Charge It: Why a Credit Card for Car Repairs is a Good Idea
According to a 2017 study, more than 30 percent of Americans would be unable to cover the cost of a car repair bill if their vehicle broke down unexpectedly. Even though the average car repair cost only sits at somewhere between $500 and $600, it would be too much of a financial burden for millions of Americans to take.
Do you fall into this category? If so, you might be worried about what’s going to happen the next time you encounter car troubles.
Fortunately, there’s a pretty simple solution to the problem. You can use a credit card for car repairs and keep your ride out on the road.
There are a whole host of advantages that come along with utilizing a credit card for car repairs. Take a look at a few of the biggest benefits of it below.
Allows You to Make Car Repairs Immediately
A survey that was done a few years ago revealed that more than 60 percent of Americans couldn’t imagine what their lives would be like without a car. People said that they didn’t know how they would function if they couldn’t use their car anymore.
Unless you live in a major city with plenty of alternate transportation options, you probably feel this way, too. Your car isn’t just a luxury; it’s also a necessity in many ways.
You use your car to drive to school or work every day. You also use it to take your kids to practice, run to the grocery store, and so much more. So if it ever breaks down, you can’t afford to have it sidelined for very long.
By using a credit card for car repairs, you’ll be able to get your car fixed right away so that you don’t have to live for very long without it. Within just a week or so, you can have your car fixed and get it back so you can start using it again.
Prevents You From Missing Out on Making Money at Work
Do you depend on your vehicle to take you to and from work every day? Is it really your only option as far as getting there and back?
If you answered yes to these questions, then there’s a good chance that your car breaking down could end up costing you more than just the cost of a car repair. It could also prevent you from making a substantial amount of money when you’re not able to get to work because of it.
You might start to fall behind on your rent or mortgage if you can’t make it to work because of your broken-down car. You might also struggle to pay for basic necessities like food.
Using a credit card for car repairs will help you avoid this. You’ll be able to continue to go to work so that you can make the money you need to live.
Gives You the Freedom to Pay for Car Repairs Over Time
The majority of Americans have less than $500 in their bank account at any given moment. As a result, they’re not able to drop $500 or more on a car repair upfront.
But many of those same people could pay $50 or so every month to cover the cost of a car repair bill if they had to. And using a credit card for car repairs allows them to do it.
When you put down a credit card to make a car repair payment instead of paying for it in cash, you can give yourself at least a few months to cover the cost. You’ll be able to map out a budget that works for you so that your car repair cost doesn’t totally derail your financial future.
Just make sure you think about how you’re going to pay down your credit card bill when you use a credit card for car repairs. It’ll prevent a repair from putting you into debt for a long time.
Offers You the Opportunity to Build Up Your Credit Score
How is your credit score right now? If it’s very low or virtually non-existent, you should do what you can to try and build it up over time.
A high credit score will allow you to:
- Get approved for a mortgage for a home
- Purchase a new car
- Take out a business loan
- And more!
One easy way to build up your credit score is by proving that you can use a credit card responsibly. Swiping your credit card at an auto repair shop and then paying down the cost of a car repair over time could help to improve your credit score dramatically.
Protects You From Dishonest Car Repair Shops
Despite what you may have heard in the past, the majority of car repair shops are reputable. Most mechanics will go above and beyond to help people make the right repairs to their vehicles.
But there are, of course, a few bad apples out there who always seem to spoil the bunch. There are some mechanics that are crooks who don’t provide their customers with the best possible repair jobs.
If you ever run into one of these mechanics and pay them with a credit card, there’s a chance that your credit card company might help you out if they do shoddy work. Many credit card companies offer protection to their customers.
It never hurts to call your credit card company if you feel as though you were the victim of a crooked mechanic.
Use a Credit Card for Car Repairs Today
Did your car just break down on you? You might be freaking out over what you’re going to do to get it fixed.
If you can’t afford to pay to have it repaired in cash, using a credit card for car repairs is your next best option. It’ll allow you to get your car repaired right away and help you avoid having to scramble to come up with $500 or more on a whim.
Read our blog to see what might be wrong with your car before you bring it to a mechanic for repairs.