We in society have become used to using plastic cards to pay for our purchases, because it promises convenience, speed and reassurance about our situation.

While today we may not have the money to pay for that stereo or that holiday, a quick call to a bank can be all it takes to allow you to make the purchase one day and worry about paying it off in the future.

When used correctly, credit cards can be beneficial for the user, as they allow a situation where you can control the cost of living. They are, it should be said, best used as a kind of progressive weapon against delays.

The problem comes when one is used as a shield against debt. The thing they simply fail to offer is thinking time.

With a credit card, you can make a purchase and not have to worry about the money not being there. It is there, it just isn’t yours.

As long as you can replenish that money within a suitable time period, no-one will get angry. However, there is no way of the vendor knowing that you will be in a bad position to actually pay for the purchase, and indeed they have no reason to care.

It is the bank who will have something to say about it when you fail to make payments that they were expecting you to make. And the thing about that is that banks have a way of making their displeasure very clear indeed.