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Dumb question: Credit card vs debit??

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by Joe, Mar 31, 2014.

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  1. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    There is a thread going on about room hold charges and I didn't want to hijack it.

    I pay off my CC cards in full every month. Why does anybody use a debit card? By doing so, you lose the fraud protection and ability to dispute a charge that you have with a CC card. In addition, you lose the 20 day float, not that any account pays sh*t in interest these days.

    I'm not being critical, just curious. Is it poor money management skills; trouble getting credit? Just speak in general terms.
     
  2. shawnawm1868

    shawnawm1868 Tourist

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    I have pretty shitty credit, I've been working on fixing it, but it's hard and takes time. That being said, I have a credit card with a low limit. I mainly use my debit card and my bank is really good if I dispute a transaction. Also, I was living paycheck to paycheck (now I'm not working, and waiting for unemployment, so no income currently) and it's not always in my budget to pay off my credit card every month.
     
  3. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    I'd assume it's for the points you mentioned.

    Poor money management/can't get one. Most credit cards offer various "rewards" so people who do pay off balances every month should definitely be using them.
     
  4. TIMSPEED

    TIMSPEED Money’s on the way, with CashNetUSA

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    Yup..
    Shitty credit and no income, is why I can't get one...
     
  5. Persistent Cat

    Persistent Cat Tourist

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    I can dispute charges on my debit card with my bank. And some banks offer reward systems with the use of their debit cards. Mine has a "bank the rest" feature whereby if, for example, I use my debit card for a $28.50 purchase, it will round up to the nearest $5 or $10 and deposit $1.50 into a savings account. Granted it's my money however it's a fun little savings feature.

    My credit is perfect but I prefer to use cash. I'm so sick of standing behind someone buying coffee and gum and waiting for them to pay with whatever card they're using.

    Just a preference. Like the iPhone vs Android phone debate in that other thread.
     
  6. IxAccDnf

    IxAccDnf VIP Whale

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    I had to dispute a charge once with my debit card and it was promptly taken care of
     
  7. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Drives me nuts when someone in line is dawdling through bills and change, and the cashier thinks count-back is what happens about 15 minutes before the damn Commies blow us to smithereens. Then I finally can swipe my CC and be done in a second.

    (But NOTHING beats the person who writes a check -- a check????? -- and of course doesn't even start until the tally is announced.)

    Lotta reasons folks can't or don't have CCs. We make a wad off the $$/mileage cards we use but if someone wants to leave that on the table, no bother to me.

    Our DC also comes with fraud protection and the savings roll over.
     
  8. Persistent Cat

    Persistent Cat Tourist

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    Do people still write cheques? Funny little difference between Canada and the US. Or at least, my part of Canada and the parts of the US where I have shopped. If you shop for women's wallets (don't know about men's), US stores will almost always contain the billfold feature for a cheque book. Next to impossible to find in Canada. That could be phasing out though.

    I do find that people in stores cannot count change back. It kills me to watch someone struggle to add a quarter and two dimes. I watched a "genius" in the Apple store once pile money into separate denominations and then add each pile at a time.
     
  9. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    I can't get over how clueless people can be. It's actually kind of scary sometimes.

    I was in line at the grocery store this weekend. The guy in front of me paid with a $100 bill. Well, the cashier (who had to be at least 18, probably 20+) evidently rang it up as exact change. So, the register didn’t do the math for him and he didn’t know how much change to give the guy. He got a little flustered, then excused himself and walked over to the service desk…where he picked up his phone and brought it back to the register to use as a calculator…to subtract something from 100! Seriously, WTF are we teaching kids these days? Certainly not first grade math. :cry:
     
  10. airball1996

    airball1996 High-Roller

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    But do you still pay bills? Buy groceries? Gas for your car? Rent/mortgage payment? If so, why not use a credit card to get the rewards they offer? Even 1% cash back is better than nothing. Surely there's a card out there that will be approved for you?
     
  11. JosieCat

    JosieCat VIP Whale

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    I guess I just like to "pay as I go". But I'm learning. I still don't use my credit card as often as I should - although always when I travel, but I'm using it more often.

    That first $50 Amazon gift card that I got with my CC points kind of motivated me :)
     
  12. Viva Las Vegas

    Viva Las Vegas Elvis has left the building

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    This is not true. You have the same protection - the only difference you will lose access the amount being disputed while the issue is being resolved vs. losing access to the available credit being disputed.

    If you keep a decent balance in your checking account, this will never be an issue. You should always swipe your debit card similar to a credit card (vs. punching in your pin).

    Both debit and credit cards offer zero percent liability, meaning that all consumers who find themselves victims of card fraud will end up in the same place–their money will be refunded.
     
  13. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    I use my rewards credit cards for everything and pay them off each month...

    I only use my debit card to get cash from the ATM to pay rent once a month


    Fun fact: Credit Card companies refer to people who dont carry a balance as Deadbeats...this was a Jeopardy questions once, and has also been a trivia questions at our local pub we play at
     
  14. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    100% agree...if you are going to be spending it anyways...you might as well get rewards for it...or at least build credit

    So similar to comps...if you are going to be gambling anyways...you might as well use a players card and get some payback for your gambling

    It requires discipline though...


    I guess some people just cant get credit cards...which melts my face off since it seems like every CC company will give low limit accounts to anyone
     
  15. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    My brother-in-law had a damn hard time getting a credit card when he came over here. He’s a Brit. And while he had a job, bills, credit cards and a mortgage over there, he didn’t have a FICO score. So no one here would give him a thing. He had to get one of those credit cards that is essentially a debit card (he had to open a CD he wasn’t allowed to touch with $X in order to get a credit limit of $X).

    Between that "credit card" and my sister adding him onto her car loan and credit cards, it didn’t take him long to build up a decent credit score. In fact he and my sis just bought a damn pricey house. But until he jumped through all the hoops and paid his dues, so to speak, he couldn’t get a traditional credit card of any kind.

    I don’t know where I’m going with this. I was just surprised at the situation as I figured they still gave credit cards out to anyone with a pulse. Evidently not.
     
  16. TIMSPEED

    TIMSPEED Money’s on the way, with CashNetUSA

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    Nope..I have a credit card right now..but it's maxxed out ($1000) and I haven't made a payment on it in a few months (I WOULD, but I have ZERO income; essentially homeless)
    I tried to get the TotalRewards one..denied...
    I'm sure once I get a job again, I'll be back in business, but until then...nothing doing.
     
  17. numeno

    numeno VIP Whale

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    This may be within pour money management skills as someone may be spending too much, but it is extremely difficult to constantly pay off CCs when your income is very close to what you normally spend. Just $100 extra might mean you keep a balance that month.

    The difference between having no extra money to just having $200-$300 extra at the end of the money is huge.
     
  18. johnvic

    johnvic VIP Whale

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    I use AMEX for any big purchases and my dental, which one year got me 12k points. Otherwise I use debit or cash. I just don't know if a cash back card is worth it for me. I don't have a car and since I'm single I don't have much of a grocery bill. It would probably be worth checking out though.
     
  19. mdm4sfest

    mdm4sfest VIP Whale

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    I worked for a banks fraud/dispute department for two years and yes...you can easily dispute transactions on a debit card. Because fraud is so prevalent and talked about and popular nowadays in regards to debit/credit cards, numerous changes have been made over the past few years on how long your bank has to provide you provisional credit.
     
  20. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Hopefully your Vegas trip in 17 days will take your mind off your troubles.
     
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