Two things you should generally avoid purchasing with a credit card are cash advances and gambling chips or lottery tickets. A cash advance is one of the most expensive ways to get money because it usually comes with a high flat fee and a significantly higher interest rate than standard purchases, and most importantly, interest begins accruing immediately with no grace period. Similarly, buying lottery tickets or gambling chips is often classified by card issuers as a "cash-like transaction," triggering those same high fees and instant interest. Beyond the financial cost, using credit for gambling can lead to a dangerous cycle of debt where you are paying high interest on money that has already been lost. Another item to be cautious of is a long-term student loan or tax debt; moving low-interest government debt to a high-interest credit card can destroy your financial stability if you cannot pay the balance in full within the billing cycle.