Credit cards are almost essential.

As more and more businesses go cashless, the only way to make purchases is with a credit card.  And earning points on a credit card can be great for paying for travel and other perks. 

But credit cards carry risks.  They encourage us to spend more money than we would if paying in cash.  If you don’t pay off the balance each month, you could end up paying interest for years, nearly doubling the cost of your purchase.

It’s no surprise that Americans’ credit card debt has hit an all-time high, at a time when interest rates are soaring.  

And, since many credit cards are issued by major banks, paying all that interest results in billions of dollars flowing from average Americans to wealthy banks each year -– banks that are financing the fossil fuel industry, industrial agriculture, and other industries that harm American communities.

But there are alternatives, and you can take charge of your card.