If You Missed Suze Orman’s Reminder for 2025, It’s Not Too Late To Fix Your Credit Card Usage

As one of the more prolific voices in personal finance, Suze Orman and her advice have been everywhere. From her many appearances on CNBC, in-person, blogs, podcasts, and more, there is every reason to listen to Suze Orman, even if you sometimes disagree with her personal finance advice. 

In many ways, Suze Orman is a voice of reason on some topics, like credit cards. Like other big names in this space, like Dave Ramsey, Orman is hesitant to see people utilize credit cards in a way that can quickly spiral out of control and allow them to run up too much debt. 

Suze Orman Quote

Among her famous quotes, Suze Orman likes to remind her followers to be careful with credit cards in January. 

“In January we start saving money, getting out of credit card debt, funding our retirement accounts, and we’re doing wonderful. Then, every year like clockwork, starting in November, all of you fall into this trap that says ‘I have to buy this gift…I can’t show up at this party and not have something for everybody.’” 

There is no question that this quote is spot on, and while you could say some of it has to do with New Year’s resolutions, there is no question that financial discipline always appears to be the highest around the start of a new year. The reality is something Orman talks about endlessly as financial discipline can’t and should not depend on a calendar year, as credit card debt doesn’t care about what month it is. 

Best Ways to Use Credit Cards

Whether you want to use a cash-back or travel credit card, the same tips apply for using them smartly, which is why you should follow Orman’s advice. 

Spend What You Can Afford

One of the best philosophies you will find with a credit card is only to spend what you can currently afford. This means that if you don’t have enough cash in a bank account right now, don’t buy something. The last thing you want, and where Suze Orman is getting straight to the point, is that interest can quickly run up your bill in a way that spirals out of control fast. 

Constantly Review Your Bill

An essential step for all credit card users, from beginners to expert spenders, is to consistently review their purchases. You’ll do this for two reasons: The first is to double-check and ensure no fraudulent transactions appear on your bill. The second is to see exactly where you are spending and hopefully realize where you can spend less. 

Keep Credit Cards In Check

Beyond these two important ways to use your card, the real advice is not to overspend or run up an interest-heavy balance with your credit card. 

Pay Everything Monthly

This should be the most critical piece of advice, but paying off your balance every month is the smartest way to avoid interest and or heavy balances. If you really want to prevent what Suze Orman says about November, you must make your payments in full at the end of every month. Unfortunately, minimum payments, while okay if you lose your job or are having a tough money month, will allow interest levels to grow and grow. 

Spend Smartly

Speaking directly to Suze Orman’s quote, you shouldn’t look to utilize a lot of your credit limit just because it’s available. Yes, you will need to get gifts for people, as it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Still, and I don’t think Suze would argue with this, but the key point is to manage your spending level so as not to let it get out of control. If you are going out shopping for gifts, buy the gift and don’t say, “Well, I can get something for myself too…” 

Use Rewards

If you’re anything like me, you can take advantage of cashback rewards earned throughout the year to help pay for gifts at the end of the year. This is precisely what my wife and I do with the rewards we earn with our Fidelity and Capital One Quicksilver cards. All cashback rewards earned from January to November go directly into a gift fund for families, allowing us to spend far less. 

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