In fifty years, the heavy spending that credit cards facilitate will be viewed negatively, but credit cards themselves will still exist and most likely without stigma. The use of credit cards will be even more widespread, as fewer purchases will be done on site. Credit cards may be scorned by individuals who have acquired too much debt, but on the whole their benefits to society will not be overlooked.

The dramatic increase in consumerism in the United States over the past century received some contribution from credit cards. However, there are a number of other contributing factors as well. The impacts of credit cards have been both positive and negative. They hurt the country economically, facilitating low savings rates and wealth transfer out of the country. They do,...

Over time, it is those conveniences that will dictate history's view of the credit card.
Works Cited:

Stephey, M.J. (2009). A brief history of credit cards. Time Magazine. Retrieved December 10, 2009 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1893507,00.html

Garcia, G. (1980). Credit cards: An interdisciplinary survey. The Journal of Consumer Research. Vol. 6, 4, 327-337.

Federal Reserve Bank. (2009). Consumer Credit. Federal Reserve Bank. Retrieved December 10, 2009 from http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/default.htm