The recent rise in gas prices has actually got me thinking about credit cards again.  Yes, I am generally negative on credit cards, and yet I still hold one open.

It’s not that I’m down on credit… I’m down on what credit does to the mind.  Credit tends to let a person believe that they have more money than they do, and catches them when they’re most vulnerable.

Marketing and other forces prey on us to try to get us to buy, and credit is an enabler—it lets us make foolish decisions.

However, there are good uses for a card.  One of them is security.  Credit companies are getting rather good at providing multiple forms of security—from throw-away numbers to calling you about suspicious balances—and reservations made against cards don’t hold real money.  The auto insurance portion of them is good, and so is the mechanisms to dispute charges.

Of course, right now the big benefit is the cards that give you money back on gas—which is where I’ve been tempted to look through cards again.  Take a look at Credit Cards Club and you’ll see what I mean—there are all types of cards there for all types of people.  I’m not sure about the bad credit credit cards, in that I figure if you have bad credit you’re one of he worst candidates for a card—but perhaps you’ve learned your lesson and you’re trying to rebuild your credit.

I’m glad they have a section on gas cards.  Make sure you get one that lasts past the introductory rate.