Today, these so-called bank credit cards have become very popular. They can be used in sto

res, hotels, and restaurants all over the world. And, they can be used to pay for all kinds of unusual goods and services, including car repairs, hospital care and accident or life insurance.

Credit cards offer two major services. First, they are easier and safer to carry than large amounts of money. Second, they permit people to borrow-to buy things they want even when they do not have enough money to pay the full price. Credit cards make it possible to spread out payments over weeks or months.

To receive credit cards, people must prove that they earn enough to pay for whai they buy. And they usually must prove that they have paid back any money they borrowed in the past. Then, after they receive the card, credit cmnpanies limit how much they can buy with it. Visa and Mastercard, for example, do not permit most of their users to owe more than $ 1,500. Yet even with these restrictions(限制), credit cards often make it too easy for people to spend the money they cannot pay back.

With credit cards, people pay for goods or services at the end of each month, instead of when they buy them. And when the time does come to pay, most credit cards offer people a choice. They can pay all of what they owe for the month. Or they can pay just part usually between five and ten percent of what they owe.

Studies of credit card use have found tha! each month, about half of all card users pay the full amount they owe. The others pay only part of the amount. It is this group that pro- vides credit, card companies with most of their earnings. That is because the people pay a service charge—"interest"—for the right to postpone full payment. Most pay an interest rate of about 19 percent a year of what they owe. In the last few years, there has been increasing criticism of high interest rates on credit cards. The use of credit cards continues to increase. Some people say that in the near future credit cards will replace money completely, but others believe that event is unlikely. However, they think Americans will be using credit cards more and more. A major reason for this is the increasing fear of crime. Credit cards—unlike real money—can be replaced if they are lost or stolen.

With a credit card one can buy things______.

A．one can never afford

B．without using cash

C．at lower prices

D．which cannot be bought with cash