What causes the "app itch"?

[LS2982]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Booner72 wrote:

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@android01 wrote:

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@Booner72 wrote:

It is an addiction like gambling.   And reading the forum about other's successes is a trigger.

I'm going to bet that a lot of us here have addictive tendencies (Alcohol, drugs, cigs, gambling, sex, etc). 

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You are absolutely right, and I'll add that many folks might not think to highly of themselves in the first place.  What's not to like about someone giving you a 15K credit line?  Somone thinks more of me than i do of myself perhaps?  That is VERY addictive.      

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Not sure if you think I'm trying to be judgmental - I'm doing the same things....It is exciting to see how much they will give you for sure.

I'm just saying that I think that the reason we get more credit than we needd, even though we all know "Only get credit when you need credit" and that new cc's hurt our scores, that the reason is it's a brain/chemical thing exactly like what happens when atttempting to acquire/get drugs, alcohol, smoking cigs, gambling, sex, food, etc

 This may be a less harmful addiction than others (Unless what you say is true, that doing this harms our self-worth).  After all, this forum has it's own 12 steps, it's own support groups for those trying not to app, etc.

ETA:  I've got the app itch myself today.  Going in person to Home Depot (now that I'm nearly collection free!) and applying for a card there.  We have Lowe's, zero balance, HD is closer.

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I doubt it's any less harmful, especially considering some relate self worth to credit approvals.

I try pretty hard to not get all wrapped-up in that feeling of being approved, forgiven, finally made it, or whatever, and avoid making the same mistakes that lead to rebuilding.

I see a ton of threads where people clean up their credit and then immediately go way deeper into debt.

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Thats totally on them not being responsible. You can have numerous accounts and manage them perfectly as if you have only 2. It's all in how serious you take your credit.

[haulingthescoreup]

The app itch --I'm talking about the crazy app itch, the one where ther forums members are saying "What on earth were you thinking???", not the occasional "Might be cool to have that" --is what makes gamblers keep gambling.

It's all about risk-taking, and excitement over shiny new things, with a little bit of magical thinking thrown in. Just from what people post, it's easy to see that it goes beyond rational thinking, as in "I wouldn't mind getting some cash back on my gas purchases." It creates an adrenaline rush, and that can be physiologically addicting.

When you are approved (= win, and score something new), that's a rush. When you're declined (= lose), that's another rush, with a thud of disappointment at the end. Afterwards, there's a drive to app again, to cancel out the decline, similar to gamblers who double up when they're losing so they can get their money back. Compulsive appers know that all the apping hurts their chances, but the compulsion overrides the reasoning, sometimes thinking "This time it'll be different." (= magical thinking)

This isn't being judgmental. This is what I've seen over and over and over for the last four and a half years with maybe a total of a dozen members who genuinely scare me.

[Anonymous]

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@LS2982 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Booner72 wrote:

---

@android01 wrote:

---

@Booner72 wrote:

It is an addiction like gambling.   And reading the forum about other's successes is a trigger.

I'm going to bet that a lot of us here have addictive tendencies (Alcohol, drugs, cigs, gambling, sex, etc). 

---

You are absolutely right, and I'll add that many folks might not think to highly of themselves in the first place.  What's not to like about someone giving you a 15K credit line?  Somone thinks more of me than i do of myself perhaps?  That is VERY addictive.      

---

Not sure if you think I'm trying to be judgmental - I'm doing the same things....It is exciting to see how much they will give you for sure.

I'm just saying that I think that the reason we get more credit than we needd, even though we all know "Only get credit when you need credit" and that new cc's hurt our scores, that the reason is it's a brain/chemical thing exactly like what happens when atttempting to acquire/get drugs, alcohol, smoking cigs, gambling, sex, food, etc

 This may be a less harmful addiction than others (Unless what you say is true, that doing this harms our self-worth).  After all, this forum has it's own 12 steps, it's own support groups for those trying not to app, etc.

ETA:  I've got the app itch myself today.  Going in person to Home Depot (now that I'm nearly collection free!) and applying for a card there.  We have Lowe's, zero balance, HD is closer.

---

I doubt it's any less harmful, especially considering some relate self worth to credit approvals.

I try pretty hard to not get all wrapped-up in that feeling of being approved, forgiven, finally made it, or whatever, and avoid making the same mistakes that lead to rebuilding.

I see a ton of threads where people clean up their credit and then immediately go way deeper into debt.

