The Red Stapler Chronicles

“Credit cards are evil.” “Credit cards are a trap, causing millions of Americans to become burdened with debt that they will never be able to pay.” “Congress should start to investigate credit card companies and should limit the amount of interest they can charge.” “As soon as I pay off these cards, I am going to cut them up and never use another credit card again.” These are just some of the opinions that a majority of us feel about credit cards. We enjoy the spending power that they give us but resent everything else about them. Don’t take my word for it, perform a Google search on “evil credit cards” and look at the 8 million results.

But are we right in dismissing credits cards as something we need to remove from our lives? Let us return to this question later.

Instead of thinking about all the damage credit cards can do to your personal finances, I would urge you to think about how you can damage the credit card companies profit statements. That’s right, I think we all need to start thinking about credit cards as a zero-sum game. Either you will become yet another victim of the credit card companies by paying interest and late fees, or you will take them to the cleaners by always paying your balance in full and take full advantage of any points, cash back, or first day discounts they offer. If we get our competitive juices flowing and think about every credit card purchase as a battle, I believe we will be much more likely to emerge victorious. For a real good time, track how much money you make from those credit card companies every month and every year.

Yes, the millions of people in credit card debt are giving me dirty looks through their monitors right now. Here is some idiot telling me how to win a game that I have already lost. Of course, unless you have an uncle named Doc Brown, you can not change the past and erase your debt. Furthermore, you are not dumb nor should you feel ashamed that you lost round one. However, starting today, you can play the credit card game differently. Consider it as starting you payback tour against the credit card companies.

So don’t cut up those cards just yet. Don’t be afraid to open up a new card in a store to get that first day discount. Just remember that it’s all a game. There will be one winner and one loser.

Which one will you be?

This post was featured in the 19th Money Hacks Carnival hosted at the Money Hackers Network.  Click here to check it out.