How credit cards actually work

No card’s own rate or offer is shown in these six guides, and the few figures that do appear are cited and dated. No card is named, nothing here is paid placement, and one of them argues against using the rest of this app.

1. 1How a credit card actually charges youA plain walkthrough of the billing cycle, the grace period, and what changes the moment you stop paying the balance in full.
2. 2What actually moves your credit scoreHow Canadian credit scores are built, what the two bureaus record, and why carrying a balance to build credit doesn’t work.
3. 3The honest risksWhat the evidence says about credit cards, spending, and debt in Canada, including the parts that argue against using an app like this one.
4. 4Before you get a credit cardAn honest look at what makes a credit card safe to hold, and who’s better off waiting.
5. 5When it goes wrongMissed a payment, can’t pay in full, or watching a balance grow. What you can try, who to call in Canada, and how to spot a debt service that isn’t what it claims.
6. 6Applying without hurting yourselfWhat a hard credit inquiry actually costs, how to space applications, and why chasing sign-up bonuses suits fewer people than it seems.