---

Thats totally on them not being responsible. You can have numerous accounts and manage them perfectly as if you have only 2. It's all in how serious you take your credit.

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I think it's more a matter of responsibility for one's thought process. I mean really, why would someone even want to juggle 40 credit cards if they weren't dealing with some deeper issue? The people I know (who are very liquid) only have 1 or 2 cards.

In the long run (5 years) I'll be down to three cards. I'd rather do a lot of other things than worry about due dates, closing dates, puching payments through, or a stupid score. Preserving good credit is important but I'm over needing more cards. I'd close three right now if it wouldn't screw up utilization to the point where school loans would be impossible, LOL!

[LS2982]

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@Anonymous wrote:

---

@LS2982 wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Booner72 wrote:

---

@android01 wrote:

---

@Booner72 wrote:

It is an addiction like gambling.   And reading the forum about other's successes is a trigger.

I'm going to bet that a lot of us here have addictive tendencies (Alcohol, drugs, cigs, gambling, sex, etc). 

---

You are absolutely right, and I'll add that many folks might not think to highly of themselves in the first place.  What's not to like about someone giving you a 15K credit line?  Somone thinks more of me than i do of myself perhaps?  That is VERY addictive.      

---

Not sure if you think I'm trying to be judgmental - I'm doing the same things....It is exciting to see how much they will give you for sure.

I'm just saying that I think that the reason we get more credit than we needd, even though we all know "Only get credit when you need credit" and that new cc's hurt our scores, that the reason is it's a brain/chemical thing exactly like what happens when atttempting to acquire/get drugs, alcohol, smoking cigs, gambling, sex, food, etc

 This may be a less harmful addiction than others (Unless what you say is true, that doing this harms our self-worth).  After all, this forum has it's own 12 steps, it's own support groups for those trying not to app, etc.

ETA:  I've got the app itch myself today.  Going in person to Home Depot (now that I'm nearly collection free!) and applying for a card there.  We have Lowe's, zero balance, HD is closer.

---

I doubt it's any less harmful, especially considering some relate self worth to credit approvals.

I try pretty hard to not get all wrapped-up in that feeling of being approved, forgiven, finally made it, or whatever, and avoid making the same mistakes that lead to rebuilding.

I see a ton of threads where people clean up their credit and then immediately go way deeper into debt.

---

Thats totally on them not being responsible. You can have numerous accounts and manage them perfectly as if you have only 2. It's all in how serious you take your credit.

---

I think it's more a matter of responsibility for one's thought process. I mean really, why would someone even want to juggle 40 credit cards if they weren't dealing with some deeper issue? The people I know (who are very liquid) only have 1 or 2 cards.

In the long run (5 years) I'll be down to three cards. I'd rather do a lot of other things than worry about due dates, closing dates, puching payments through, or a stupid score. Preserving good credit is important but I'm over needing more cards. I'd close three right now if it wouldn't screw up utilization to the point where school loans would be impossible, LOL!

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Deeper issue as in? Not sure where your going with that

[Anonymous]

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@LS2982 wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@LS2982 wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Booner72 wrote:

---

@android01 wrote:

---

@Booner72 wrote:

It is an addiction like gambling.   And reading the forum about other's successes is a trigger.

I'm going to bet that a lot of us here have addictive tendencies (Alcohol, drugs, cigs, gambling, sex, etc). 

---

You are absolutely right, and I'll add that many folks might not think to highly of themselves in the first place.  What's not to like about someone giving you a 15K credit line?  Somone thinks more of me than i do of myself perhaps?  That is VERY addictive.      

---

Not sure if you think I'm trying to be judgmental - I'm doing the same things....It is exciting to see how much they will give you for sure.

I'm just saying that I think that the reason we get more credit than we needd, even though we all know "Only get credit when you need credit" and that new cc's hurt our scores, that the reason is it's a brain/chemical thing exactly like what happens when atttempting to acquire/get drugs, alcohol, smoking cigs, gambling, sex, food, etc

 This may be a less harmful addiction than others (Unless what you say is true, that doing this harms our self-worth).  After all, this forum has it's own 12 steps, it's own support groups for those trying not to app, etc.

ETA:  I've got the app itch myself today.  Going in person to Home Depot (now that I'm nearly collection free!) and applying for a card there.  We have Lowe's, zero balance, HD is closer.

