I went through college using a debit card/cash for everything. It wasnt until a few months after I got my first full time job that I realized what I was missing out on, so I got a rewards credit card (my previous CC offered no cash back) and I've never looked back since. I track all my expenses on mint.com and no, using a credit card has not had an impact on my spending habits. I'm a finance guy...I track this stuff meticulously, so I say that with confidence. If you dont believe me from this point, I really dont care, but this point is invalid.