When you’re at the checkout line at your favorite store, it may be hard to resist the store credit card offer. At first they may seem wonderful with all of the savings they promise, but there are cons to having one that every shopper should look out for. The good news is if you plan accordingly you won’t fall into a retail store credit card pitfall, or debt cycle.

One way to plan accordingly is to only sign up for one when it really counts. That would be when you’re making a large purchase, as opposed to a small one. For example, when you’re doing your back to school shopping, that is a great time to sign up. However, when you’re at a store buying a dress to wear to one event, that’s not a good time to sign up.

Get it yet? Here’s another example to help drive the point home. Take your home improvement store, for instance. If you’re going to shop for many expensive tools and supplies, this is a great time to sign up as opposed to when you’re going to just pick up a can of paint. Make the savings count!

In part two, you will discover two other ways to make smart plans when signing up for retail credit cards.