---

I doubt it's any less harmful, especially considering some relate self worth to credit approvals.

I try pretty hard to not get all wrapped-up in that feeling of being approved, forgiven, finally made it, or whatever, and avoid making the same mistakes that lead to rebuilding.

I see a ton of threads where people clean up their credit and then immediately go way deeper into debt.

---

Thats totally on them not being responsible. You can have numerous accounts and manage them perfectly as if you have only 2. It's all in how serious you take your credit.

---

I think it's more a matter of responsibility for one's thought process. I mean really, why would someone even want to juggle 40 credit cards if they weren't dealing with some deeper issue? The people I know (who are very liquid) only have 1 or 2 cards.

In the long run (5 years) I'll be down to three cards. I'd rather do a lot of other things than worry about due dates, closing dates, puching payments through, or a stupid score. Preserving good credit is important but I'm over needing more cards. I'd close three right now if it wouldn't screw up utilization to the point where school loans would be impossible, LOL!

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Deeper issue as in? Not sure where your going with that

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Not being judgemental but; what can someone do with (let's say) 100 credit cards that cannot be accomplished with 2 or 3 if their financial crap is together?

Rewards, discounts, 0%, and other enticements are nice but I've pretty much come to believe they're just ways companies distract is from paying attention to spending. They're sort of like poker chips, we don't emotionally feel it's real money and end up at the table too long.

It'll take a few years to clean everything up after finishing school but I'll be out of one aspect of the credit rat race.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

---

@LS2982 wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Booner72 wrote:

---

@android01 wrote:

---

@Booner72 wrote:

It is an addiction like gambling.   And reading the forum about other's successes is a trigger.

I'm going to bet that a lot of us here have addictive tendencies (Alcohol, drugs, cigs, gambling, sex, etc). 

---

You are absolutely right, and I'll add that many folks might not think to highly of themselves in the first place.  What's not to like about someone giving you a 15K credit line?  Somone thinks more of me than i do of myself perhaps?  That is VERY addictive.      

---

Not sure if you think I'm trying to be judgmental - I'm doing the same things....It is exciting to see how much they will give you for sure.

I'm just saying that I think that the reason we get more credit than we needd, even though we all know "Only get credit when you need credit" and that new cc's hurt our scores, that the reason is it's a brain/chemical thing exactly like what happens when atttempting to acquire/get drugs, alcohol, smoking cigs, gambling, sex, food, etc

 This may be a less harmful addiction than others (Unless what you say is true, that doing this harms our self-worth).  After all, this forum has it's own 12 steps, it's own support groups for those trying not to app, etc.

ETA:  I've got the app itch myself today.  Going in person to Home Depot (now that I'm nearly collection free!) and applying for a card there.  We have Lowe's, zero balance, HD is closer.

---

I doubt it's any less harmful, especially considering some relate self worth to credit approvals.

I try pretty hard to not get all wrapped-up in that feeling of being approved, forgiven, finally made it, or whatever, and avoid making the same mistakes that lead to rebuilding.

I see a ton of threads where people clean up their credit and then immediately go way deeper into debt.

---

Thats totally on them not being responsible. You can have numerous accounts and manage them perfectly as if you have only 2. It's all in how serious you take your credit.

---

I think it's more a matter of responsibility for one's thought process. I mean really, why would someone even want to juggle 40 credit cards if they weren't dealing with some deeper issue? The people I know (who are very liquid) only have 1 or 2 cards.

In the long run (5 years) I'll be down to three cards. I'd rather do a lot of other things than worry about due dates, closing dates, puching payments through, or a stupid score. Preserving good credit is important but I'm over needing more cards. I'd close three right now if it wouldn't screw up utilization to the point where school loans would be impossible, LOL!

---

Personally, I don't see any deeper issue beyond liking free stuff.  I never spend money I would not spend anyway and I get something back from my spending.  To me, if your credit allows it, why not take advantage of the offers cards put out there.  People often mention the juggling but honestly, I keep all cards on a page of links and I go to the individual sites and make online payments.  I can with no lies go onto all the sites in a matter of under 10 minutes and pay the bills.  Ten minutes out of a week or every two week does not seem like a lot to "pay" for the amount of free stuff I have received and still receive.

Liquid or very liquid means nothing to this discussion.  I do not carry a balance ever and that is based on the simple premise that I charge nothing I cannot pay for before the statement is generated.  I went from a life of using just a debit card and getting nothing for my efforts to credit cards and spending the exact same amount of money each month and getting a little something in return.

