Dave Ramsey Overspent at Disney

[ICF]

Interesting how we have been sucked into using credit cards to earn "rewards". The credit card companies found a way to lure us in with said "rewards" and so people have started using credit more with the result being more people in debt. We do not carry credit card balances and have worked hard to limit all debt.

Credit Cards are awesome if you know how to use them. No CC company has made money off of me (except for fees that merchants pay them when I use the card), except for one year of the $69 fee I pd for the SW Card last year.

Otherwise....it's all free rewards for me.

 

[NHDisneyFan]

Credit Cards are awesome if you know how to use them. No CC company has made money off of me (except for fees that merchants pay them when I use the card), except for one year of the $69 fee I pd for the SW Card last year.

Otherwise....it's all free rewards for me.

Same here. Amex Blue has paid me over $7k the last 10 years to use their card. Pay it off each month and get Amex protection. I've squeezed in some good rewards with Chase in this time as well.

 

[eliza61]

I also love the protection when travelling that my credit cards offer. One year my husband and I were almost victims of a bait and switch with a all inclusive hotel on St. Thomas. The hotel was nothing like what the ta had promised. Long story, short one phone call to AE (we always put our trips on a cc) and within 2 hours we were in a gorgeous hotel with food vouchers and THEY did the investigation into the dive that we were assigned.
I can't imagine the hassles we would have had if I had tried to get a refund after the fact.

I don't travel any where without a credit card.

 

[JackTraveler]

I wonder if he's just gotten so used to using cash that he hasn't trained himself on how to use cards. I really dislike cash. I don't like change and it's dirty and for me, hard to track. I love using my debit/cc because I can track everything with apps without having to write anything down. I used mint.com to keep track of all of my accounts and I check it daily. I get notifications if there is unusual spending or a low balance. Maybe he just hasn't used them in a while and forgot how easy it is to swipe something to pay.

I was introduced to DR by my aunt. She gave me his book. I probably wouldn't buy it anyways as I only go to Goodwill or online for kindle books. He made me think about finance in a new light. I started saving a lot more and paid off a bit of my student loans. Unfortunately I had to stop because I'm moving soon and I have to save for that (they're being deferred). He has great advice for retirement and investing or at least how to start that I try to store for the future. I don't agree with everything and never will, but he offers great commonsense advice to people who have never heard them before.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Even with the "magic" rfid cards I don't plan on using it, just like I never charged things to my room. I take a set amount of money as spending money and once its gone its gone. It's really not THAT HARD.
As for Dave Ramsey people listened to him for some it worked, for some it did't. Money management is something that some people just can't for some reason seem to do, for others it's common sense. Where as DH and I luckily figured it out at a young age we found a system that works for US and we live comfortably with in our means. People have forever had budget issue and will continue to.

My solution is actually to buy a Disney gift card. The only trip where I actually need this type of thing is Food & Wine because it's just a pain to deal with paying cash at all those booths (and I wind up with $10 in quarters rolling around my bag LOL!) So I just buy gift cards and refill as needed. that way I know what I am spending.

I don't trust Disney's IT AT ALL and if I charged all those little bites to my room charge it would be a PIA to reconcile that.

 

[ZoeBell]

Credit Cards are awesome if you know how to use them. No CC company has made money off of me (except for fees that merchants pay them when I use the card), except for one year of the $69 fee I pd for the SW Card last year.

Otherwise....it's all free rewards for me.

It's been the same for me. No interest/late fees paid on CC in all of 2012 or so far in 2013. But I'll say it's been a LONG and dare I say expensive road to get to this place.

 

[mhsjax]

Credit Cards are awesome if you know how to use them. No CC company has made money off of me (except for fees that merchants pay them when I use the card), except for one year of the $69 fee I pd for the SW Card last year.

Otherwise....it's all free rewards for me.

Unfortunately, they depend on others poor spending habits to make their money. People like you aren't considered "good" customers. I worked for one of the biggest and they didn't like people like you. Sad isn't it?

 

[ZoeBell]

Same here. Amex Blue has paid me over $7k the last 10 years to use their card. Pay it off each month and get Amex protection. I've squeezed in some good rewards with Chase in this time as well.

I've done good with my CC. I put every bill I can on my CC and as much everyday expenses as I can. Those dollars transfer for SW points. Then I use my online bill pay to pay my CC and bills I can't pay with the CC. I earn points on there as well. I've gotten gift cards to restaurants, hotels, gas, movies, iTunes and Target. There are other gifts as well.

I never carry cash. Usually I'm digging around in my purse for a buck or 2 when I needed it. But since going all debit/cc I hardly ever have money on me.

 

[LauraR]

Credit Cards are awesome if you know how to use them. No CC company has made money off of me (except for fees that merchants pay them when I use the card), except for one year of the $69 fee I pd for the SW Card last year.

Otherwise....it's all free rewards for me.

I'm the same way, I make about $500 in rewards on each credit card per year, with zero interest paid, because I pay them off before the end of the month. I also like paying with credit because then I have a paper summary of what I spent my money on. When I have cash, I can never seem to remember where it all went! I've never thought paying with credit made me more likely to buy something, but then I track my money pretty closely, so I always have the "big picture" in the back of my mind.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

When I go to Disney this fall, I will have all our spending money on a Reward card, with plenty of leftovers for our trip at Mardi Gras with the dear relations.
In addition, I have fraud protection, great consumer protections and wonderful customer service - better than what my bank offers on my debit card, that's for sure.

As for knowing what you've spent, it's as easy as your phone app!

At Disney, I keep track in my head (although this will be our first F&W - I expect that will be a challenge!) and double check my totals each night or every other night. It's just not a big deal.