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Not mentioning the rewards, I have to say that since getting my CC's my FICO score has gone from 660's up to 725 on my TU. If I had not found this site and learned about everything, then when my older accounts started aging off, my CS could have dropped into the 500's. Now I have some great aging accounts. My Daughter's score has also improved to same and she's earned over $60 in the last couple of months on cash back for things she was already planning to buy. I can't wait to teach her about travel rewards!
@red259 wrote:I have never had someone judge me that way, but a lot of people believe credit cards are bad and its better to use debit. It is mainly because they do not understand how credit cards really work The whole idea that if you want to save money you need to cut your credit cards up. Of course, there are some people out there who just can't help but spend money and run up their credit cards on things they don't need. Those types of people shouldn't have credit cards.
No. It's because they weren't in my class where a fellow student did their presentation on using a credit card, instead of debit card, to protect your funds if there is ID theft or theft of your number. With a credit card you're only liable for the first $50. With a debit card, your funds (to pay bills) are gone while it's being straightened out. Having said all that, I still use debit at some places, but I use credit more often than I previously used it.
@mongstradamus wrote:
@Closingracer99 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
@Closingracer99 wrote:I really want to just go to a Diner or someplace with Waiter service just so i can whip out my CSP and maybe the Marriott cards lol just to see if i get a reaction
I goto diners all the time and i don't get any comments on using csp. I goto smoothie place and five guys where its mostly high school kids they don't say an word lol
I can still Hope
The only thing i do notice an lot of people doing is looking at the back since there are no numbers on the front of the card.
LMAO that reminds me Some guy i think in a coffee shop gave me back my card telling I need to give him a different credit card because what I was using wasn't a credit card. I kept telling him it was on the back. Told him like 3-6 times.
It was the Discover it card of the CSP a few days ago
@Closingracer99 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
@Closingracer99 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
@Closingracer99 wrote:I really want to just go to a Diner or someplace with Waiter service just so i can whip out my CSP and maybe the Marriott cards lol just to see if i get a reaction
I goto diners all the time and i don't get any comments on using csp. I goto smoothie place and five guys where its mostly high school kids they don't say an word lol
I can still Hope
The only thing i do notice an lot of people doing is looking at the back since there are no numbers on the front of the card.
LMAO that reminds me Some guy i think in a coffee shop gave me back my card telling I need to give him a different credit card because what I was using wasn't a credit card. I kept telling him it was on the back. Told him like 3-6 times.
It was the Discover it card of the CSP a few days ago
I had to pick up parts for lawnmower when i gave guy CSP he thought it was an amex, and said we don't take amex :-)
I use my credit card everyday in the morning getting a coffee at Dunkin Donuts, and yeah I'm probably being judged but well ... if people don't understand the concept of "cash-back" then whatsoever.
I have no cash (excluding a few 2-dollar bills) in my wallet. Guess I'm being judged all the time.
@Anonymous wrote:Has anyone here ever been judged for using credit cards to pay for everything?
For example, I have one friend who thought that I was deeply in debt because I was maximizing points by using different credit cards depending upon the merchant. One time she remarked, "If you need any money, don't be afraid to ask me to help you out. I always see you paying with different credit cards, so I assume that they're maxed out. It's okay to admit that you're in debt." I was taken aback, I politely declined her help, and I explained to her that I just prefer to use credit cards over cash or a debit card. She replied, "Well, a debit card is good enough for me. I don't want to get into debt."
Another example: I went into Peet's Coffee during a trip to California, and I paid for my drink with, of course, a credit card. The cashier said to me, "Don't you carry cash? That's not a good idea." Why did she feel the need to say this? I mean, I'm still paying for my drink, albeit the merchant is losing a few cents due to swipe fees.
Does anyone out there have any similar experiences? I would love to hear them!
I doubt many on this forum will agree with my comments, but I'll make them anyway.
Having owned businesses for over 20 years and having worked in the retail/wholesale and distribution trde for twice that long, I would never consider paying for anything under $10 with a credit card. A merchant, especially a smaller merchant pays a lot more than "a few cents" in swipe fees, most small merchants pay either a minimum swipe fee or a per sale plus percentage fee (say 30 cents Plus 2.75%). MasterCard/Visa/AmEx and Discover are fighting and settling years of lawsuits over swipe fees, google search the "value" of swipe fees, it's a massive aount of money and now that "rewards cards" are all the rage, the merchant pays a higher rate for cash back or reward swipes.
I've had fellow employees say "I don't care if I buy a 75 cent muffin with my credit card, swipe fees are not my problem" and I personally find that attitude very selface, but the bigger truth is that we all pay higher prices for just about everything we buy because of those "few cents of swipe fees".
I no longer own a business and I'm no longer in the/any trade that takes or processes credit cards (merchant account, swipe fees, etc), but I still would never charge anything under $10 because I understand that a small merchant might as well give you for free that 75 cent muffin because it will usually cost him more to SELL it to you when you use a credit card.
If you think that this is all hype, ask any active ebay seller what his biggest cost is and he/she will tell you that between eBay fees and PayPal fees - that cost them close to 20% of every sale - then ask them what their gross profit margin is and I think you'll see that very few of the small to medium sellers are actually making a living.
Do I judge the guy in line that "charges" everything especially small item purchases, - YUP and I'll let you assume what I think of them.
@lobsterfordinner wrote:I use my credit card everyday in the morning getting a coffee at Dunkin Donuts, and yeah I'm probably being judged but well ... if people don't understand the concept of "cash-back" then whatsoever.
