Seychelle Thomas

Seychelle is a credit card writer at Bankrate and Creditcards.com where she employs a cumulative 10 years of experience in the finance industry to help readers navigate the intersection of their money choices and consumer credit. During her seven-year tenure in the banking world, she worked one-on-one with individuals to assess their financial needs and develop custom solutions.

She deepened her understanding of credit and personal finance through her work as a freelance personal finance writer over the past three years. During this time, she earned a credit and lending specialist certification through Nav and a Digital Marketing certification through HubSpot Academy. She has a vast comprehension of credit cards and uses them to achieve goals like paying down debt, earning rewards, and shielding against identity theft. Her finance writing has been featured on Kiplinger, Credible, LendEDU, Yahoo! Finance, Nasdaq and others.

When she’s not behind the keyboard, you can find her reconnecting with nature on a hike, jamming out to an eclectic selection of tunes, jetting off on her next adventure, or exploring the DC food scene.

Find Seychelle beyond Bankrate

• Seychelle discusses guiding kids and teens through responsible credit use
• Seychelle guides you through a balance transfer
• Fidelity Investments syndicates Seychelle’s report on newly free credit reports

Seychelle wants you to know

When you use credit cards as a tool to further your money goals, it has the potential to transform your finances for better or for worse. At 22 years old, I opened my first credit card as a way to build my credit, which worked well until getting a crash course on how compounding interest works. Instead of letting it scare me off, I learned to use credit cards as a way to earn money from my purchases, build my credit, travel luxe for less, and even pay down debt. It takes practice to get it right, but once you do, it’s worth it!

Seychelle's recommended readings

• Everything You Need to Know About Credit Utilization Ratio
• Debt Consolidation Guide
• Which Rewards Credit Card is Best for Me?