03-11-2014, 09:17 PM
want in detail the advantages & disadvantages of plastic money in Marathi
plastic money marathi information advantages and disadvantages
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(07-11-2015, 02:31 PM)seminar report asees Wrote: plastic money marathi information advantages and disadvantages
Technology has changed the way we deal with money giving us more convenience and easy access to funds from anywhere. It all started with a simple credit card that allowed you to make purchases today and pay later.Further, technological advancements lead to a new trend where most banks gave you one ATM card or debit card which can be used for withdrawing money as well as for making purchases or payments – offline as well as online.
However, plastic money has its share of issues that one must be careful about. Plastic money definitely provides an alternative in some cases and compliments cash as a medium.
Convenience of Plastic Money
Peter, a young MBA graduate joins a large software firm as a Business Development Executive. His job involves frequent travelling and meeting with leads and clients to develop business for the organization. This requires him to spend a lot on travel, food, stay, etc and keep track of his expenses.
Since he may require a lot of cash for inter-city travel which can span a few days or weeks he preferred to use his debit card or credit cards.
For instance he could use his card to pay for hotel stays where cards were commonly accepted. Similarly for travel he could book tickets online, while for food he had to rely on cash.
However, with his debit card he could withdraw cash whenever required which made his life easier. Even if he forgets to carry cash he can use his debit card to withdraw funds whether required.
Advantages of Plastic Money
There are several advantages of plastic money as seen in the above illustration. The advantages include
Eliminates the need for carrying huge cash: This eliminates the need for carrying huge load of cash which is risky and inconvenient too.
Risk of Loss or Theft minimized: In case of cash there is a high risk of losing cash and a chance of cash getting stolen. However, in case of debit/credit card you can report the matter to the bank and block the card to avoid misuse.
Anytime/Anywhere Access Using cards you have the unique advantage and convenience of using it anywhere in the country or even abroad.
Credit Facility: In case of credit card you have the option of buying on credit or paying later. Although the charges are high, it helps you in case of emergencies and contingencies.
Online Payments: You can use cards for online payments, fund transfers and various other transactions.
These are the key benefits which I can easily remember, but there could be various other good features too that are specific to certain cards.
Disadvantages of Plastic Money
So far I’ve been sounding like a nice, pleasant Bank Executive who is convincing you to open an account. Please note a few points before we look at the disadvantages of plastic money
Cards/plastic money is not a complete replacement for cash
Use of cards can also be risky in some cases
Note: I’m not saying that cards are not useful because of these drawbacks. The disadvantages are just to make you aware of any risks, threats, etc so that you can use it carefully.
Some of the drawbacks or risk related to cards are
1. Non-Acceptance at Small Retail Outlets
Unless you are a person who shops only in supermarkets and hypermarkets you will be forced to use cash
2. Cannot be used for all daily needs
You cannot pay your milkman, servant, paper wala (newspaper guy), etc by card.
3. Loss & Misuse
Once a card is lost you have to immediately report it and get the card blocked to avoid misuse. Sometimes when you are not aware that you lost the card….the chances of misuse is higher.
Mr. Dev, who was on a vacation returned home after 10 days. He was not aware of his card (which he lost during the trip). One fine day when he checked his bank account he found that Rs.75,000 worth of purchases have been made on his credit card. Too late. But this case is a little old.
Today lot of checks and balances have been put in place. For instance for debit card the customer has to key in the PIN for offline purchases, and additional passwords/authentication for online transactions. Even then taking precautions is absolutely necessary.
4. Low Value Transactions
As discussed above already there are cases where small and medium sized retailers don’t accept cards for low value transactions (say less than Rs.200 or other criteria). You may have noticed this even in case of outlets like petrol bunks or restaurants.
5. Service Charges
In some cases the outlets charge additional service charges for cards. So this can be another burden on your pocket.
6. Damage to Card
Sometimes the card’s magnetic strip gets damaged or scratches or cuts can render the card unusable. So keeping it safe and secure is very important.
7. Carrying or Keeping the Card
Keeping the card and cash in the wallet together is like “inviting trouble”. This is the way everyone (including me) used to carry cash and cards. But this means once you lose your wallet you lose everything.
So here the card doesn’t come to your rescue after losing cash. The best practice is to keep cash and cards separately so that if you lose one you have the other to bank upon.
By the way, nowadays I don’t carry cards in my wallet. Its mostly in the bag or sometimes in a different pocket. You can try this or other methods but ensure that you don’t keep everything in one place and lose it all.
Now that we have a clear idea of some of the drawbacks of credit and debit cards lets also look at some key points on how to strike a balance between use of cash, cards and control your spending habits.
8. Spending Habits & Other Tips
Whether you use cash or cards, having a control on your spending is very important. A few pointers would be worth noting.
9. Impulsive Purchases
Don’t yield to impulsive purchases. Try to see what real benefit or value are you getting from the purchase. If you can’t live without it you can postpone or keep the spending on hold.
10. Peer Pressure
Its okay to spend some money on entertainment, outing, fine dining, etc. once in a while (say once or twice a month).
But if you do it every week on instance of your friend, colleague, etc you will have not savings every month end. Your future financial planning is out of question if you live from pay cheque to pay cheque.
So its time to become smart and avoid unnecessary wasteful expenditure. Sometimes you may have to attend a few parties, dinner/lunch activities, etc but prioritize and attend only the ones which are important and add value to you. For others you can say sorry and avoid or try to finish it over a simple coffee.
11. Overuse of Cards
I find that people who are finding cards as a convenient medium try to use it everywhere – left, right and center. Further, they have 3-4 cards which are used one after the other at different places. I would advice them to have fewer transactions so that it is easier to keep a check on the transactions every month and easier to pay the bill as well.
