Anyone who has extra expenses which accrue over time is in need of having a credit card to compensate.  However, this leads to credit card debt that can become difficult to maintain.  If you have to use a credit card but want to avoid going into debt, then you can consider different practical options and maintenance alternatives to stay out of debt.  This will help you to stay financially free while ensuring that you are not subjected to problems with your credit. 

1. Pay more than the minimum payment.  The best option for payments is to make sure you pay more than the minimum expectation for the debt.  Even if you only pay 5% more, this will help to eliminate the debt that you have.  More important, it will lower the amount of time you have to pay back and will result in a lower amount that has to be paid because of less interest that has to be paid. 
2. Don’t let debt accumulate.  If you are struggling with payments and begin to go into credit card debt because of changes in your financial situation, then you need to consider options for getting out of debt.  If you are going to be late on a payment or are going to miss one of your payments, then you want to call your creditor to let them know.  If you are struggling financially, then you can also consider some of the alternatives to help you get out of debt. 
3. Consider debt consolidation.  The idea of staying out of credit card debt also means paying as frequently as possible and finding ways to lower payments.  Using consolidation programs where you only pay once a month will help you to lower the amount owed through the interest rate and can help you to pay back faster.  If you decide on this option, you want to make sure that the total amount owed and the interest rates are cut by an average of 30-50% of payments.