There are many advantages to carrying a credit card. Here are 9 great reasons why everyone should have at least one credit card:

1. If you are away from home without cash, you often can receive a cash advance or have the option of buying traveler’s checks with a credit card.
2. Places that are suspicious of personal checks often take credit cards.
3. Credit cards act as a short-term loan if you find something that is a bargain and haven’t the cash or balance in your checking account to pay for it.
4. Credit cards eliminate the need to carry large sums of cash.
5. If you move to a new place, credit cards give you purchasing power until you establish yourself as a good risk in a new community.
6. If you charge an item or service that costs $50 or more in Colorado (or within 100 miles of your home) and later discover it doesn’t work or has other problems, you can withhold payment from the credit card company if you have attempted to resolve the problem with the merchant.
7. You often get the best rates of exchange when traveling in foreign countries if you use your credit card for purchases and your ATM card to get cash. Check with your card issuers about surcharges before you leave on your trip. A two to three percent surcharge may eliminate this advantage.
8. Credit cards can help coordinate receipts for tax purposes.
9. Bookkeeping is reduced to one monthly bill as opposed to checks.