Sixth Grade
Worksheets
One Costly Card
What's in your wallet? Do you have money or pictures of your friends? Many adults have these things too, but some of them carry something else as well. They carry credit cards. Where do credit cards come from? Most credit cards come from banks. Bank issued credit cards can be used to purchase goods and services from many different places. Many stores also offer their own credit cards. These cards can be used to purchase items from the store that issued them.
Banks and stores offer credit cards because they make money when people choose to use them. Using a credit card to make a purchase is like saying "I want to buy this item or service now, but I want to pay for it later." Each month, credit card companies send statements to their customers. These bills list the purchases that were made that month. The statement shows the total amount of money that is due. It also lists the minimum amount that must be paid. Each month customers have to decide how much of their bill they are going to pay. They can choose to pay the entire debt, or they can opt to pay the minimum amount that is due. Paying for your purchases a little bit at a time might seem like a good idea. In reality, it is an expensive one! When someone chooses to only pay part of their monthly balance, the bank or store that issued their card will charge that person interest on all of the unpaid debt. The company makes a lot of money by charging this fee.
