<p>Great, great points Charlie. And credit cards will inform you of such activity pretty quickly, I had my number lifted once and the bank texted me and called me to verify the charge. When we determined it wasn’t, they instantly canceled my card, overnighted me a new one, and took care of the charge without any further action of my own.</p>
<p>Some cards also offer protection on certain items you buy, car rental insurance, and travel protection. Maybe not a huge deal for college students, but those types of cards require good credit history and are very helpful later in life.</p>
<p>It’s important to remember that credit cards aren’t evil. As long as you pay them off monthly (full balance) and monitor your spending, credit cards can actually be better than using straight cash.</p>