So do you use cash, credit, checks, or debit most often?

[yoda313]

So what is your primary means of paying for stuff? Credit? Cash? Debit cards? Checks? Paypal??


I'm a combo of Cash and debit cards. Though I'm starting to use my credit card more often. I only use paypal for ebay transactions


THANKS TO XYLOB THE DESTROYER FOR THIS POLL IDEA

[budz]

I use a airline visa credit card so I can accumulate mileage to fly free.
I use it even to buy a daily newspaper!!!!

[redwudz]

I use a credit card mostly, but I pay it off well before the due date each month. This has saved me from paying any interest in the last few years and Visa pays me about $100US back each year for using their card, so I make money on it.

Since debit cards are getting so universal, I'll probably get one of those also.

[FulciLives]

I use my DEBIT card although sometimes it works as a DEBIT card and other times it works as a CREDIT CARD but either way the MONEY comes straight out of my checking account.

I do fondly remember the days of having real CREDIT CARDS ... days long gone as I went belly up financially many years ago and defaulted on all of them. No CREDIT CARDS for me now other than my DEBIT card LOL

Eventually my credit issues will get sorted and I can get a real CREDIT CARD again but when that day comes I will (knock on wood) keep it only for EMERGENCY uses like if I get a flat tire and need to buy a new one or some such expensive mis-happen as opposed to "hey that new 12 disc DVD set of <INSERT KEWL MOVIE HERE> is a must buy right now" kinda purchase LOL

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[budz]

I use a credit card mostly, but I pay it off well before the due date each month. This has saved me from paying any interest in the last few years and Visa pays me about $100US back each year for using their card, so I make money on it.

Since debit cards are getting so universal, I'll probably get one of those also.

I pay off my balance every month as well or the mileage is not accumulated. So far I've got over 120,000 miles on United airlines. I have only 1 visa credit card which I use for just about anything and everything that I can purchase.

[Epicurus8a]

Gold Pressed Latinum

[Xylob the Destroyer]

debit card for me -- money comes straight out of my checking account
10 years ago I didn't even have a bank account. Everything was cash or money orders -- and I was always broke.
Then I got a bank account, but debit cards really weren't common so it was still cash for almost everything -- and I was still always broke.
Wanna buy something that's $25? Go get $40 from the ATM and now I've got an extra $15 burning a hole in my pocket....
Getting the debit card has really helped me control my spending and I've actually been able to save money (still a mind boggling concept to me).

Credit cards are for emergencies only. I've got 2 -- 1 came with a $20K limit, which scared the hell out of me. The first thing I thought was "wow, I could practically buy a car with this!", so I immediately called them and asked for the limit to be lowered to $2500.00. They said the lowest they could go on a platinum card was $5K, but that's still nowhere near as tempting as 20K.

I will occasionally use the credit card for 'big ticket' items that I know for sure I will have all the money for by the time the bill actually comes, but I always pay the full amount off and never carry a balance (and therefore never pay any interest).

I know quite a few folks who use the plan that budz has. It's a pretty good idea, but I don't fly/travel much and I think I would be too tempted and get into the type of situation that FulciLives described.

[SingSing]

What is current exchange rate of federation credit ?

[FulciLives]

What is current exchange rate of federation credit ?

LOL more STAR WARS and STAR TREK confusion LOL

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[yoda313]

What is current exchange rate of federation credit ?

1 federation credit = 20 strips of gold press latinum.

1 federation credit = 1 imperial credit

1 federation credit = 2 US dollars

1 federation credit = 1 EURO

[cal_tony]

Credit cards for me. 40 years with Master card and not 1 month in all that time without paying my monthly charges so for me it's worked out fine. All that convenience without any fees intrest or charges.

For me, the big change began about 10 years ago when grocery stores began accepting credit cards. That was about the same time that gas stations began installing pumps that would allow you to swipe your card right at the pump. Ever since than, my useage of cash is less than $300 per year.

[gadgetguy]

Charge card for on-line, gasoline, and emergencies.
Checks for bills and planned expenses.
Cash for groceries, restaurants, and incidentals.

[Conquest10]

Debit card for me. Got no credit so can't get a credit card.

[KBeee]

I was a heavy debit/credit card user up till about 1 year ago - then I decided to try to stop being part of a Global Demographic Assimilator Program, and went back to cash wherever possible. I also found that if you go into a shop that wants £200 for an item, you can usually get a good discount "for cash". Online purchases are CC/DC of course.

[träskmannen]

I use a combination of cash, credit cards, and debit cards. I don't feel comfortable if I don't have at least 50 € in cash in my wallet but the majority of the purchases are done with one of the cards. I would like to clean up in the flora of cards, I have at the moment 4 credit cards and 3 debit cards with me all the time, but it is not possible. Most of them are necessary evils from work, I travel a lot and it is difficult to find one universal card that is accepted everywhere.

[Scorpion King]

We use credit cards for just about everything anymore but they are paid fully each month. I don't like to look at the bill.

A few years ago I had to cancel several cards we accumulated because I set down and counted up over $250,000.00 credit limits. That scared the crap out of me. I carry a very low credit limit now regardless how they try to raise it.

Good luck.

[redwudz]

It sounds like the members posting in this thread use credit wisely. My niece had about 6 credit cards and used one to pay off the other. When the grand total owed reached about $25,000US, they realized they had made a mistake.

