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The ultimate guide to using your credit card wisely

Amid the severe pollution gripping the national capital, <keyword id="19948557" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi-metro" source="keywords">Delhi Metro</keyword> recorded its highest-ever daily ridership on November 18, with a staggering 78.67 lakh passenger journeys, according to official data. This figure exceeded the previous high of 77.49 lakh passengers on August 20 of this year, the data said. On November 18, the Yellow Line, which connects Millennium City Centre in Gurugram to Samaypur Badli in Delhi, saw the highest passenger traffic, with a record 20.99 lakh commuters. The Blue Line followed closely with 20.80 lakh passengers, while the Red Line recorded 8.56 lakh commuters, 8.15 lakh in Pink Line and 7.93 lakh in Violet Line. The Magenta Line saw 6.19 lakh passengers, followed by the Green Line with 4.12 lakh commuters, 81,985 in Airport Line, 57,701 in Rapid Metro, and 50,128, in the Grey Line, as per the data. Thick grey haze continued to choke Delhi for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, with pollution levels remaining alarmingly high at 488 in the 'severe plus' category. To encourage more people to use the metro in this scenario, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is running 60 extra trips on weekdays, offering more capacity than usual, an official statement said. The DMRC has recorded its 25 highest passenger journeys since August this year, the statement added. It emphasised that the more people opt for the metro over private vehicles, the greater the reduction in vehicular emissions, which will help improve the air quality of the city and its surrounding areas. In addition, the DMRC has introduced several measures to make travel more convenient for passengers, the statement read. These include the ability to book single or multiple journey tickets through various digital platforms, allowing passengers to plan their journeys anytime and anywhere without the need to stand in queues at the station. Furthermore, partnerships with organisations such as IRCTC, NCRTC, ITPO, and others have made it easier for people to not only travel by metro but also access interconnected travel options, along with various offers and events, all with seamless ease, the statement said. The DMRC also stated that it is one of the most <keyword id="24050954" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="environmentally-friendly-transport" source="keywords">environmentally friendly transport</keyword> options and the first metro system in the world to be registered for carbon credits with the United Nations for its environmental measures.

Severe pollution pushes Delhi Metro to record its highest-ever daily ridership on November 18

The Indian <keyword id="22196321" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="credit-card-industry" source="keywords">credit card industry</keyword> is struggling to grow, as new issues slow down on a year-on-year (YoY) basis. Not only has the growth i.e. issuance of new credit cards slowed down, but lenders are also becoming increasingly cautious of the asset qualities, a recent report by Nomura showed. From 19% in July 2024, the growth in the <keyword id="6368202" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="credit-card" source="Orion">credit card</keyword> spendings came down to 13% in August 2024. The year-to-date (YTD) growth has also significantly declined in FY25, currently standing at 17%, markedly down from 28% in FY24. For the fifth consecutive month, the number of new credit cards added to the system remained well below the 1-million, or 10 lakh mark. Around 9.2 lakh credit cards were added during the month, a slight uptick from the 7.55 lakh cards that came into the system In July 2024. However, there is growth in this space nevertheless, with about 10.55 crore active credit cards at present, marking a 15.6% YoY increase. Even the annualised spend per card, or the average amount spent via an annual card during an year grew 1% YoY to Rs 1.87 lakh. But this was far less than the 7% growth annual spends via one credit card saw in FY24. Meanwhile, what continues to burgeon consistently is the outstanding amount on these credit cards, which ballooned to Rs 2.7 lakh crore in June 2024, up from Rs 2.6 lakh crore in March 2024, and around Rs 2 lakh crore in the year ago period. To put this in perspective, pre-pandemic, the total outstanding amount stood at Rs 87,686 crore, which marks a 24% CAGR in this amount, in just a span of 5 years. <h2>Large drops, slowdown to sustain</h2>Even the monthly expenditure per card dropped 2% YoY to Rs 16,000 in August, 2024. Subsequently, the transaction volume via credit cards also dipped to 1.6% in August, along with the total amount of <keyword id="21084888" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="credit-card-spending" source="keywords">credit card spending</keyword>, which fell to Rs 1.69 lakh crore in August, from Rs 1.73 lakh crore in July. Also, there has been a hefty cutdown in provisions made for credit card reward points, which reflects in the quantum of credit card benefits that have been mowed out by companies of late, making credit cards far less lucrative than before. <h2>HDFC takes lead </h2>During August 2024, <keyword id="19895995" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="HDFC-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="HDFC Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="HDFC Bank">HDFC bank</keyword> added a total of 2.41 lakh credit cards, taking its total tally of active credit cards to 2.19 crore. <keyword id="19900482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICICI-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ICICI Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ICICI Bank">ICICI Bank</keyword> came a second distant, adding 1.45 lakh credit cards during the month, which means that the second-largest credit card issuer now holds over 1.75 crore active credit cards. Axis Bank and SBI Cards also added 1.27 lakh and 1.1 lakh cards, respectively to their repertoire during the month, while the growth numbers at Kotak Mahindra Bank remained largely flat, stagnating the bank's total card tally at 54.13 lakh. This was due to the ongoing ban on the bank due to its weak IT infrastructural issues imposed by RBI in April 2024. If anything, the bank's number of credit cards declined by 61,191 during the month. Even as the festive season approaches, experts think that it is unlikely to make a major dent in credit card spendings, which are expected to see a further slowdown in the quarters to come.

