Visa\MC Offers...In Da Trash ??

[fordy]

............I got rid of all of my CC's except for a Citgo gas card and a JC Penney for sox(s) and Skivvies , and a Funeral suit when I need one . Uncle Sam aided me in this Endeavor as did my attorney which charged a farthing or two for his services . Well , I've started receiving these Idiot cc offers in the mail for preapproved cc's which I vowed I would never allow myself to become a slave too as I did previously . I don't make excuses for my behavior but Sometimes it would be handy to have a CC with a 500 limit for emergencies and Such . I simply toss these offers in the trash but I would really like to have ONE cc . It's SO easy to fall back into the same old "I'll figureout how to pay it off :no: Somehow" . I'm tempted but I've been able to hold out so Far , fordy..

[jassytoo]

Good for you, Fordy. Just stay strong. CCs are a huge rip off. Just pretend you already have one, put the monthly payment into a bank account then you won't need a credit card in an emergency. Plus they'll pay YOU intrest instead of the other way around.

[Bonnie L]

We haven't had ANY credit cards for about 16 years. Not even a gas card. If we don't have the money, we just don't go anywhere. When offers come in the mail, I X out the application in red ink & write at the top, "A life of debt is a life of slavery!", or, "Credit=Debt=Slavery". I also tell them to take us off the mailing list, stuff everything they sent in the pre-paid envelope & mail it back to them. It works.

We used to get tons of offers, even for my dh's first wife who has been dead for nearly 20 years. Now we get very few.

[Cyngbaeld]

I get those all the time. So I allow myself a little rant and it helps. Something like:'What's wrong with those people? Do they think I'm NUTS or something? What kind of idiot do they think I am? I'm not falling into their trap again!" Then I vigorously tear the 'offer of imprisonment' into little pieces and THROW it into the trash. :haha:

[Cosmic]

Bad habit ...... Throwing personal information in the trash that is. All paper of any type with your name and any information should be destroyed completely. Burning is best. Those credit card companies would love to send me a card with your name if I grabbed your trash and claimed I changed my address.

Having one or two credit cards is nice, provided you pay the bill as it comes due each month. Just a convenience thing, plus some buyer protection in some cases.

Plus those credit card offers make lovely fire starters as do all junk mail. Some folks get on every mailing list known to man just for the fuel.

[mistletoad]

We don't have any credit cards but I get lots of those offers - I pull off the "card" because those make good scrapers and then shred the rest and use it in the chicken house.

[Ravenlost]

We have ONE credit card...a VISA card. We use it for everything...groceries, gas, any utilities we can pay with it, etc. I NEVER use cash unless it's to buy something for under a few bucks.

That being said, we pay off the balance every month so we're not charged any interest or service charges. And we get a certain percent back on our purchases. In December we call and cash in our purchase points. This year we got a check for over $500. Now, this is the only way I know to get money back off my utilities!

One credit card is all anyone needs. I can use my VISA at Citgo, JC Penney or anywhere else I want to shop. And, like I said, we pay it off monthly and we get cash back at the end of the year.

Used wisely a credit card can be a good thing.

[Jena]

I just got a debit card and I love it. Just as convenient as a credit card, without the debt.

Those post-BK credit card offers are usually pretty steep in terms of interest and fees. Read the fine print first.

Jena

[Jen H]

We just have one Americal Express card, the kind you have to pay off monthly. It's handy to use for occasional eating out and buying gas and whatnot, then it gets paid off and nothing spirals out of control.

Years ago, after a messy divorce and starting up my first business I got so deep in debt I couldn't see my way out. It took 8 years, but I paid everything off and burned all of those cards. I will never again allow that to happen.

[fordy]

..............I use my debit card for internet purchases and it works just like a CC . Bad thing IS , If anyone gets the number they can use it and the Bank will NOT reimburse your acct. , even if it was a fraudlent withdrawal . Some folks setup a separate acct. and only deposit an Exact amount equal TO the amount of their purchase in that acct. thereby limiting their liability too the purchase amount . Otherwise , they , potentially have access to the total amount in your regular checking acct . fordy..

[Quint]

I have two credit cards. One I use for all of the various bill auto pay things and for gas, medicine and such that I would just rather pay for at the end of the month. I also use it for all my on-line purchases. I pay it off every month so I really never incur any interest fees. The also have a rewards program of some sort and they kick me some piece of schwag every year. I got a big T-Fal cookware set last year. The other I just use as a back-up.

You almost need a credit card these days if you want to get a cellphone, reserve a hotel room or rent a car. A powerful tool for sure so use it wisely and don't whine about 20% interest rates when you run up 25K worth of charges you can't afford. They tell you up front what the terms and conditions are for their service. The only gripe I have with them is their customer service people. They send it to India and you can't understand them. I also don't care for some shady third worlders having access to all my personal financial information. It is nearly as bad when they have their call centers in urban areas and most of those have either heavy foreign accents or such heavy urban accents you can't understand them.

