Please, please, please!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't listen to what anyone advises you is OK. There is NO SUCH THING. Please read author and financial advisor DAVE RAMSEY. If I do nothing else for you or anyone else on this list, please take this message to heart. PLEASE!

0% Ideally. The problem with credit cards and loans is that you ultimately ending paying more (some times far much more) than the original price for a thing. Ideally there are two uses for credit cards: 1. For emergencies, such as the puppy gets sick and you discover that at the vet emergency hospital its an overnight stay plus a lot of tests and medications ringing up a total charge of $1727.87. Of course nobody carries that much in the wallet, so the credit card comes in handy. 2. As temporary (no more than a month) means of payment. However this requires that you spend no more than you are able to pay into the account by the end of the month. But then there are still some fees/charges which means instead of paying the tag price of an item you are paying that plus interest/fees/charges. Loans should be far and few in between. Ideally only a home loan (mortgage, one not two, not a second, just the one) and maybe a car (I say maybe because there are many decent older cars you can drive) Again the same principle applies, beyond the principle you also have added heaps of charges. I do not know about you but I prefer to save as much money for myself instead of giving it to a bank for nothing more than getting an item I couldn't afford to begin with.

ZERO percent. It's not sensible at all to be slaves to the credit card companies. This is an evil industry...essentially loan sharks that prey on the materialism and greed that this nation bases everything on.

The answer has been given. Let me just add my voice. I've started listening to a radio program that has confirmed what i always believed. Go to daveramsey.com This guy makes sense. [Now that i've written this, i see someone else recommended Dave. Since it's true, it bears repeating.]

I agree with the prevailing comments that it is ideal to have no credit cards and no debt. However, I have also been witness to a friend of mine who had no debt, no bills, and no credit. He had a great deal of difficulty getting a car, because he had no history of paying off debt. It would seem that, lacking a large amount of cash in reserve (which would be nice, of course, but we all know that sometimes that just doesn't happen), the best thing to do is get a credit card and be responsible. You should spend wisely, pay it off every month, and keep it mostly for emergency use. I don't feel that it is sensible to be constantly owing people money.

Whatever percentage you'd otherwise spend in cash or by check/debit. Dave Ramsey has helped a lot of people, but credit cards are not tools of the Devil! I pay my card off in full and on time every month and haven't had to pay a penny of interest. I've also had extended warranty protection while purchasing electronics as well as the ability to make returns. A debit card can get you into financial trouble VERY easily. If you cut up your charge cards, also destroy the debit cards. I charge EVERYTHING but I also live within my means. If you do that (and pay off in full), you don't have to worry about debt because it isn't accumulated.