There is much talk these days about credit card relief, which is a welcome break for people with outstanding credit card balances who are barely making ends meet. But before debtors take too deep a breath, they need to realize that this is not a bailout or free money – the government didn’t rack up those credit card charges, the users did.

Credit card relief needs to start with education. People need to realize that purchasing on credit is not always the best option. That loan has to be paid back, whether you lose your job or not. Rarely do people truly read the fine print of credit applications any more, thinking that they all say the same thing. However, in recent years, credit card companies have been revising these agreements and users are still not reading the changes.

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