from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling recommends that you don’t say yes immediately.
Esta historia es de la edición September 27, 2024 de AppleMagazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 27, 2024 de AppleMagazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
CHINA'S CATL FORMS JOINT VENTURE WITH STELLANTIS TO BUILD ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY FACTORY IN SPAIN
Chinese electric battery company CATL and automaker Stellantis will build a major battery factory in northern Spain, the partners announced this week.
TIKTOK ASKS FEDERAL APPEALS COURT TO BAR ENFORCEMENT OF POTENTIAL BAN UNTIL SUPREME COURT REVIEW
TikTok asked a federal appeals court on Monday to bar the Biden administration from enforcing a law that could lead to a ban on the popular platform until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge to the statute.
META SHAREHOLDERS SEEK SANCTIONS FOR SANDBERG, ZIENTS FOR DELETING CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA EMAILS
2018 shareholder lawsuit that alleged Facebook officers and directors violated both the law and their fiduciary duties in failing for years to protect the privacy of user data.
BOEING LAYS OFF HUNDREDS IN WASHINGTON AND CALIFORNIA AS PART OF CUTS ANNOUNCED PREVIOUSLY
Boeing has laid off hundreds of additional employees in Washington state and California as part of planned cuts that will eventually reduce the company’s workforce by about 17,000.
NASA PUSHES BACK ASTRONAUT FLIGHTS TO THE MOON AGAIN
NASA announced more delays in sending astronauts back to the moon more than 50 years after Apollo.
BILLIONAIRE WHO PERFORMED THE FIRST PRIVATE SPACEWALK IS TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD NASA
A tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead NASA.
FROM 'LOVE ACTUALLY' TO 'BLACK DOVES' WITH BEN WHISHAW, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY HAS YOUR CHRISTMAS COVERED
Keira Knightley starred in one of the most popular Christmas films of the 21st century, the 2003 romantic comedy “Love Actually.”
FORTNITE PLAYERS 'TRICKED' INTO UNWANTED PURCHASES ARE STARTING TO GET REFUNDS. HERE'S HOW TO APPLY
U.S. consumers who were “tricked” into purchases they didn’t want from Fortnite maker Epic Games are now starting to receive refund checks, the Federal Trade Commission said this week.
CHINA'S BAN ON KEY HIGH-TECH MATERIALS COULD HAVE BROAD IMPACT ON INDUSTRIES ECONOMY
China has banned exports of key materials used to make a wide range of products, including smartphones, electric vehicles, radar systems and CT scanners, swiping back at Washington after it expanded export controls to include dozens of Chinese companies that make equipment used to produce advanced computer chips.
'MOANA 2' CRUISES TO ANOTHER RECORD WEEKEND AND $600 MILLION GLOBALLY
The Walt Disney Co.’s animated film “Moana 2” remained at the top of the box office in its second weekend in theaters as it brought in another record haul.
