4 Ways to Ruin Your Credit This Holiday Season

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The holiday season is upon us. Time for jingling bells and twinkling lights, and lots of merry and bright shenanigans. But if we’re not careful, it’s also a great time to ruin our credit.Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes. Oh yes, dear reader, the yuletide may be fabulous, but it doesn’t get that way for free — and a whopping 55% of consumers have admitted to overspending on gifts for others, according to Experian data.Since almost 6 in 10 of those overspenders are using credit cards to do so, it’s time we have a little chat about how you can most effectively ruin your credit this holiday season. After all, we might as well go big or go home, right?Here are four things to not do this holiday season if you want to have good credit in January.1. OverspendingAs mentioned above, over half of holiday shoppers have admitted to overspending during the holiday season, a situation that is not ideal. I know, I’ve done it myself. But if you want to keep your credit solid, you have to have some discipline and know where to draw the line.I’d advise setting up a specific holiday budget, and not let yourself get carried away with making magic this year. Check out budgeting apps like the ones we recommend here to find one that fits the bill. And hey, if you like using it for holiday spending, consider using it the rest of the year, too.When you overspend, you don’t have as much for emergencies and even necessities, depending on just how over you went. This can make making payments harder, which will hurt your credit in ways big and small.2. Maxing out your credit cardsIt should go without saying that maxing out your credit cards is not great, but we all tell ourselves a lot of lies this time of year. We’re just going to buy this one big-ticket item and then pay it off quickly, or we’ll never find a deal this good again, so we might as well jump on it before it’s too late.I am as guilty of this as anybody, so I am not judging you, but if we’re going to maintain the progress on our credit that we’ve worked so hard for this year, we’ve got to keep an eye on how we manage our credit, even in December. Maxing out your credit card, even for a month, can hit your credit score hard, and if you carry a balance of more than 30% of your credit line for any significant amount of time, you’re going to feel it.3. Using your emergency fund for fun moneyWe have to remember that our emergency fund is a sacred space all year long, not just until the holidays or our birthday comes around. That fund is there for the rough times, to make sure that we can still buy what we need and pay our payments on time, so we can continue to build our credit.Missing even one payment can hurt badly and stay on our credit reports for up to 10 years — it’s even worse if that one late payment turns into several, and a default is around the corner. What you should do next year is continue to add to your emergency fund, but also build yourself a fun money account. Even a small contribution can build over time.One thing I do to build up my fun money account, no joking, is that I take the money I save with my preferred cash back app and use that for party time. It’s technically money I’d not have otherwise, and not money I’m really missing. Check out this list of our favorite cash back apps to get started earning your own fun money.4. Not preparing for utility bill spikesThis might seem totally unrelated, but a funny thing happens this time of year — it gets real cold in the Northern Hemisphere. With all this cold weather comes an increase in energy usage, and huge spikes in utility bills, some that can truly break you if you’re not prepared.Some utility companies allow you to pay an average monthly payment for your utilities all year long, which can really help even out the dramatic hump going into the winter (and in the heat of the summer). Call your company and see what it offers for customers.Spending all your extra money on a sudden utility spike means you’re going to end up not putting money back for emergencies or paying extra payments on your credit cards, or worse — putting those utility bills with those credit cards, driving up your credit utilization over time. None of this ends well, so be prepared, because ’tis also the season for high utility bills.Festively ruining your credit this season isn’t inevitableAlthough there are a remarkable number of pitfalls to avoid this season, you don’t have to fall into them if you’re very careful with how and what you spend your money on. I know it’s less fun to budget for holiday spending and not just use your credit card with your heart, but your financial life will thank you for not crashing it for Kris Kringle.Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes. We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from Motley Fool Money is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.”}]] [[{“value”:”

The holiday season is upon us. Time for jingling bells and twinkling lights, and lots of merry and bright shenanigans. But if we’re not careful, it’s also a great time to ruin our credit.

Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026

This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!

Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

Oh yes, dear reader, the yuletide may be fabulous, but it doesn’t get that way for free — and a whopping 55% of consumers have admitted to overspending on gifts for others, according to Experian data.

Since almost 6 in 10 of those overspenders are using credit cards to do so, it’s time we have a little chat about how you can most effectively ruin your credit this holiday season. After all, we might as well go big or go home, right?

Here are four things to not do this holiday season if you want to have good credit in January.

1. Overspending

As mentioned above, over half of holiday shoppers have admitted to overspending during the holiday season, a situation that is not ideal. I know, I’ve done it myself. But if you want to keep your credit solid, you have to have some discipline and know where to draw the line.

I’d advise setting up a specific holiday budget, and not let yourself get carried away with making magic this year. Check out budgeting apps like the ones we recommend here to find one that fits the bill. And hey, if you like using it for holiday spending, consider using it the rest of the year, too.

When you overspend, you don’t have as much for emergencies and even necessities, depending on just how over you went. This can make making payments harder, which will hurt your credit in ways big and small.

2. Maxing out your credit cards

It should go without saying that maxing out your credit cards is not great, but we all tell ourselves a lot of lies this time of year. We’re just going to buy this one big-ticket item and then pay it off quickly, or we’ll never find a deal this good again, so we might as well jump on it before it’s too late.

I am as guilty of this as anybody, so I am not judging you, but if we’re going to maintain the progress on our credit that we’ve worked so hard for this year, we’ve got to keep an eye on how we manage our credit, even in December. Maxing out your credit card, even for a month, can hit your credit score hard, and if you carry a balance of more than 30% of your credit line for any significant amount of time, you’re going to feel it.

3. Using your emergency fund for fun money

We have to remember that our emergency fund is a sacred space all year long, not just until the holidays or our birthday comes around. That fund is there for the rough times, to make sure that we can still buy what we need and pay our payments on time, so we can continue to build our credit.

Missing even one payment can hurt badly and stay on our credit reports for up to 10 years — it’s even worse if that one late payment turns into several, and a default is around the corner. What you should do next year is continue to add to your emergency fund, but also build yourself a fun money account. Even a small contribution can build over time.

One thing I do to build up my fun money account, no joking, is that I take the money I save with my preferred cash back app and use that for party time. It’s technically money I’d not have otherwise, and not money I’m really missing. Check out this list of our favorite cash back apps to get started earning your own fun money.

4. Not preparing for utility bill spikes

This might seem totally unrelated, but a funny thing happens this time of year — it gets real cold in the Northern Hemisphere. With all this cold weather comes an increase in energy usage, and huge spikes in utility bills, some that can truly break you if you’re not prepared.

Some utility companies allow you to pay an average monthly payment for your utilities all year long, which can really help even out the dramatic hump going into the winter (and in the heat of the summer). Call your company and see what it offers for customers.

Spending all your extra money on a sudden utility spike means you’re going to end up not putting money back for emergencies or paying extra payments on your credit cards, or worse — putting those utility bills with those credit cards, driving up your credit utilization over time. None of this ends well, so be prepared, because ’tis also the season for high utility bills.

Festively ruining your credit this season isn’t inevitable

Although there are a remarkable number of pitfalls to avoid this season, you don’t have to fall into them if you’re very careful with how and what you spend your money on. I know it’s less fun to budget for holiday spending and not just use your credit card with your heart, but your financial life will thank you for not crashing it for Kris Kringle.

Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026

This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!

Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from Motley Fool Money is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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