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Nowadays credit cards have become an integral feature of daily life. You may go anywhere -- a bookshop, a restaurant, a travel agent -- but the same question shall arise: "Payment by cash or card?" Most people today have a credit card or two occupying pride of place in their wallets. The sheer convenience that a credit card supplies cannot be undervalued. The development of this little piece of plastic has done away with the need to carry along huge bundles of cash. And the retailer is also more willing to accept payment by credit card than by check. After all, if the check does bounce, the retailer will have to go through the rigmarole of scouting out the person who bought the goods. In the case of a credit card, he knows he will be paid.

Yet, even today there are large numbers of people who do not trust themselves with credit cards. This may be a hangover from the old days where we were advised not buy things on credit. But credit cards are here to stay, and it is high time that we accepted this as fact. In fact, with credit card providers releasing credit cards at the drop of a hat, it is just a question of time before credit cards become the preferred mode of payment. For the time being, cash is the preferred mode of currency. But I doubt if the day is far away when the position of supremacy held by cash shall be usurped by plastic money.

Why should you avail of a credit card? There are many advantages. For one, nothing beats the convenience of carrying that small square piece of plastic. It does not weigh you down unlike equivalent bundles of money. Then again, making purchases becomes so much easier. You do not have to rush to the nearest ATM to withdraw cash if you are carrying a credit card. Moreover, you also do not have to worry about your wallet full of cash being pinched while you are commuting. The cash in your wallet will probably never return, but you can stop payment on your cards in such a case.

If none of this seems to be adequate reason to avail of a credit card, just take a look at the range of reward credit cards available in the credit card markets. Credit card companies have started making offers to those who make limited use of their credit cards. Reward credit cards are designed to encourage a person to make more credit card payments. Done prudently, this not only raises your credit score, but it also allows you to avail of the many incentives that the card provides. The two main types of reward credit card are cash back credit cards and reward credit cards. Cash back credit cards motivates the card holder to spend more so that he can get back cash rewards. The travel reward cards provide points that may translate into free airline tickets.

The great thing is that such deals are available readily. Plus, they have begun to win the trust of anti-credit-card folks as well.