Changes

==Dangers==

==Dangers==

Credit cards are lucrative for banks because of the high interest rates. Therefore banks do not ''want'' consumers to pay off their balances. Credit card statements will show a "minimum payment" which must be met, but the minimum payment is very small. A consumer who takes the lazy way and only pays the "minimum payment" will run an increasing balance and run into debt.

*Credit cards are lucrative for banks because of the high interest rates. Therefore banks do not ''want'' consumers to pay off their balances. Credit card statements will show a "minimum payment" which must be met, but the minimum payment is very small. A consumer who takes the lazy way and only pays the "minimum payment" will run an increasing balance and run into debt.

A consumer who pays cash will be forced to stop spending when the cash is gone; a consumer who writes checks will be forced to stop spending when there is no more money in the account. But credit cards make it very easy for to buy things even if the cardholder really can't afford them.  

*A consumer who pays cash will be forced to stop spending when the cash is gone; a consumer who writes checks will be forced to stop spending when there is no more money in the account. But credit cards make it very easy for cardholders to buy things, even if the cardholder really can't afford them.

==As protection==

==As protection==