A credit card can certainly have its downsides and possible risks, but the benefits definitely outweigh any negatives.
Why you should get a credit card
The main purpose of a credit card is to provide the cardholder with credit. With it, you can buy something today and not have to pay for it until later, so you are in effect borrowing money from the issuer.
You are basically getting a free loan if you pay your bills in full and on time since you can borrow money with no interest. You only have to pay interest when your bill is not paid by the due date.
This often is the cheapest way to borrow money, even when taking into account the fairly high interest rate.
Current interest rates on credit cards (also known as APRs) are around 10% to sometimes even over 20%, but they can be as low as 0% during a promotional period.
Besides borrowing, there are also other reasons why having a credit card may be valuable. Establishing a credit history is important since having no credit is usually just as bad as having bad credit.
Credit cards can be crucial in emergencies, when shopping online, and even when making reservations at a hotel or restaurant.
Because you can dispute charges before paying them, a credit card is therefore more secure than a debit card.
