I hate credit cards

[Domo]

They jump on you at every turn and take you for all you're worth and woe betide that you ever fall behind on your payments! It's all I can do to stay afloat... and even then it's hard scraping

And they're not the worst! There are loan services out there such as Wonga.com who charge up to a representative 1,500% APR and up... ouch!

 

[superme80]

The worst here is when you pay your bill late because it is due on EST instead of PST. I had that issue once with my credit card. I called them and they said, "Well it IS due by EST." "I paid you 2 hours late." "Well you haven't complained about our late charges in the past before." "That is because I was actually LATE on those payments!" I finally got that charge reversed. I know try to pay 2 days ahead of time. Credit cards are vile things.

 

[georgina]

They jump on you at every turn and take you for all you're worth and woe betide that you ever fall behind on your payments! It's all I can do to stay afloat... and even then it's hard scraping

And they're not the worst! There are loan services out there such as Wonga.com who charge up to a representative 1,500% APR and up... ouch!

I'm sorry you are having credit card issues. I like credit cards. They are very convenient for me and give rewards. My dad was an accountant and grew up during the depression so he taught me to pay my bill in full every month and never pay interest. If I can't afford something, I don't buy it. Most of my cards are on auto-pay which takes care of the late payment issue. If you hate them, once you get them paid off, don't use them any more.

I agree with you about loan services that are rip offs for people in need.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Only good for an emergency. I know many people who are heavily into debt and nothing to show for the money they charged.

 

[Meriweather]

I like mine....and the perks that come with it.
Pay it off every month.....on time

 

[shoney]

I couldn't live without my credit cards. I use it for everything....for purchases as little as $1. I like getting the perks back and having all my purchases in one place. I rarely carry cash. I pay it on time each month.

 

[mnrose]

I love credit cards. Easy way to pay and I pay them 100% off each and every month. I'm always amazed, though, at what the minimum payment is. We had a bill over 10K recently (annual insurance payment and a vacation charge in the same month), and the minimum payment was something like $47. LOLOL. You'd be paying FOREVER at that rate. I'll bet there are people who do that though.

 

[sam_gordon]

They jump on you at every turn and take you for all you're worth and woe betide that you ever fall behind on your payments! It's all I can do to stay afloat... and even then it's hard scraping

And they're not the worst! There are loan services out there such as Wonga.com who charge up to a representative 1,500% APR and up... ouch!

Didn't you recently get some super computer and take a trip to Vegas? I don't think it's the credit cards that are the problem.

While we don't pay ours off every month, I don't hate them. It's our fault for spending money we don't have.

 

[ronandannette]

LOL - OP, choose either Las Vegas or the Maldives, not both. That'll help get you over this rough patch!

 

[Colleen27]

I have a love/hate relationship with them. On principle I hate them - the whole system is set up to encourage failure and overspending, and God forbid you not play the game because that'll cost you too. But in practice I'm getting better at playing that game and starting to see the advantages. We went from paying cash for everything so long that we started getting hit with poor-credit penalties on our insurance policies to using a 1% cash back card for all our bills and paying it off monthly, which is a nice budgeting tool and a (tiny) savings on those bills. We're still not at a point where we can get the best cards with the great rewards, but I'm now thinking in terms of "when we get there" and researching which would be best for our situation and habits.

 

[RedAngie]

I love credit cards. Easy way to pay and I pay them 100% off each and every month. I'm always amazed, though, at what the minimum payment is. We had a bill over 10K recently (annual insurance payment and a vacation charge in the same month), and the minimum payment was something like $47. LOLOL. You'd be paying FOREVER at that rate. I'll bet there are people who do that though.

There sure are. About 10 years ago I got a credit card solicitation in the mail. The big selling point was LOW MONTHLY PAYMENTS!!! Now you can buy more and pay less!!! Take that trip to Australia, buy that diamond ring, eat at fancy restaurants daily. Of course, in the fine print, they DO mention that it will take 78 years to pay off a $5000 balance at 27% interest, but who cares when you can have it all NOW!!!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I love my credit cards. Of course I also pay they off each month.

 

[Planogirl]

Credit cards are just tools to make life a little easier. You have to control them though just as you would your bank accounts.

 

[Allison]

Credit cards don't take you for all you are worth. Mine have been a great tool for many, many years. Proper management of credit is the responsibility of the borrower.

 

[ICF]

I like credit cards. They are very convenient for me and give rewards. My dad was an accountant and grew up during the depression so he taught me to pay my bill in full every month and never pay interest. If I can't afford something, I don't buy it. Most of my cards are on auto-pay which takes care of the late payment issue. If you hate them, once you get them paid off, don't use them any more.

Agree 100%...

We use them for all charges, pay off each month w/out interest and rake in all the rewards. If you know how to use them and have some financial discipline, they are a wonderful way to get free rewards.

 

[pat fan]

Geez Domo, nothing like sharing a tough time and have people telling you how responsible they are and you should be too!

I feel your pain. Way back, we used CC's as a necessity for a number of years. Finally got to where we didn't need them to get by and made a concerted effort to pay them off. Took years of making payments and not charging anything new. Long hard years. The spot you're in is tough, but you can get out of it some day. Keep your chin up.

 

[sam_gordon]

Geez Domo, nothing like sharing a tough time and have people telling you how responsible they are and you should be too!

I feel your pain. Way back, we used CC's as a necessity for a number of years. Finally got to where we didn't need them to get by and made a concerted effort to pay them off. Took years of making payments and not charging anything new. Long hard years. The spot you're in is tough, but you can get out of it some day. Keep your chin up.

It's like saying you hate your car after getting a speeding ticket. The problem isn't the tool, it's how it's used.

 

[disykat]

Geez Domo, nothing like sharing a tough time and have people telling you how responsible they are and you should be too!

I feel your pain. Way back, we used CC's as a necessity for a number of years. Finally got to where we didn't need them to get by and made a concerted effort to pay them off. Took years of making payments and not charging anything new. Long hard years. The spot you're in is tough, but you can get out of it some day. Keep your chin up.

I honestly don't think people are jumping on Domo. Sometimes people get tired of shopping and want some comic relief on the DIS -- I'm sure we're just giving what was expected. (I don't often look at past posts, but sometimes people seem to beg you to.) My advice: stop charging and save the credit cards for emergencies and as a money management tool as others have suggested.

 

[eliza61]

They jump on you at every turn and take you for all you're worth and woe betide that you ever fall behind on your payments! It's all I can do to stay afloat... and even then it's hard scraping

And they're not the worst! There are loan services out there such as Wonga.com who charge up to a representative 1,500% APR and up... ouch!

As the old timers say, This too will pass. . look at it this way, now you know. many people get into a bit of cc trouble it's what you do from this point on that matters.
Yep, it's going to suck while you get rid of it but hopefully after that you say "been there, done that, never again".

I have a few friends who got into cc bind, dug themselves out and now use them responsibly. It's like fire, once you get burned you say ok won't do that again and learn to use fire safely.

 

[Domo]

lol, it's no issue guys, I don't feel jumped upon It would be worse if I were living off the damn things, but I'm happily afloat I was just pointing out the epic proportions of the over-limit fees that are plonked upon you even if you go over by 1p!

I find the easiest thing to do is to spend then immediately write the debt off online. If I miss anything, it's my own fault and I just have to face up to facts!