Credit card growth experiencing a slowdown, as borrowers struggle to pay back loans

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Private lending is now Blackstone's largest business by assets, up 22% since last year.</li><li>COO Jon Gray said it's "very early days" for the burgeoning business.</li></ul>Blackstone made its name buying <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackstone-employee-ownership-program-hvac-company-copeland-kkr-2024-10">undervalued companies</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/commercial-real-estate-market-bottom-crash-blackstone-goldman-sachs-2024-3">real estate.</a> But in the third quarter of this year, the company's burgeoning credit arm was the star of the show.In reporting earnings on Thursday, the New York-based buyout firm said its business of cobbling together and investing in loans is now its largest unit by assets. The so-called credit and insurance division boasts assets under management of $354.7 billion, up 22% over last year. By contrast, Blackstone's private-equity business manages $344.7 billion, and its real-estate investing arm, the firm's largest business at the start of the quarter, has $325.1 billion."Today, we manage the largest third-party private credit business in the world," Blackstone's President and Chief Operating Officer, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-gray-blackstone-profile-succession-schwarzman-interview-ceo-bumble-oatly-2021-1?r=gray-teaser">Jonathan Gray</a>, said in a call to discuss the firm's financial results. "We have one of the largest, if not the largest, businesses in direct lending, CLOs, real estate debt, and private investment-grade credit," Gray added.Blackstone's private-credit coronation comes as the alternative investments industry increasingly turns toward a growing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/private-credit-lenders-middle-market-deals-2023-11">opportunity in non-bank lending</a>. A combination of high interest rates and a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/interest-rates-bank-failures-commercial-real-estate-us-economy-outlook-2024-5">banking crisis</a> that has considerably slowed bank lending has increased demand for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-private-credit-market-risks-retail-investors-debt-investing-2024-5">non-bank loans</a>. Since these lenders often charge higher interest rates, institutional investors are also clamoring to provide capital for these loans to juice fixed-income returns.Blackstone has been tapping into investor demand for private loans in recent months, including what Gray described as a "dramatic increase in demand for all forms of investment grade private credit."Both Gray and Blackstone founder and CEO Steve Schwarzman, meanwhile, seem to think Blackstone's private-credit boom is just getting started."We are building a third-party performing credit juggernaut, and we expect our business to grow significantly from here," Gray said.<h2 id="8b520868-07a0-4e48-a432-8f3b351a93f6">The largest third-party lender</h2>While Blackstone now claims to be the largest third-party credit provider, Apollo is the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-global-management-investor-day-presentation-one-trillion-private-lending-2024-10">largest non-bank lender</a> with $562 billion in private credit assets under management. Apollo has relied on Athene, an insurance company it owns, to lend, while <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackstone-private-credit-investment-strategy-2022-10">Blackstone has focused on investing others' money</a>, forming strategic partnerships with four insurance companies, including Resolution Life, and financial advisory relationships with another 20.Gray expects the insurance industry to continue writing