That said, I suppose using a debit card to ride Son of Beast over and over might violate the spirit if not the letter of Rev. 13.
Posted on 06/18/2007 9:46:06 AM PDT by kiriath_jearim
Every morning on his way to the Concord, Calif., high school where he teaches physical education and health, John Nunan buys his breakfast. After he swipes his card through the reader, his bank debits the purchase from his account. He often repeats the process for lunch and dinner.
The amounts are small. For example, his usual breakfast of coffee and a Western omelet bagel from a coffee shop comes to $5.35. He said he debits his bank account “pretty much for every meal that I eat out.”
Mr. Nunan, 25, is part of a group that some major credit card companies and banks are calling Gen P, or Generation Plastic. It refers to spenders 18 to 25 years old who are increasingly using debit or credit cards, collectively known as payment cards, for nearly every on-the-go purchase.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Yep, I get the same ammount of cash from the same ATM at approximately the same time and days of the week. Any data hound is not going to to be able to figure out where I spend my money.
I would just go to my bank and take out cash. Even when the power is out for weeks after hurricanes, my local bank comes up on generator power.
If we’re talking doomsday, all credit card processing is down forever-type scenarios, and I can’t get to my cash because the banks are overrun by terrorists or zombies or the plague, I don’t think greenbacks are going to be much use anyhow. ;)
Credit cards work perfectly for me. It provides me with a 30-60 day interest free loan, while paying me 1-2% back on all purchases, and keeps me from having to carry cash. I’ll even use it for a $3.50 meal from McDonalds. They are just no good for borrowing money (high rates). I always pay the balance in full.
All my purchases go on a credit card, which is paid off at the end of the month. I've never incurred any interest charges, I actually get to float someone else's money for ~30 days, and I get Hilton Honor points for every dollar spent (which adds up to six nights in a premium Hilton resort about once every two years).
Very true! When massive storms (for instance) knock out the power and telephone lines you better have cash! I thought that I had enough but after 5 days of no power and having to pay cash for generator gasoline (at the one gasoline station about 20 miles away which had emergency power), I had to drive 120+ miles (roundtrip) to find a working ATM machine in order to get cash! Now, when a big storm is on the way, I make sure that I stock up on cash!
I have $$ on me usually, but never change. I felt funny using my debit card the other day for a $4.50 purchase, though....
I only use cash for those illegal purchases.....
Indeed. I use my debit card almost exlusively for purchasing, but I do keep $40 tucked away in a hidden fold of my wallet for emergencies. I learned the hard way that not doing so can be painful.
Three years ago I was crossing the Sierra’s through one of the minor passes when I had to stop and get gas at a small station in the middle of nowhere. Their card reader was down, and I had no cash on me. They certainly weren’t going to loan a total stranger fuel on faith, and their sense of charity was on leave that day, so I ended up having to call AAA and have a tow truck bring out some fuel. All because I had no cash.
There are also still some places that, for some stupid reason, set minimal transaction amounts on all card purchases. A mile or two from my home is a little quicky mart that will NOT permit ATM or credit purchases for amounts less than $5. They claim it’s to counter the high merchant fees charged by the credit card companies, but I suspect it’s just a scam to get their customers to buy more. I just never stop there at all. I don’t stop at AM/PM anymore either, since they instituted their fees for pay at the pump ATM transactions (it was a 45 cent surcharge when I began boycotting them two years ago, but I’ve been told that it’s gone up since).
Everyone here needs to view there movie.
America: Freedom to Fascism
http://www.freedomtofascism.com
I prefer to write out checks whenever possible, I don’t give a damn about annoyed people waiting in line behind me.
How terrible! My closest bank came up on generator power less than 48 hours after hurricane Wilma hit us. I don’t know what you can do except complain to their management but I can’t believe they wouldn’t serve the community when you really needed it.
You are definitely correct though. It’s always easiest to get everything you need before the hurricane hits, not after!
It is against the rules to limit the amount a person can charge.
A store may do so but if the credit card companies find out he could lose his ability to have cc transactions.
dependent on electric power for transactions
I use my Amex creditcard for EVERYTHING.
I pay it every month like clockwork and last year I got back over $1000 cash in rewards.....I never pay late fees.
....no coins in my pocket (hardly). and if I need more cash than I carry on me, an ATM is usually handy......
No fuss, no muss.
That said, I suppose using a debit card to ride Son of Beast over and over might violate the spirit if not the letter of Rev. 13.
I use my debit card for everything except bait, just about. I do keep cash at home if there is ever an emergency. I hate carrying around cash, and change just screws up my washing machine.
It’s no more social engineering than any other bandwagon advertising. The underlying message of all that kind of advertising, which is a high percentage of all advertising, is “be one of the cool kids, use our stuff”.
As a guy, I have nowhere to keep a checkbook when I’m out (women can keep them in their purses) so I use a debit card often. Hate carrying cash (although my fiance gets annoyed that I never do) because I’m more likely to fritter it away if I have cash.
Debit cards are like a check without the writing and delay in processing. Credit cards create a debt balance that might wind up including interest.
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