The world of today is completely dependent on plastic money. You may go anywhere a bookshop, a restaurant, a travel agent but you will be asked the same question Payment by cash or card? Most people today have a credit card or two occupying pride of place in their wallets.
The sheer convenience that plastic affords cannot be underestimated. The development of this little piece of plastic has done away with the need to carry along huge bundles of cash. And the retailer is also more willing to accept payment by card than by check. After all, if the check does bounce, the retailer will have to go through the rigmarole of getting hold of the buyer. In the case of a credit card, he is assured of his payment.
Yet, even today there are large numbers of people who continue to be mistrustful of plastic money. This may be a hangover from the old days where we were advised not to run up tabs. But cards are here to stay, and it is high time that we accepted this as fact. In fact, with credit card providers cropping up every moment, it is just a question of time before plastic become the preferred mode of payment. For the time being, cash is the preferred mode of currency. But I doubt if the day is far away when the position of supremacy held by cash shall be taken over by the card.
Why should you avail of a credit card? The reasons are many. For one, nothing beats the convenience of carrying that small square piece of plastic. It does not weigh you down unlike equivalent bundles of money. Then again, your purchasing power is so much higher. You do not have to rush to the nearest ATM to withdraw cash. Moreover, you also do not have to worry about your wallet full of cash being pilfered at the bus station. The cash in your wallet may be gone forever, but you can stop payment on your cards in such a case.
If none of this seems to be adequate reason to avail of a card, just take a look at the range of reward credit cards that are now available. Card companies have now begun to target people who make limited use of their plastic. Reward credit cards are designed to give you the incentive to make more on-card payments. Done prudently, this not only raises your credit score, but it also allows you to avail of various rewards. The two main types of reward cards are cash back cards and reward cards. Cash back cards motivate the card holder to spend more so that he can get back cash rewards. The travel reward cards provide points that can be redeemed for air tickets.
The great thing is that such deals are available readily. And they are converting the mistrustful and winning them over.
