Learn How to Build Good Credit and Manage Your Credit Cards

As a late bloomer to the financial game, I am happy to say after eight years of struggling with credit card debt, I have successfully built my credit score up to 800 and paid off the majority of my credit card debt. Now I am no finance expert or have the authority to tell you what you should and should not do with your money and credit cards, but I can tell you my personal finance story and the lessons I learned when it comes to managing credit cards.

I received my first secured credit card at age 21 with Discover and my second credit card with Wells Fargo. I have always been a spender, and at the time, I desperately needed extra cash to help pay off some of my college debts and expenses. I knew I was getting in more debt with all the extra cash, but I learned how to avoid student loan debts by applying for low-interest credit cards that had a limit of no more than $500.

Then after a few years of using those credit cards and paying off all my college debt, I moved up to the travel credit cards Southwest and Chase Sapphire Preferred when my credit score was at least 690+. I was able to get so many rewards and benefits from free flights and hotels using these two rewards cards. However, my credit card debt kept increasing as my limit did, and I was always in $6000-$8000 worth of credit card debt for three years after…