I got a new credit card offer....

[tony hipchest]

...from the local credit union that has my only credit card.

i can "upgrade" to a platinum with no annual fee and "only" 17.46% interest.

so i kindly responded with a handwritten letter...

are you freaking kidding me? i kindly suggest you save yourself $.60 and quit sending me such b/s offers in the mail.

[Preacher]

good for you.

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by Preacher

good for you.

lol. bastards!

theyre just pissed ive had a credit card with them for about 10 years and have only paid about 20-30 bucks (total) interest in that span.

im actually costing them money and they hate it.

[BrandonCarr39]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

...from the local credit union that has my only credit card.

i can "upgrade" to a platinum with no annual fee and "only" 17.46% interest.

so i kindly responded with a handwritten letter...

Yeah - when I was at the bank a month ago to deposit my tax refund, the teller told me to go to one of the desk representatives b/c they have to inquire me about something.

They started out by asking me to verify my bank information. THEN they tried to coax me into getting an updated credit card with SUPPOSEDLY *dirt low* interest rates(they seemed to make up a reason why interest rates went so low at the time). This NEVER happened to me during my time I've been having an account with this bank.

Obviously - in this bad economy, they are desperate as well.

[trauben]

Good for you! I don't have any credit cards myself anymore. I have a Western Union debit MasterCard that I have a direct deposit go to on paydays for my spending. I can easily go online and change the deposit amount to reflect my expendable cash for that pay period. There's only a fee if I withdraw cash from an ATM. Its real convenient. I just don't use "credit" anymore, and I know that hurts your credit score, but at this time in my life this is how I like it. If I don't have the money, I simply don't buy it. I've reverted back to saving up for items like I remember my parents doing. I wouldn't mind seeing the return of Layaway departments in stores again as well. Thats the best way to do things, imo, learn how to plan ahead. I've lived debt free this way for the past 5 years now paying only rent, utilities and car insurance and daily expenses. I had my name removed from the credit card mailing list a couple of years ago and I don't get that stuff in the mail any longer. I have been a member of my credit union for over 26 years now and they don't hassle me for credit cards. I don't have a bank and wouldn't want one. Too many fees and too many strings attached.

[HometownGal]

I have several credit cards but I don't use them anymore. I figure - if I can't pay for what I want with cash, I don't need it.

[Hammer67]

Originally Posted by HometownGal

I have several credit cards but I don't use them anymore. I figure - if I can't pay for what I want with cash, I don't need it.

Probably the best theory to have. I work for one of the major financial institutions so I get a few perks like discounted rates on credit cards and loans, but in the end, I have a zero credit balance. It's a great feeling to be debt free (aside form mortgage and car loan, of course)

[klick81]

I'm actually doing things a little differently, if only to build good credit, but also because the card I use the most is my NFL Rewards Steelers card. This earns 1 point per dollar that I charge on it, and after 30,000 points, you get two free tickets to a Steelers game in Pittsburgh .

I use this card for all of my regular expenses such as cell phone bill, groceries, car insurance (although I paid that off in one lump sum for the year), vehicle maintenance, gas, etc. etc.

Then, about twice per week, I deduct whatever amount I have spent on that credit card from my checking account, and put it in a separate account that I use to pay the card off IN FULL every month.

This way I build credit, acquire NFL Rewards points, and I'm still only spending money that I actually have. Since I pay the balance in full each month, I do not pay any finance charges.

[Hammer67]

I was doing the same with my PSU mastercard. The rewards were so small, though, that I stopped. I did get a nice desk lamp and some mugs out of the deal, though!

I wish I could put my mortgage on it every month and just pay it off the next day. You could rack up the points then...

[revefsreleets]

Pretty much out of that racket...it's like gambling. The house always eventually wins...