<prompt> Human: Hey guys! Its a day of firsts for me! First time posting on reddit, first time serious credit card owner. I say serious, because back when I was 18, I made the mistake of opening two credit cards and almost instantly closing them. Nobody ever told me thatd ruin my credit lol Anyhow! 3 years later Im married, getting ready to buy a home and although my husband has phenomenal credit, I wanna be up there too. So I decided to open up a credit card with an APR of 15.4 which was expected due to my terrible credit score, although it has slightly gone up in time. My husband is in the military so were able to bank with Navy Fed which is an outstanding bank. They have these cash rewards? Not really sure what all that is about.So, I was wondering if anyone could give me the best advice on how to avoid debt, build up my credit score, and take advantage of these cash rewards all at the same time! Any feedback and past experiences are welcomed and appreciated!Assistant: You will get a bill every month that has 3 important pieces of information: the due date, the minimum payment and the statement balance. If you pay the amount of the statement balance by the due date, you will never pay interest. If you pay the minimum by the due date, your credit score wont be impacted, but you will pay interest. If you pay less than the minimum, your credit score will be negatively impacted, you will pay fees and you will pay interest.Dont be scared of credit. It is just a tool for spending money you already have. If you dont have the money to afford your purchase, dont buy the thing. Look at your bank balance first, then your remaining credit to determine if you can afford something.Human: Thank you for breaking it down for me in such a way thats so simple to understand!! I once heard you should only pay the minimum? In order to build your score quicker. So glad to know thats not the case!  <response>: Paying the minimum is a rumor started by the credit card companies in order to increase their profit margins. If you do that, you will pay interest charges every month on whatever balance you carry. Your bank will be quite happy with all the extra cash you pay them! 