As an aside I know of a guy who financed his business with a dozen or so credit cards. All had absurdly high limits like mine with 20 or 30 thousand dollar lines of credit. He would pay the balances off with other cards and transfer the money around to different ones to take advantage of low balance transfer rates. It did work but it was a very dangerous way to get his business of the ground.

[boren]

http://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist

Use the mail option, it costs nothing. Send in your name or which ever name is getting the junk credit card offers. Once I did my credit card offers vanished.

[babetteq]

I don't like getting the junk mail period. So I package it up in the return envelope and send it all back to them to deal with.

babs
credit card free

[mightybooboo]

Originally Posted by fordy

..............I use my debit card for internet purchases and it works just like a CC . Bad thing IS , If anyone gets the number they can use it and the Bank will NOT reimburse your acct. , even if it was a fraudlent withdrawal . Some folks setup a separate acct. and only deposit an Exact amount equal TO the amount of their purchase in that acct. thereby limiting their liability too the purchase amount . Otherwise , they , potentially have access to the total amount in your regular checking acct . fordy..

Fordy,are you sure about that? I Thought I heard a while back they are protected now against fraud.

I like all those card offers,they make great mulch!

A funny,I was shredding them this mornin' and shredded my CC bill ,fortunately I called and have a balance due me

BooBoo

[desdawg]

Nothing wrong with credit if it is used appropriately. If you buy VCR's, silk shirts and trips to the Bahama's you could have a problem. Personally I have quite a few cards and get offers for more on a regular basis. (hint: they burn better if you put them through the shredder first) I used them to buy real estate, excavating equipment, etc., things that make me money. I wouldn't be where I am without them. I kind of like unsecured credit. But I do spend a lot of time staying on top of all of that stuff. That is my job if I choose to use the credit.
I really like the new teaser rates and their terms: you get this super low rate for the life of the balance transfer or whatever BUT if you are late on ANY payment ANYWHERE with ANY creditor, not limited to just us, we get to sock it to you. Sounds like going to the casino. The house always wins.
(hint: they burn better if you put them through the shredder first)

[Madame]

I know what it's like. I have a card with a huge limit (despite my requests to lower it) and it's way higher than I like...and they keep sending these 'just like cash' checks for me to use - not mentioning that they charge $50 per check if you are stupid enough to use them. I've stopped using it and am paying that sucker off.

I remember some friends awhile back with bad credit who had a secured credit card - the money came directly out of their savings account. And it still had cc protection. Once this is taken care of, I may look into that so I'll have a card for emergencies. I doubt I'd use it - I do NOT like to touch savings!

You might check and see if Citgo will allow you to buy gas cards. I get the card, pay on payday for as much as I figure I'll use, and then use it all month long. No interest charges, no debt, and no worry about running out of cash and having no choice but to use the charge card.

[paden]

If you have a visa debit card and use it as a visa card you are protected the exact same way as a credit card user would be. Here is a quote from http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_v...html?it=search

....Security - Visa offers check cardholders Zero Liability in cases of card fraud, theft or unauthorized card purchases for signature-based transactions, provided cardholders promptly notify their issuer of such fraud, theft, or unauthorized purchase......

When using it, always do the credit option. If you have to enter a pin number you aren't covered under the Visa zero liability clause.



As for all those ads you get in the mail, make sure to burn or shred them. Those are the perfect place for identity theft to begin. Some of the applications even have your social security number printed on them.

[paden]

"You might have fraud protection on a Visa debit card but it could take you a month or two before you see any funds back into your account."

Read the fine print. They have to refund your account within 5 days of you notifying them of a fraudulant transaction, not a month or two.

[southerngurl]

I never have a problem understanding the India reps or the urban accents whatever that is. Maybe you need to get out more often?

I can't understand them either.

It's funny, for my laptop I have gold tech support. I call them and get someone with an accent that is difficult to understand. I give them the service number off of my computer --- "oh, yeh huv guld, let meh trensfer. Then I get someone who has spoke English since childhood. :haha: Thank you!

It's cool because the gold tech support and complete care package (i.e., I can take a chainsaw to my computer and they will replace it) came with this computer, it was used when I bought it off of dell auctions. The owner who originally bought it paid for all this stuff.

[Quint]

Originally Posted by Dave

"They send it to India and you can't understand them. I also don't care for some shady third worlders having access to all my personal financial information. It is nearly as bad when they have their call centers in urban areas and most of those have either heavy foreign accents or such heavy urban accents you can't understand them."


I think I'd rather someone in India with that information than some American based firm that pays minimum wage and has a 90% turnover every 3 months.


I never have a problem understanding the India reps or the urban accents whatever that is. Maybe you need to get out more often?

I do get out a lot and have actually been to India. I fully expect a foreign language to be used there but not when I'm on the phone with my bank. All I ask is that they speak some variant of English that is understandable. I shouldn't have to decipher a foreign language or accent when I call my American credit card company.