checks to private credit investors, especially in direct lending, a $25 trillion opportunity that's still in "very early days."Gray said that Blackstone's focus on partnering with investors, instead of competing with them by having its own insurance company, will help the business grow."We're not in the market <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marc-rowan-profile-ceo-apollo-global-management-leon-black-2021-8">selling annuities</a>," Gray said. "We are a third-party investment manager, and that definitely helps the conversations and helps our momentum here."Gray said the firm sees more pension funds and sovereign wealth clients moving into the space as well."I think over time it's going to move beyond insurance," he said." We're having good dialogue with pension clients. I think we'll see sovereign wealth funds start to do this as well.".Blackstone's private credit arm has generated 16.7% in returns over the last twelve months, though falling interest rates "put some pressure on absolute returns," Gray said. He expects investors to continue to flock to the strategy so long as it can produce returns at a premium to traditional fixed-income investments.<h2 id="c6df9c62-15a3-4bb8-8fe8-7ddacc78d287">"Broad-based acceleration"</h2>Blackstone on Thursday reported distributable earnings, or cash that pays dividends, of $1.3 billion, up 6% over last year — and beating expectations. Total assets under management climbed 10% from last year to $1.1 trillion. The firm's stock price approached its all-time high of $172 a share in midday trading amid what Steve Schwarzman described as a "broad-based acceleration across our businesses."The firm has been making a record number of investments over the last few months, especially in commercial real estate. Blackstone executives <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-blackstones-real-estate-buying-spree-as-valuations-plummet-2024-5">called a CRE bottom</a> earlier this year, and the company has deployed more than $24 billion into real estate debt and equity over the last twelve months.It's also been investing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackstone-steve-schwarzman-on-ai-infrastructure-investment-goals-2024-7">big in AI infrastructure</a>, particularly data centers, which will power the artificial intelligence revolution. In September, the firm announced said it would acquire AirTrunk, the largest data center platform in the Asia-Pacific region, in a $16 billion deal alongside the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.With $70 billion worth of data centers, and over $100 billion of prospective development, Schwarzman said the firm has become "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackstones-data-center-bets-have-climbed-10-fold-to-100-billion-2024-4">the largest data center provider in the world</a>" in only three years.Opportunities to cash out of investments to drive returns for investors continue to remain sluggish, however. On Thursday, both Schwarzman and Gray said there are plenty of signs that dealmaking is bouncing back, spurred by expectations for lower rates.Gray said the firm's private-equity nondisclosure agreements were up 2.5 times in September compared with the same time last year, suggesting an increase in discussions about potential deals.Gray also predicted <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-omada-health-confidentially-filed-s1-ipo-public-2024-10">growing demand for IPOs</a>, which could help the firm sell some assets and generate returns for its LPs and fees for shareholders and employees.Gray described a meeting he went to this week where the IPO discussion had gone from "theoretical to the practical." Gray said the discussion is now along the lines of, "What's the right size? Should we do it in February or April?"

