paying by check in a retail store

[eliza61]

paying for them outright regardless of whether or not you pay off the balance. That's how people end up with CC debt in the first place.

My grandparents who unfortunately are no longer living grew up in a generation where you didn't borrow money. You paid for everything in cash - except for the house. They did have a mortgage. But every single car my grandparents bought they paid cash. They put all of their children through college without loans. It wasn't a generation of instant gratification because they wanted it.

I'm sure I've probably upset more people but I tell it like it is. I live my life for me and if I don't want to be "normal" then that's my choice.

And that's all very lovely, just as long as you're cool with the fact that retail stores do not have to change their rules to suit your life style.
If you want to write a check at most retail stores (I can only speak for NJ/NY) you have to have a CC regardless of what your grandparents did.

For me it's very simple. The Rules are XYZ, I either choose to follow them or I pay some other way.

 

[DVCLiz]

I do have a debit card that I use to buy gas with because I don't know exactly how much I'm going to spend every time I fill up. But the point is that a debit card can be as much trouble as a CC. It looks the same and works the same. There are people that use it without really paying attention to the amount of money they actually have and get into overdraft trouble. It also allows you to buy things that you might not normally buy because you assume the extra cash is in the account. Trust me, years ago DH and I would buy things without realizing how much we really had in the bank and would end up over drafting. Not often but when it did happen I'd get really mad. We came to the point where we didn't want to live like that anymore and decided to budget every dollar every pay check and take out the required amount of cash we'd need for those 2 weeks until the next pay check was deposited. It makes us think twice about buying something we don't need. It's harder to part with cash than it is to swipe a card. Do you know how many people don't reconcile their bank accounts/check books every month? Lots!

I'm going to shut up because to some people I could talk to until I'm blue in the face and they still wouldn't get it. So I guess it's fair to say that many of us will agree to disagree. I'll do as I see fit with my money and everyone can do as they please with theirs.

I do "get" what you are saying - I just diasagree with it. If you can't figure out how to use a debit card in the same way that you would use a checkbook, then you shouldn't be using either of them. They both work exactly the same way, and most people have learned how to access their accounts and check their balances online in order not to overspend on a debit card. In fact, it is entirely possible to use a debit card ONLY and still stick to a budget. Not sure why you think a debit card is anything like a credit card, but whatever...

 

[garmich]

However I want to prove that you can live a life without having to use CC's. By not having CC's and budgeting on a monthly basis accordingly, it allows us to put more money into savings for retirement.

You're posting on this board so I assume that you travel. Without a credit card, how do you rent a car when you're on vacation? All car rental companies require a credit card before they hand you the keys. Also, at hotels. Even when my hotels are pre-paid, I still have to give them my credit card to cover any additional charges. And debit cards are not acceptable. They require a credit card.

 

[zigfam4]

One of the things I would suggest doing if you own a debit card is to put "SEE ID" on the back of the card where your signature normally goes. It's just as easy for someone to swipe your Debit Card and use it as it is for someone to steal your checks and use them. If you run your debit card through as credit (it still comes out of your checking account, it just goes through Visa or MC first and they get a cut of it), you don't have to enter your PIN number. I can honestly say that 95% of the time I use my debit card and run it through as credit, the cashier does NOT check the signature on the receipt vs. the back of the card. Therefore, how do they know it's even me using the card!! Very frustrating. You wouldn't believe how many cashiers still don't ask to see my ID even though it's specifically written on the back of my card. I've gotten into the habit of just showing it to them anyways. I got this tip from an identity theft show I watched on Oprah!

First WDW trip coming up April, 2009

Me, DH, DD (5), DD (3 1/2)

 

[hoosiergirl7]

You're posting on this board so I assume that you travel. Without a credit card, how do you rent a car when you're on vacation? All car rental companies require a credit card before they hand you the keys. Also, at hotels. Even when my hotels are pre-paid, I still have to give them my credit card to cover any additional charges. And debit cards are not acceptable. They require a credit card.

Easy. Like I said, I do use a debit card from time to time. I've used it plenty to book hotel, airfare and rent cars. As long as it has a Visa or Mastercard logo on it, I've never been turned down . I have never been told I can't use it to pay for my rental car, hotel or airfare. I rent a car at least once a year and never has my debit Mastercard not been accepted for payment. It is processed the exact same way a CC is.

Yes I do travel. Quite a bit actually because the military has left us 9 hrs from our families and in order to see them we have to travel. But, if I know I'm going to take a vacation I save the money first and then pay for it via my debit Mastercard. If I don't have the money I don't go. It doesn't always make our families happy that we can't see them very much but they understand our issue with not having debt.

I'm done with this discussion. Obviously there are those who insist that they can't live without debit cards/credit cards and that's your choice. But let me live with mine in peace whether you agree with it or not. Like I said originally, you can live without CC's. People choose to use them as a lifeline and that's why this country has billions if not trillions of dollars of CC debt. I use my bank account as my lifeline and only answer to my mortgage company for the roof over my head.

 

[maxiesmom]

You're posting on this board so I assume that you travel. Without a credit card, how do you rent a car when you're on vacation? All car rental companies require a credit card before they hand you the keys. Also, at hotels. Even when my hotels are pre-paid, I still have to give them my credit card to cover any additional charges. And debit cards are not acceptable. They require a credit card.

You can find some rental car companies who will not require a credit card. They are scarce, but they are out there. I would think the hotels would just put a hold on a certain amount of money in your account.