I was wondering if they now teach the wise use of credit in high school? They didn't when I was there. It should be part of the education system. It seems that some people have to learn it the hard way.

I've also found there are more places that won't accept credit cards, only debit cards. I assume this is from problems with credit card fraud. I've been lucky. Only once was my card number misused, and the credit card company was able to stop the payment. I do a lot of transactions over the internet.

I see no real problems with using credit cards or debit cards for most purchases. Electronic money transactions may even replace paper money completely at some time in the future.

[FulciLives]

I've also found there are more places that won't accept credit cards, only debit cards.

A while back I use to have DSL through VERIZON but at that time I owed VERIZON some money to the tune of $170 that I never paid so I was only allowed to have and pay for basic phone service. I couldn't have call waiting or caller ID or DSL but they did say if I wanted DSL I could pay for it via a CREDIT CARD but that was the only way they would give it to me i.e., I give them a CREDIT CARD for auto bill for the DSL service. In other words they wouldn't bill me for it along with my basic phone charges ... all due to that past due amount of $170 that I never paid (nor have) since I could still have basic phone service.

So I use my DEBIT card which has a CREDIT CARD number on it and works, as far as they know, like a CREDIT CARD only on my end the money comes straight out of my checking account.

I did this for many months then an ATM ate my DEBIT card so I had to get a new one issued with all different numbers and when I tried to give this card to VERIZON for DSL they would not accept it because it was not a "true" CREDIT CARD. They said that was their policy. So I tried to change it on-line but somehow they could tell that it was a DEBIT CREDIT CARD and not a "true" CREDIT CARD apparently the numbers can give that away.

So my point is that is the only time I found that someone would take a CREDIT CARD but not a DEBIT card that functioned like a CREDIT CARD.

Very odd ... and opposite of what you said.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[gadgetguy]

I've resisted getting a debit card after hearing horror stories from my wife (she works in the cash room of a retail store.) Also I don't like to leave a large balance in my non-interest bearing checking account, but prefer to keep the money in my savings account and transfer as needed to cover checks I've written.

[slacker]

Never ever use an ATM/debit card if you can help it. They are not guaranteed like a credit card, at least in the state of California. If you have issues with a purchase or someone rips off your ATM/debit card and uses it as such, you are screwed. With a credit card you are limited to a $50 loss, regardless of the amount in question.

[Epicurus8a]

Good advice from Slacker!

[budz]

With a credit card you are limited to a $50 loss, regardless of the amount in question.

I had a situation last year at the S.F. airport my visa credit card wasn't given back to me & the asswipes used it to fill 4 cars with gas. Yes, I should have paid more attention to the clerk but I was doped up on meds. When I was on the plane I had wondered if I got my visa cc back then the flight attendants began serving drinks/snacks so I forgot about it. The following day the dumbass peeps then tried to buy a big ticket item & that's when chase manhattan bank contacted me to verify the purchase. Only then did I realize I didn't have my visa cc. Once I called chase manhattan my acct. was closed right away and I didn't have to pay a dime for any of the charges.

It wasn't funny at the time but the chase cust.service person asked me if I was sure I didn't fill up my car with gas. I responded with, "Don't you think it's hard to fill gas in my car when I'm in Hawaii and those charges were made in San Mateo, California"!!! The charges at the gas station were made while I was airborne!!!

BTW I don't ever use my visa cc at the S.F. airport anymore. That's the only place I use CASH!

[SingSing]

With a credit card you are limited to a $50 loss, regardless of the amount in question.

Can you give us a reference on this ? At the rate of ID thief, we are counting the day to deal with CC problem.

[oldandinthe way]

Slacker is correct. Check your Mastercard or Visa terms of service and the Consumer Protection Act.

Most credit cards will protect you from first dollar if you notify them of loss. Many will protect you from first dollar anyway - they just charge back the merchant who has processed the fraudulent charge.

Slacker is correct the safest way to buy is with a credit card.

The next safest is cash. You might lose the amount of the purchase but nothing else (unless you are mugged).

The next safest is a check. you might lose the amount of the purchase and there is some risk of fraud if some misues your bank routing info imprinted at the bottom of the check.

The riskiest is a debit card, often totally unprotected, your account can be cleaned out and checks bounce and you are at the mercy of your bank - look for a merciful bank some do offer additional protection.

PayPal is a hybrid of risk. If linked to your credit card it might be as protected as the credit card, might be better protected or might be worse, because of conflicts between PayPal and credit card rules, and dispute procedures. If linked to your bank account, it is like using a debit card with a less responsive bank. Protections your bank offers debit card users may not apply.

[NiteLite]

Never ever use an ATM/debit card if you can help it. They are not guaranteed like a credit card, at least in the state of California. If you have issues with a purchase or someone rips off your ATM/debit card and uses it as such, you are screwed. With a credit card you are limited to a $50 loss, regardless of the amount in question.

Very Good Advise. I would not use a Debit card which gives access to your banking account.
I use a special low balance Visa for online and phone in before the 28 day grace period ends to pay it off using my Debit/ATM/CC.
I just dont like giving out banking info and Credit cards do give security against fraud whereas many have stated Debits do not in most cases.
I need the Visa that doubles the warranty though. Guess I need to call and get some info on that.
Add to list.
NL

[Capmaster]

Debit card mostly. About one in ten times I actually write a paper check.