Inside Blackstone's growing 'credit juggernaut'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla">Tesla</a> stands to benefit from any removal of consumer tax credits on electric vehicle purchases.</li><li>The move could hurt competitors more, CEO Elon Musk said.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> supports a Trump plan to end tax credits of up to $7,500 for electric vehicle purchases.That might sound confusing: Why would the CEO of Tesla want to end a program that makes it cheaper for people to buy EVs?Well, according to Musk, it would devastate Tesla's rivals. And Tesla wants to keep its strong lead in the US EV market, which recently slipped under 50% for the first time."I think it would be devastating for our competitors and for Tesla slightly," Musk said in a July earnings call, predicting the impact of the tax credits ending. "But long term probably actually helps Tesla, would be my guess."On Thursday, Reuters reported that Trump plans to end the EV tax credit, with support from Tesla representatives. In a related post on X, Musk called for an "end all government subsidies, including those for EVs, oil and gas."Tesla has had a longer time than some of its rivals to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-list-government-subsidies-tesla-billions-spacex-solarcity-2021-12">benefit from government subsidies</a>. Its market lead is well established, and it has led an EV pricing war that has squeezed its rivals, making it harder for them to survive if consumer demand falls even further.Put simply: Tesla wins if ending the tax credit pressures smaller rivals enough to stall their growth or even fold.<h2 id="91842e59-2373-4c08-abdd-17185b0bea0d">Tesla sells more EVs than anyone else, and more profitably</h2>In the third quarter of 2024, Tesla <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://digitalassets.tesla.com/tesla-contents/image/upload/IR/TSLA-Q3-2024-Update.pdf">reported</a> a pre-tax profit margin of 18%, well above the industry average of around 9%. Ford, the only competitor to break out its EV-specific finances, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://s201.q4cdn.com/693218008/files/doc_financials/2024/q3/Press-Release-Ford-2024-Q3-Earnings.pdf">reported</a> a -104% margin for its Model e unit.Yet many of Tesla's vehicles are also priced well below many competitors. The Model 3 starts at $42,490 (after a cheaper option disappeared earlier this year). That's well below the average EV price in the US, which held steady at nearly $57,000 in October, according to Kelley Blue Book data.In an effort to juice sales, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-can-make-cars-cheaper-than-competitors-2024-6">Tesla has drastically cut prices</a> on many of its cars over the past year, instigating an industry-wide price war that has cut into its own margin in pursuit of maintaining its industry-leading market share. Of the nearly 600,000 EVs sold in the US in the first half of 2023, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.coxautoinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Q2-2024-Kelley-Blue-Book-Electric-Vehicle-Sales-Report.pdf">half</a> were made by Tesla. Ford, in second place, accounted for just over 7% of EVs sold in the same period."While losing the EV tax credit could also hurt some demand on the margins in the US, this will enable Tesla to further fend off competition from Detroit as pricing/scale/scope is an apples to oranges when compared to the rest of the auto industry once the EV tax credit disappears," Dan Ives, a longtime bullish analyst at Wedbush, told clients in a note on Thursday.<h2 id="c6cefac7-9186-47f8-8f0a-f2fb65808785">Tesla is ahead of the curve in building a US manufacturing presence</h2>Eliminating the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/federal-state-electric-car-vehicle-tax-credits-rebates-qualify">consumer tax credit</a>, part of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, would need congressional approval. It's not yet clear if Trump and the incoming Republican-controlled Congress would also target other IRA tax incentives, like those supporting domestic manufacturing of cars, batteries, and other components. Competitors like BMW, Honda, and Hyundai have <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/20/tracking-the-ev-battery-factory-construction-boom-across-north-america/">raced</a> to scale up factories state-side to take advantage of those credits.Tesla has been ahead of this curve in manufacturing, too, with six US factories churning out cars and batteries. That work has paid off, and many Tesla models are regularly named as the most "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cars.com/american-made-index/">American-made</a>" compared to competitors, many of which rely on factories in Mexico. In fact, only one other American automaker even cracked the top 10 in 2024.Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja said in a July earnings call that the company has taken advantage of manufacturing credits, but "we always drive ourselves to say, OK, what if there is no IRA benefit? And how do we operate in that kind of an environment? Like Elon said, we definitely have a big advantage as compared to our competition on that front."In October, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group representing Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota, and others, <a target="_blank" href="https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024/11/auto-trade-group-to-gop-tax-writers-keep-bidens-ev-credits-00189430">urged</a> Congress to keep the tax credits.The tax credits, including those for commercial leasing and manufacturing, are "critical to cementing the US as a global leader in the future of automotive technology and manufacturing," they said in an October letter to Congress published by <a target="_blank" href="https://subscriber.politicopro.com/f/?id=00000193-277d-dea7-afbb-b77f708f0000">Politico</a>.The group, which does not include Tesla, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.While Musk supports cutting the EV tax credit, reports of its potential demise appear to have spooked investors. Tesla shares fell about 5% following the Reuters report, while Rivian shares fell 11%.Musk and other Tesla leaders have long said autonomous vehicles are the future of Tesla, not just EVs, and encouraged potential investors to think much more long-term.Additional reporting by Benjamin Zhang.

