Americans have an $887 billion credit card balance. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the country charged $46 billion more this year than last, the biggest year-over-year increase in two decades.

A lot of that debt is held by responsible cardholders who make their purchases strategically, within their budgets and in pursuit of rewards that pay them back. Unfortunately, much of it was also charged recklessly by people who view their credit lines as extra money that gives them more buying power than their income affords them. Instead of perks and benefits, their credit card experience will leave them saddled with debt and struggling to borrow.

Cutting up your credit cards is not the solution. The solution is to look for the following signs that you’re managing your credit cards wisely — and to make quick changes if these six scenarios don’t apply to you.

You Have a Credit Score That Doesn’t Scare Lenders

Your credit score reflects more than just your credit card accounts, but if you’re using your cards irresponsibly, you can bet that your number will drop. According to Credit Karma, there are dozens of scoring models that weigh certain factors differently. But the two most common models are FICO and VantageScore, the latter of which just updated from its 3.0 model to 4.0.

Both go up to 850, but FICO starts at 580 as opposed to VantageScore, which starts at under 500.

A good VantageScore is 661-780

A good FICO score is 670-739

Good is the tier in the middle, and it should be your floor if you’re using your cards responsibly. If not, you’ll drop down to the fair or poor tiers. The cheapest loans and best credit cards are reserved for the next two tiers up, which are very good and excellent — those should be your target ranges.

You’re Not Paying Interest

After your credit score, the next best indicator of responsible card management is a lack of finance charges. You don’t pay interest on your purchases if you pay your statement balance in full every month.

But if you’re carrying a revolving balance, the unpaid portion carries over to the next month and your debt grows as interest compounds. If you’re doing that, it’s probably because you’re spending more than you can afford.

Those who charge no more than they can cover in a given month avoid the quicksand of revolving debt, pay the bank nothing and collect lucrative benefits that reward their responsible card use.

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This article was originally published on YahooFinance.com on October 17, 2022.