Each one of us has our own takes on the concept of money. “Money makes the world go round.” “Money talks.” “It’s all about the money.” Money has an important role to play in our day-to-day lives. Think about our three basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter, and you know that there is a fourth basic necessity which is more important than these three. And that, my friend, is money. We may abuse it. We may associate it with criminal activities. We may call it the curse of modern life. But, whatever we may say, the fact is that living without money is an impossibility.

Money has undergone many changes. It displaced the barter system in the ancient times. Then currency came to the fore to provide for the many transactions that had to take place. We have changed a great deal from the days of metal currency in gold, silver, bronze, and copper. The coins of today are not pure metal; they are made of cheap alloys. The currency these days is made up of paper that costs far less than its face value. Slowly, this paper currency is being subordinated to the power of plastic. Credit cards have made their own place in the global arena. They are rapidly gaining in popularity and are quickly becoming the new face of money.

The old days of being anxious about large stashes of cash in flimsy briefcases are gone. With the virtual world taking over our twenty-first century reality, even money is becoming a virtual entity. We no longer feel the need to have tangible forms of money. Just the knowledge that that rectangular piece of plastic is comfortably seated in our wallets is assurance enough. Earlier on, people were hesitant to avail of credit cards because of the feeling of being indebted. However, these days, with the rise of things like cash back credit cards and 0% balance transfers, people have acquired a new attitude towards credit cards.

It is no wonder that credit cards are slowly taking over from the paper currency that had been the standard till very recently. Thanks to the rising living standards, and with the rising demand for instant gratification, people have begun to flock to credit card companies. It is quickly becoming the rule to possess multiple credit cards while most of our cash remains in the banks.

Is paper currency becoming obsolete? Perhaps. After all, online transactions are much in vogue today. And it is not yet possible to pay for these transactions by using paper money. Credit cards are slowly gaining in stature.

Before you get one, make sure to compare credit cards. I think you should get cash back credit cards and look out for 0% balance transfers.