Why Musk supports Trump getting rid of EV tax credits

<ul class="summary-list"><li>EV stocks fell on Wednesday after a report said President-elect Trump plans to cut EV tax credits.</li><li>The $7,500 tax credit was part of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, put into place in 2022.</li></ul>Electric vehicle stocks dropped on Wednesday after a report said President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is looking at doing away with the EV tax credit. According to a report from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/trumps-transition-team-aims-kill-biden-ev-tax-credit-2024-11-14/">Reuters</a>, Trump's transition team has drawn up plans to end the $7,500 consumer tax credit for electric vehicle sales as part of broader tax reform legislation.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tsla-stock">Tesla</a> stock dropped 5% to $312.20 a share following the report. Shares of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/rivn-stock">Rivian</a> plunged 12% to $10.57, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/lcid-stock">Lucid</a> dropped 3% to $2.11 a share.Ending the tax credit—a key measure included in Biden's 2022 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-passes-inflation-reduction-act-sending-it-to-biden-2022-8">Inflation Reduction Act</a>—would likely hurt EV sales, but sources told Reuters that Tesla representatives supported ending the subsidy. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become a strong ally of Trump in recent months, supporting his campaign with sizable donations and spending time with him at his Mar-a-Lago residence.Musk has said previously that while ending federal tax incentives for EV purchases would hurt Tesla sales, the move would be more damaging to Tesla's US EV competitors, including General Motors and Ford. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/gm-stock">General Motors</a> stock jumped about 1% on Wednesday, while <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/f-stock">Ford</a> shares were about flat.Reuters noted that the tax credit is likely an easy target. Other pieces of the Inflation Reduction Act could be hard to roll back, as the money for many programs has already been distributed. Eliminating the tax credit would likely garner wide support from Republicans and help offset the costs of future tax cuts.

EV makers slide on report Trump wants to scrap EV tax credit

Gandhinagar: The <keyword id="19895344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Enforcement-Directorate" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Enforcement Directorate" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Enforcement Directorate">Enforcement Directorate</keyword> on Thursday conducted multi-city searches in Gujarat in connection with a <keyword id="19899231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="money-laundering" source="keywords">money laundering</keyword> case linked to a GST "fraud" in which eight people, including a journalist, were arrested recently by the state police, official sources said. About 23 premises in cities of Rajkot, Junagadh, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar and Veraval were being raided by the federal agency after a case was filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. Premises linked to arrested journalist <keyword id="23517167" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahesh-Langa" source="keywords">Mahesh Langa</keyword>, who works with <keyword id="21256671" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-Hindu" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="The Hindu" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="The Hindu">The Hindu</keyword> newspaper, were also being covered. The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch. The city Crime Branch registered the FIR against several persons and entities after getting a complaint from the Central GST over an alleged scam involving shell firms set up to defraud the government through <keyword id="23577822" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bogus-input-tax-credits" source="keywords">bogus input tax credits</keyword> and fraudulent transactions. Langa along with seven others was arrested after the Central GST found some suspicious transactions in bogus firms floated in the name of his wife and father using forged documents. After the registration of the FIR, the Crime Branch and Gujarat's Economic Offences Wing raided 14 locations across the state, including in Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Kheda and Bhavnagar. According to the Crime Branch, more than 200 fraudulently created firms worked across the country in an organised manner to defraud the government exchequer by availing bogus input tax credits and forged documents and identities were used to create these firms for tax evasion.