I have no cash (excluding a few 2-dollar bills) in my wallet. Guess I'm being judged all the time.
I usually carry less than 20 dollars in my wallet as well and everything goes on cc that i can put on there. Problem is sometimes when i go out to eat some places only take cash sadly.
Well if I saw those two dollar bills I might judge. Hehehe. But not from your cards.
@pipeguy wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:Has anyone here ever been judged for using credit cards to pay for everything?
For example, I have one friend who thought that I was deeply in debt because I was maximizing points by using different credit cards depending upon the merchant. One time she remarked, "If you need any money, don't be afraid to ask me to help you out. I always see you paying with different credit cards, so I assume that they're maxed out. It's okay to admit that you're in debt." I was taken aback, I politely declined her help, and I explained to her that I just prefer to use credit cards over cash or a debit card. She replied, "Well, a debit card is good enough for me. I don't want to get into debt."
Another example: I went into Peet's Coffee during a trip to California, and I paid for my drink with, of course, a credit card. The cashier said to me, "Don't you carry cash? That's not a good idea." Why did she feel the need to say this? I mean, I'm still paying for my drink, albeit the merchant is losing a few cents due to swipe fees.
Does anyone out there have any similar experiences? I would love to hear them!
I doubt many on this forum will agree with my comments, but I'll make them anyway.
Having owned businesses for over 20 years and having worked in the retail/wholesale and distribution trde for twice that long, I would never consider paying for anything under $10 with a credit card. A merchant, especially a smaller merchant pays a lot more than "a few cents" in swipe fees, most small merchants pay either a minimum swipe fee or a per sale plus percentage fee (say 30 cents Plus 2.75%). MasterCard/Visa/AmEx and Discover are fighting and settling years of lawsuits over swipe fees, google search the "value" of swipe fees, it's a massive aount of money and now that "rewards cards" are all the rage, the merchant pays a higher rate for cash back or reward swipes.
I've had fellow employees say "I don't care if I buy a 75 cent muffin with my credit card, swipe fees are not my problem" and I personally find that attitude very selface, but the bigger truth is that we all pay higher prices for just about everything we buy because of those "few cents of swipe fees".
I no longer own a business and I'm no longer in the/any trade that takes or processes credit cards (merchant account, swipe fees, etc), but I still would never charge anything under $10 because I understand that a small merchant might as well give you for free that 75 cent muffin because it will usually cost him more to SELL it to you when you use a credit card.
If you think that this is all hype, ask any active ebay seller what his biggest cost is and he/she will tell you that between eBay fees and PayPal fees - that cost them close to 20% of every sale - then ask them what their gross profit margin is and I think you'll see that very few of the small to medium sellers are actually making a living.
Do I judge the guy in line that "charges" everything especially small item purchases, - YUP and I'll let you assume what I think of them.
I am curious about how companies handle that issue, do they price in the swipe fees into the product ? I can see both sides of the coin. What will be the next step, will they be like gas stations that charge different prices for cash and credit ?
@pipeguy wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:Has anyone here ever been judged for using credit cards to pay for everything?
For example, I have one friend who thought that I was deeply in debt because I was maximizing points by using different credit cards depending upon the merchant. One time she remarked, "If you need any money, don't be afraid to ask me to help you out. I always see you paying with different credit cards, so I assume that they're maxed out. It's okay to admit that you're in debt." I was taken aback, I politely declined her help, and I explained to her that I just prefer to use credit cards over cash or a debit card. She replied, "Well, a debit card is good enough for me. I don't want to get into debt."
Another example: I went into Peet's Coffee during a trip to California, and I paid for my drink with, of course, a credit card. The cashier said to me, "Don't you carry cash? That's not a good idea." Why did she feel the need to say this? I mean, I'm still paying for my drink, albeit the merchant is losing a few cents due to swipe fees.
Does anyone out there have any similar experiences? I would love to hear them!
I doubt many on this forum will agree with my comments, but I'll make them anyway.
Having owned businesses for over 20 years and having worked in the retail/wholesale and distribution trde for twice that long, I would never consider paying for anything under $10 with a credit card. A merchant, especially a smaller merchant pays a lot more than "a few cents" in swipe fees, most small merchants pay either a minimum swipe fee or a per sale plus percentage fee (say 30 cents Plus 2.75%). MasterCard/Visa/AmEx and Discover are fighting and settling years of lawsuits over swipe fees, google search the "value" of swipe fees, it's a massive aount of money and now that "rewards cards" are all the rage, the merchant pays a higher rate for cash back or reward swipes.
I've had fellow employees say "I don't care if I buy a 75 cent muffin with my credit card, swipe fees are not my problem" and I personally find that attitude very selface, but the bigger truth is that we all pay higher prices for just about everything we buy because of those "few cents of swipe fees".
I no longer own a business and I'm no longer in the/any trade that takes or processes credit cards (merchant account, swipe fees, etc), but I still would never charge anything under $10 because I understand that a small merchant might as well give you for free that 75 cent muffin because it will usually cost him more to SELL it to you when you use a credit card.
If you think that this is all hype, ask any active ebay seller what his biggest cost is and he/she will tell you that between eBay fees and PayPal fees - that cost them close to 20% of every sale - then ask them what their gross profit margin is and I think you'll see that very few of the small to medium sellers are actually making a living.
Do I judge the guy in line that "charges" everything especially small item purchases, - YUP and I'll let you assume what I think of them.
I don't usually at smaller places but like Starbucks , CVS? I could care less their big corporations who just care about the $$$. Let them take those fees