One Way to Rein in Student Debt

One Way to Rein in Student Debt

It’s very easy for college students to work their way into debt. The cost of college has gone through the roof and many students have had to take out loans to pay for their education, room and board. But it’s not just the institutional loans that are responsible for the debt burden so many students find themselves saddled with. It’s their credit card debt as well.

That’s because students are literally bombarded with credit card deals from the day they set foot on campus. They’re able to acquire large amounts of credit which is not based in any way on their ability to repay it. And when you add to that the fact that few students if any have the experience and discipline to manage their budget properly, you have a recipe for a student debt disaster.

To combat this, parents need to begin teaching their college-bound kids certain money management skills as early as possible. They need to make sure each of their sons and daughters understand exactly what credit is and how dangerous it can be if it isn’t handled correctly. One way to do that is to introduce them to a student debit card.

Debit cards in general (and student debit cards in particular) are the cousins of credit cards. The main difference is that with a debit card you load up the money first and spend it down as opposed to a credit card that you spend up first and then pay down later. Other than that, they pretty much work the same way.

Students can make purchases with debit cards everywhere that they’d use a credit card. They can buy things online if they want. They can even set up automatic bill payments and draw money out of ATMs. All the same types of things they could do with a credit card.

The major benefit of reloadable debit cards though is that students can’t use them to overspend their way into debt. That’s because when their balance is zero, their card will be refused. They’ll have to reload it with more cash before they can use it again. That forces them to mind their balance and make smarter choices when they buy something.

Another little added bonus is that Mom and Dad can keep track of the spending too. That creates a higher comfort level at home while their teenager is off at school. A little extra scrutiny is a good thing.

A great time to start with a debit card is when the student is still in high school. Then, by the time they get to college, they’ve acquired some experience and built up some good financial habits. Those habits will help them keep their college debt more manageable and will serve them well long after their college days