subject: How To Stop Using Your Credit Card [print this page] Rising debt is one reason you should stop credit card use. Although many people might get away with something less drastic, such as canceling some or most of their cards, you'll need to completely stop credit card use if you're a person who can't survive without impulse buys. Otherwise, you'll soon be faced with debt that's near impossible to eliminate, and a string of creditors hounding your heels for payments. Here are some fool-proof ways that can stop you from using your card and eroding your dwindling finances even more.
Closing your credit account may be the best way to eliminate credit card debt and keep you from owing even more. You can deactivate your account by calling up your credit company and asking them to do so. Furthermore, you won't be able to give in to impulse buys or unnecessary purchases as much as you could if you still had your card.
You can also break the credit card habit by physically shredding your card, which you can do with an office paper shredder that works just as well on plastic. A less dramatic approach would be cutting your card in pieces with a pair of scissors. Since you won't have an actual working credit card, there's no way you can swipe or charge it. Just make sure that you dispose of the remnants carefully and properly - you won't want any thieves to put it back together and use the information, right? You're already in trouble as it is.
If you have more control over your spending, and absolutely need to have one or two credit cards for emergency purchases, leave them at home if you're going out - this will help you avoid charging purchases to your card when you get that all-too-familiar urge. Put them in your wallet only if you really need to use them.
Credit card debt may be difficult for you to eliminate, especially if you're prone to impulse buying and "retail therapy." These measures, however, drastic, are fool-proof measures to help you stop using your cards and accumulating even more debt than you can handle.
