Frank Castle said:
what if i only have a debit card?
i always thought that credit cards were bad news.
debt = awful!!!
Sorry but, you saying this, it makes me wonder, how old are you? Are you supposed to be here?
On your question, the answer is quite the opposite of what you think!
A credit card doesn't mean debt, it's a tool used to manage payment of whatever you purchase with it. A credit card should not be used to go crazy on spending. Basically, if you put it on credit card, you should have the money in your account to pay for it, same as a debit card. The difference is, you will pay it later and without interest, as long as you pay in full within the allowed grace period so, during this time, you make interest on that money instead of paying some, It's like a short term interest-free loan the credit card company grant you.
How can they do this? The merchant have to pay a cut to the CC company every time you use your card, about 3% mostly. And if you don't pay your statement fully, you get hit with interest rates of about 18%, if not more, from the date of purchase!
A credit card is the easiest way to get first-time access to credit of any kind. If you manage your credit card well, always pay on time in full, It show the future creditors, make them for buying a car or a house, that you can act responsibly with credit and not take the "easy-crazy way of spending without thinking" road. They will trust you more with a good-standing credit card you have since a few years than if you never had credit. Sometimes even weirder, they'll trust better somebody who went crazy with a credit card and came back "in the green" than they'll trust somebody with no credit history!
If you don't have a credit card, most hotel will take a debit card or cash but will ask some ID. Also, they'll usually ask a chunk of money up front, usually over $200, just in case you break the room, empty the minibar, steal the towels, stuff like that. That's their insurance policy. Some places, depending on how trustworthy you look, will simply just won't rent you a room without a CC but, unless you go "high end", you shouldn't get that problem.
Of course, we're not talking "siesta motels" for 4 hours here. At these, it's easier without a CC because of the type of business they deal with.