Do people actually use credit cards to pay bills or is that a red flag?

[YourEdgyJoker]

I’ve always thought of credit cards as something you use for emergencies or bigger purchases, not regular bills. But lately I’ve noticed more people mentioning they pay rent, council tax or utilities with their credit card. Is this just normal now or is it a sign things are tight?

AIBU to wonder if this is smart financial strategy or a slippery slope?

No but the ones for school hols get snapped up quick so you gotta be savvy. We are ninjas. Means kids have had great holidays we couldn’t have otherwise afforded.

Why wouldn’t you pick one with rewards?

We mostly do it so we don’t ever have to endure economy again 😂😂

I use my credit card to pay for food shopping and petrol, I earn cash back for that but I always pay it off in full at the end of the month.

Its not the putting it on the credit card that's the problem

Its whether you then pay it off!

I use my credit card a lot but pay it off regularly and try to keep the balance under 500.

Took me many years to learn this lesson.

100% this. We are currently saving up avios points to put towards a flight next year so we are putting everything possible on there at the moment. We have always used credit cards and paid off full balance monthly.

It's only a red flag if a credit card has to be used because the person can't afford to pay their bills.
Loads of people use their credit cards daily and pay the balance off in full at the end of the month. It's usually because there is a benefit of some kind such as cash back etc.
I have to admit I don't get the aversion to credit cards and the 'I've never had one' being worn like some kind of badge of honour.
Used in the right way, credit cards can be a beneficial aspect of money management.

I put everything on my credit card and pay it off fully every month.

I know some who do it for miles / points.

I had an old housemate who did it because he was a financial mess though. I got out of that flat sharpish.

I get the aversion depending on personality type. If you use credit responsibly they are great.

I shun credit spending because it’s not suitable for my personality type. (Although I think now I could have one again as I have changed my financial behaviour significantly.)

How worth it are the rewards? If, for instance, you're putting £2k pm on a cc (and clearing it). I agree with the consumer protection.

I use cc for absolutely everything no matter how large or small, for the air miles. It’s very lucrative.

How can people pay bills on cc please?
also, can anyone please suggest a card that has reward s? Am v unsavy about money - and dont even know about cash back or why or how you get it ! As a child money was a unspoken in our family and I’ve sort if blocked it .

I highly recommend money saving expert. They have always great overviews of various offers and how it all works.

I use my credit card for everything not covered by DDs. Paid off every month. Prefer to have the benefits of a credit card (payment protection, rewards etc) and interest accrues on my money until the CC bill is paid.

Depends what rewards you want really, Tesco was great when the kids were little for days out (but not as good these days, not the 4X it used to be!) cashback wont be huge, but I find air miles very lucrative. They don’t really expire (well they do but it’s easy to keep them active, just keep collecting!) there are ways of boosting the balance (sign up deals) within 18 months we had enough for 2 x business class flights to the US (that was with a fee paying card though for companion voucher which gives BOGOF, and you have to pay flight taxes). I’m only on free cards currently so the accrual is slower, when I’ve got a holiday I’m specific planning for I jump up to the fee paying cards as the cost it worth it, but not if I’m not specifically saving as companion vouchers do expire.

I will use my credit card for as much as I possibly can and pay it off each month. I get bonuses, cash back etc plus my current account is interest paying (admittedly not great but better than nowt).
I suppose I am using it as a charge card. Fortunately the banking app means I can keep an eye when getting close to credit limit (not often)

Everything goes on my credit card,including Council Tax.I pay in full every month and get rewards.

I paid solicitor's fees on mine last week. Hopeful that I will get my money through from a house before the bill is due.

I also put all of my petrol on my credit card-It's taxable and means I can easily work out the amounts without trawling through all the other transactions on my bank account.
It just depends on the person and the situation?

.... coming soon to an article for you! 😆

It's a recommended way to build a good credit score as long as it's paid off each month.

I always use credit cards for anything I have to pay online as I like the protection a credit card gives. I would worry if someone got my debit card details and cleared out my account.

Yes this is why I keep my current accounts almost empty (about £200 max, except for the day bills go out) my money feels so vulnerable in a current account for some reason! I do as much spending as possible on CCs, and keep the cash in savings until the balance is due. I do track my expenditure in a spreadsheet though to ensure I’m only spending what I have in cash.

I put everything on a 0% CC. The actual money for my purchases sits in one of 3 savings accounts: 7.5%, 7%, or 6% interest. I only make the minimum monthly payments on the CC. When the 0% CC promotional period ends, I pull the money out of my savings account and pay the CC off in full. Repeat with a new 0% interest CC. It’s free money, and comes out at significantly more than I was earning on reward CCs.

Depends whether you pay off the card balance in full every month.

If people get cashback or loyalty points or consumer protection/guarantees for using their credit card, it makes sense to use it for most things and then pay it all off as a lump sum every month to restore the balance to zero.

It's only if people are using the credit card because they don't have enough income to pay for essentials each month that it becomes a problem.