12. Special Offers, Discounts
Some people have this fancy and think that they are smart when they get special discounts on cards at retail outlets.
Ha ha ha ha…… What a joke! Do you think the card company and the retail chains are so kind enough to serve you at a discount. They want you to loosen your purse and spend more so that they can laugh all the way to their bank.
13. Debt Trap
Overuse of credit cards and rolling over your balance is the shortest route to bankruptcy. Remember that you have to pay your credit card in full. If you know what this means in letter and spirit you will be careful while spending on your credit card. The interest rate on credit card roll over is as high as 3-4% every month which translates to 36%-48% every year.
14. Cash Management (Running to ATM often)
Most people particularly those who started their careers in the last 3-4 years have been more used to cards than cash. They don’t carry much cash and don’t keep cash at home too.
This is absolutely disastrous. When someone at home has a medical emergency or has to buy groceries or do some major repairs cash in hand is absolutely necessary. I’ve seen people who often run to ATM when they want to purchase some groceries.
Surprisingly some people don’t even keep Rs.1000 at home when they actually earn more than Rs.50,000 per month. This is just over dependence on cards, which is foolish, because you still need cash for most of your expenses.
Read more at How to use Credit Card Effectively
Back up plan in case of Loss or Damage to Card
In case of loss or damage to card (making it unusable) you have to apply for issue of a new card. The new card can take a week or even more to reach you. Till then you need to manage with cash or rely on other debit cards. So two things to do to have a sound back up plan
One is to have sufficient cash at home to handle 1-2 months expenses
Two is to have two or more debit cards (separate bank accounts) so that you are not dependent on one source alone
In recent years the use of “Plastic Money” has gained a lot of popularity. Yes, it is Plastic Money in the form of debit or credit card that you carry in your wallet which gives you an easy access to your money. A credit card is a plastic card - same as a debit card with a magnetic strip issued by a bank or equivalent authority or a financial company with an option by which you can borrow funds at the point of sale.
An interest is charged by the credit card when you borrow funds through it and it is a means of short-term financing. The interest on your credit card accrues after one month from the date the purchase is made. The limits of how much amount you can borrow are predetermined at the time of issuance of the card as per your paying credibility. The credit limit also gets revised depending upon your expenditure trends.
It is generally believed that one tends to spend more if they have a credit card. This prompts the question, whether you really need a credit card for your shopping needs or is it just another thing that you need to go flashing around. It goes without saying that credit cards provide you easy credit just when you need it and have none but only if used diligently and if not it may disturb your apple cart.
Having a look at the advantages and disadvantages of credit cards will certainly help you deciding whether to have a credit card at all?
Advantages of a Credit Card
Credit cards bring in easy cash at your disposal even when your wallet runs out of cash. It comes handy specially when you are into a lot of travelling and carrying cash is a big hassle. They come handy especially while you travel overseas.
Credit cards provide you with security and protection in comparison to cash. There is a lot of risk in carrying a large amount of cash in your wallet. As for credit cards, they will give you money as and when required and if you lose it or if it is stolen you can always save yourself from further loss by blocking your card immediately.
As credit cards provide you with the facility to buy goods and services online they aid in increasing your purchasing power.
Credit cards from few financial institutions are loaded with facilities like cash back which serve as an incentive for you and few provide reward points that can be availed in form of coupons or gifts.
In situations like job loss or health emergencies credit cards can play a vital role by providing you with that extra money that you are desperately in need of.
Credit cards bring along easy payment options like monthly installments which help you to write off your debit easily without asking you to shell out a lump sum amount from your pocket that may interfere with your cash in hand needs.
You can also withhold payments with credit cards.
Credit cards also give you a facility to withdraw cash from the ATMs. It should be noted that in such case there is no free credit period and the interest starts accumulating from the first day itself. Interest rates may vary from 25 percent to 45 percent annually. A cash withdrawal fee of 2 percent to 3.5 percent is also charged on the amount that is withdrawn.
Disadvantages of a Credit Card
If you are the one who thinks you should have a credit card because all your friends have one then think again as this may lead you to trouble. Credit cards have to be owned only by those who can use it with care keeping in mind the billing cycle, interest rates etc.
Owing a credit card may lead your way to a lot of impulse buying as at the back of your mind you are aware of the fact that you have credit at your disposal even though you have no cash in your account.
You cannot ignore the fact that frauds have been done and can be done with credit cards.
If you think you need a credit card because you are in need of building your credit limit then that’s not true at all. In order to build your credit limit it is necessary for you to pay your bills on time and it can be any bill not necessarily your credit card bill. Credit card should not be interpreted as a tool that will enable you to build your credit history.
You really don’t need a credit card if you think you need it only to shop online. You can jolly well do it by using your debit card. Debit card can do everything that a credit card can with the only difference that a debit card cannot provide you with credit when you do not have it. So if you plan to own a credit card only for online shopping, then you may drop the idea.
If you are not able to pay your credit card installments on time then you are charged with late fees and interest that adds on to your debt load.
There are times when you may get so deeply caught in rolling over the balance for several months that is becomes difficult to break the vicious cycle. It is like getting caught in a credit trap.
If you own a good number of credit cards, the lenders may not hold a good opinion about you.
If you go by the researches that have been made, credit cards have paved way to lot number of consumer bankruptcies.
Credit card has undoubtedly made our lives easy but it is important that you use credit cards in the right way so that you can make the most of it without getting caught in the credit trap. All you have to do is to keep a track of your purchases, remember you payment cycles, try to settle full credit card payments at the end of every month, avoid spending in excess and carry your cards cautiously.
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