ED conducts raids in Gujarat in GST fraud case

<ul class="summary-list"><li>21-year-old Skylar Griffin has four credit cards, including and AmEx Gold and Platinum.</li><li>She got her first credit card as a freshman to build up her credit score and kept a strict budget.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Skylar Griffin, a 21-year-old college student in Georgia. Griffin financial claims have been verified with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.When I was a child, my mom often shared financial advice. She told us never to cosign for someone's loan and don't buy anything unless we could buy it twice.On several occasions, she advised us kids never to get a credit card unless we were responsible enough to pay it off each month.She didn't want us to struggle financially like she did as a single parent.In high school, I started watching YouTube videos about finances. I saw financial struggles firsthand, and I didn't want to be in that position as an adult. The videos taught me I'd need to build up my credit score to buy a car or a house or if I might need a loan.<h2 id="102ef261-a63c-412a-8936-6e2d5bc894d4">I got my first credit card before going to college</h2>In July 2021, I was preparing to study business management at Columbus State University in the fall. Without my mom's knowledge, I ordered a Bank of America student card. It was a Visa card with no annual fees. My mom wasn't happy. I reassured her I'd done my research and could handle the responsibility.During college, I worked at a call center during the school year, paid internships in the summer, and received refund checks because my scholarship was more than school costs. I also earned a bit of money doing social media content.My first card had a limit of $500. I would buy little things here and there, making sure I had enough in my checking or savings account to pay it off each month. I'd marked all the due dates in my calendar, and I was never late for a credit card payment. There were temptations to buy new clothes or tech, but I always fought it.<h2 id="fc7cfef9-313f-436d-be60-a1a46519f707">Getting an AmEx for the travel points</h2>I kept using the Bank of America card throughout my freshman and sophomore years of college, but in April 2023, I decided to take out an Amex Gold card as well.I'd heard about travel credit cards through watching financial advice videos online. If I used this card for buying groceries or dining out, my two main expenses in college, I would get four times the points to use on travel. Although I wasn't traveling much, I planned to travel. At the time, the card had a $250 annual fee, which was worth it for the points I felt.I only used my card for things I needed or had saved for. I never bought things just to earn points.In March 2024, I took a big leap and opened an Amex Platinum credit card. It comes with a high price tag — a $695 annual fee — but I thought the benefits outweighed the price. Because it was another Amex card, all of my points were added to the points earned from the Amex Gold.I only use this card for booking flights and hotels because this is what I get the highest points for. With the card, I get five times the points when booking flights and hotels, a $200 yearly airline credit, and a $200 yearly hotel credit.When I stay at Marriott or Hilton, I get 'high status' and often get my room upgraded. But my favourite perk is the CLEAR Plus membership which gets me through TSA quicker at the airport.I knew I was planning some big trips in 2024 to Japan and New York, and then a cruise to the Bahamas, so planned to make all my travel purchases on the Platinum. Since getting an Amex, I've been able to fly to Japan, New York, and Miami for free in 2024.With this card, I accessed airport lounges on the long trip to Japan and was part of the President's Circle with Hertz Car Rentals, so I was guaranteed a car upgrade when I rented a car to get around the country.<h2 id="ec2f29ef-d145-470e-972f-0e160d4e0cd5">I took out a fourth credit card so I could earn points for other purchases</h2>In June 2024, I decided to take out another Amex card — the Amex Blue Business Plus. This card means I can earn points paying for things like gas, that don't earn me points on my other cards.There's no annual fee, and I could only take it out because I'm considered a sole proprietor. I own a Mercari shop where I resell vintage clothes I find at flea markets.I only use my Bank of America card when Amex isn't accepted. I never use a debit card unless I'm pulling cash out of the bank.Even though I am confident and comfortable using credit cards, I still don't spend anything that isn't in my checking or savings account. I never base a purchase on the money that I'm expecting in my account, because you never know how finances could change.I put all my due dates in my calendar and aim to pay each of them off earlier than required. Sometimes, I feel the urge to overspend. But then I remember the interest rates on my cards, and I snap back to reality. Paying high interest because I can't afford to pay my bill in full is not worth the momentary satisfaction of shopping.In addition to all the benefits I've received when traveling, my credit cards helped me raise my credit score to 755.<h2 id="1abacec9-c073-4582-ac5e-15c3908118fc">I never stop learning about finance</h2>I think college students should consider getting a student credit card with no fee. They have low limits and can help start building a credit score. However, if you're impulsive or have poor spending habits, I wouldn't recommend it.My mom now says she's proud of how I manage my finances. I've always found personal finance interesting and the concepts easy to understand, but it takes dedication to stay on track financially. I never stop learning to make sure I'm doing what's best for my financial future.

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The ultimate guide to using your credit card wisely

BI India Bureau

Severe pollution pushes Delhi Metro to record its highest-ever daily ridership on November 18

PTI

Credit card growth experiencing a slowdown, as borrowers struggle to pay back loans

BI India Bureau

Inside Blackstone's growing 'credit juggernaut'

Alex Nicoll

Why Musk supports Trump getting rid of EV tax credits

Graham Rapier

EV makers slide on report Trump wants to scrap EV tax credit

Matthew Fox

ED conducts raids in Gujarat in GST fraud case

PTI

I'm a college student who pays nearly $1,000 in annual fees for 4 credit cards. It's worth it for good credit and travel perks.

Lauren Crosby Medlicott

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