I think that the number of cards you have is not a "slippery slope" as some suggest but rather a sign that you don't allow yourself near that slope.  When I first started collecting these card 4-5 years ago banks were not willing to give me lots of cards.  Not because of negative credit but lack of positive credit.  Over the years I have gained their faith and as such now have the cards to show for it.

Thanks to this board and understanding the abyss I could end up in I am very careful to keep things good with my credit.  I have read the bad side that can so easily become reality seemingly overnight.

[ztnjpv]

For me, the app itch has evolved. When my credit was in the low 600s and I needed positive CC accounts to help boost my score, it was simply a means to an end...it was about exploiting the FICO formula. Nothing more. I have spent most of my adult life thus far making use of my VIsa Debit. I never really needed and still don't really need any cards. 

As my scores climbs towards 700 and a little over, it became more about being recognized as someone with good credit and getting approved simply because I thought I could/should. But it also became about getting more out of my spending with rewards cards. Now, it's about that alone. I want to run as much as I can through the best rewards cards (especially for business) to earn max cash back and other perks. Why just pay cash when I can get something more? 

But it's not about having "the credit line" at my disposal. It never was. 

[jefftca925]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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Personally, I don't see any deeper issue beyond liking free stuff.  I never spend money I would not spend anyway and I get something back from my spending.  To me, if your credit allows it, why not take advantage of the offers cards put out there.  People often mention the juggling but honestly, I keep all cards on a page of links and I go to the individual sites and make online payments.  I can with no lies go onto all the sites in a matter of under 10 minutes and pay the bills.  Ten minutes out of a week or every two week does not seem like a lot to "pay" for the amount of free stuff I have received and still receive.

Liquid or very liquid means nothing to this discussion.  I do not carry a balance ever and that is based on the simple premise that I charge nothing I cannot pay for before the statement is generated.  I went from a life of using just a debit card and getting nothing for my efforts to credit cards and spending the exact same amount of money each month and getting a little something in return.

I think that the number of cards you have is not a "slippery slope" as some suggest but rather a sign that you don't allow yourself near that slope.  When I first started collecting these card 4-5 years ago banks were not willing to give me lots of cards.  Not because of negative credit but lack of positive credit.  Over the years I have gained their faith and as such now have the cards to show for it.

Thanks to this board and understanding the abyss I could end up in I am very careful to keep things good with my credit.  I have read the bad side that can so easily become reality seemingly overnight.

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This is well said and I agree with (and am in the EXACT same situation) as Jayson.  Having a lot of cards and keeping control of them is a sign that one manages their debt/finances/life very well and has learned from their past mistakes.  I have given the banks TONS of my hard earned $$ in years past but that has stopped.  When you get older you have to think seriously about what you want your life to be like when you retire.  The pitfalls of risky spending and investing are not what I wanna deal with when I'm in my 60s, 70s, and beyond.  I have a game plan and I'm sticking to it.  And to add...I don't waste the value of the free stuff I get either.  I put them to good use... fixing up my home, taking trips to see my SO, family, and friends, gifts, etc.  If there are folks on this board that feel that they can reasonably manage only 1 card, 3 cards, 12 cards, a 100 cards...whatever... THAT is your threshold and your comfort level.  And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  Just being prudent in your decisions and taking the respnosibility for your actions at the end of the day is what truly counts... 

[ztnjpv]

JaysonT wrote:

People often mention the juggling but honestly, I keep all cards on a page of links and I go to the individual sites and make online payments.  I can with no lies go onto all the sites in a matter of under 10 minutes and pay the bills.  Ten minutes out of a week or every two week does not seem like a lot to "pay" for the amount of free stuff I have received and still receive.

Liquid or very liquid means nothing to this discussion.  I do not carry a balance ever and that is based on the simple premise that I charge nothing I cannot pay for before the statement is generated.  I went from a life of using just a debit card and getting nothing for my efforts to credit cards and spending the exact same amount of money each month and getting a little something in return.

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EXACTLY. Every word. Same here. 

[Anonymous]

@ JaysonT,

I'm really curious why you don't feel liquidity has any bearing.

The people I was referring to wouldn't be affected (in any way) by job loss. Perhaps I should have writen it that way, instead.

This topic borders on taboo and doesn't get the discussion it merits.