How can you use a credit card responsibly?

Always pay off your debt in full, so as to avoid interest charges. Use it only if you know you can afford to pay for the goods you are buying. Don't treat it like it is a stream of cash and use it to buy lots of things and then end up with a bill you can't pay. When you are paying your bills, sometimes even try to pay in more than the amount you owe, which will help when you start to pay out of it again. So sometimes already have the money paid into the account before you spend it, like a debit card. For example, a lot of people use it for Christmas shopping, and end up with a massive bill in January, whereas a responsible user would be putting money into the account for the few months running up to Christmas. Then they could use it for Christmas shopping and not have much of a bill to pay in January, if any. Use it as a convenience, like for paying for things online or when you are short of cash or don't like carrying too much cash with you. With a bit of common sense, it is very easy to use a credit card responsibly.