Thursday, July 05, 2007

Plastic Money

A Malay sitcom on Suria Channel "2 x 5 Dol" portrayed a young couple having their first ownership on credit cards. They splurged on branded goods and dining at lavish restaurants chalking up their bills to more than S$3000 on their first statement which they were unable to settle their bills due to overspending. It's cool to have credits cards especially with all the perks that entice us. However, the real danger comes in when a person cannot control his or her spending limits and also not able to settle the bills when the credit bills are due. The penalty is having to pay the bank interest as high as 24%p.a. This is a rising issue with many young people that eventually leads them to bankruptcy. To me, these plastic cards are very useful but we have to be prudent on the usage.