 

[mamaLori05]

I do have a debit card that I use to buy gas with because I don't know exactly how much I'm going to spend every time I fill up. But the point is that a debit card can be as much trouble as a CC. It looks the same and works the same. There are people that use it without really paying attention to the amount of money they actually have and get into overdraft trouble. It also allows you to buy things that you might not normally buy because you assume the extra cash is in the account. Trust me, years ago DH and I would buy things without realizing how much we really had in the bank and would end up over drafting. Not often but when it did happen I'd get really mad. We came to the point where we didn't want to live like that anymore and decided to budget every dollar every pay check and take out the required amount of cash we'd need for those 2 weeks until the next pay check was deposited. It makes us think twice about buying something we don't need. It's harder to part with cash than it is to swipe a card. Do you know how many people don't reconcile their bank accounts/check books every month? Lots!

I'm going to shut up because to some people I could talk to until I'm blue in the face and they still wouldn't get it. So I guess it's fair to say that many of us will agree to disagree. I'll do as I see fit with my money and everyone can do as they please with theirs.

If I don't have the money in my bank account then my check card doesn't work. No overdrafting here. It's actually better than a check because there is no way of overdrafting, which means no overdraft fees. If there is no money, then the transaction won't go through. Never had it happen, but that is what we were told by the bank.

 

[bellarosemarie]

I'm a manager at Macy's and we use to require two forms of ID. But that was a change implemented by Telecheck, it too is an outside agency that Macys use to approve their checks. Stop&shops,which are also in the northeast, also use this company. If you didn't have a cc we could get around it w/ a passport, military, or second ID like a non-driving state ID card. If that agency, or others like it, decline your check there is nothing I can do as a manager to override it.
At least the manager worked around it so that you could purchase your shorts. We always want the customer to go away happy.

 

[Merriwind]

For those who huffed and puffed about my comment let me clarify something.

There are people that use credit cards and pay off the balances every month. My SIL & BIL are 2 that I know of. I'm glad that you can be responsible enough to do that. However the percentage of people that do is only 1% to 2% of the entire credit card holding population. That means that 98% to 99% of people who use credit cards have balances that roll over to the following month and accrue interest. The average credit card debt that American households have is around $35,000. That's CC debt alone. That does not include other loans or lines of credit for cars, boats, houses, etc. It still means that there are millions of people in this country who have debt. Did you know that only 4% of the population is debt free (minus mortgage) and has at least $10,000 in a bank account? What's wrong with that picture? The fact of the matter is that CC's give you the flexibility to buy things that you might normally not have bought if you were paying for them outright regardless of whether or not you pay off the balance. That's how people end up with CC debt in the first place.

Where are you getting these statistics?

From TransUnion (June 2008): National average credit card debt per credit card borrower dropped 1.25 percent from the previous quarter's $1,694 total to $1,673, though the total remains 5.6 percent higher than the same period last year ($1,584). http://newsroom.transunion.com/index.php?s=43&item=476

From the credit card industry: http://www.creditcards.com/credit-c...ustry-facts-personal-debt-statistics-1276.php
Sources cited within.

--Approximately 74.9% of the U.S. families surveyed in 2004 had credit cards, and 58% of those families carried a balance. In 2001, 76.2% of families had creditcards, and 55% of those families carried a balance. (Source: Federal Reserve Bulletin, February 2006.) 58% of 75% is 44% of the country carrying cc debt.

--The majority of U.S. households have no credit card debt (Source: Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances, 2004)

--Of the households that do owe money on credit cards, the median balance was $2,200 -- meaning half owe more, half less (Source: Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances, 2004) Disagrees with TransUnion, but still a fraction of the claimed $35,000.

--Only 8.3 percent of households owe $9,000 or more on their cards (Source: Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances, 2004)

--National average credit card debt per credit card borrower is $1,673 (TransUnion, June 2008)

--About 40 percent of credit card holders carry a balance of less than $1,000. About 15 percent are far less conservative in their use of credit cards and have total card balances in excess of $10,000. When you look at the total of all credit obligations combined (except mortgage loans), 48 percent of consumers carry less than $5,000 of debt. This includes all credit cards, lines of credit and loans -- everything but mortgages. Nearly 37 percent carry more than $10,000 of nonmortgage debt as reported to the credit bureaus. (Source: myfico.com)

--The typical consumer has access to approximately $19,000 on all credit cards combined. More than half of all people with credit cards are using less than 30 percent of their total credit card limit. Just over one in seven is using 80 percent or more of their credit card limit (Source: myfico.com). (If the average household only has access to $19k in credit, how is the average debt $35k?)

Granted, some of this info is up to 4 years old; however, I doubt that the average household cc debt has increased by nearly 15-fold in that time. Nor do I believe that the percentage of households carrying cc debt has gone from 44% to 98%.

If you can't handle the responsibility that comes with having a credit card, don't get one. Actually, I applaud you for staying away from ccs and not becoming yet another poster asking for bankruptcy advice/encouragement. But, don't try to make it sound like the rest of the world has the same issue.

The fact is, the majority of Americans manage their credit card debt. Using a credit card responsibly to pay your day to day expenses is a financially sound decision. I'm floated an interest-free loan every day for everything I buy. Money doesn't leave my bank account for anywhere from 28 to 58 days after I make a purchase. It collects interest for me during that time. I have a record of what I spent and where. I have customer service reps ready to help me solve disputes. Had I written a check? Too bad, so sad. I have fraud protection if my card is lost or stolen. Not with a checkbook. The list goes on and on.

hoosiergirl7, as you can see, I'm a facts type of person. If you've got some citations to back up your assertions about consumer cc debt, I would be very interested in seeing them. (I'm betting I don't, though.)

 

[hoosiergirl7]

To Merriwind:

Here are some of the facts I found:

Total U.S. consumer revolving debt (credit cards) reached $904 billion in June 2007, up from $879 billion at the end of 2006 (Source: Federal Reserve).

Young Americans now have the second highest rate of bankruptcy, just after those aged 35 to 44. The rate among 25 to 34-year-olds increased between 1991 and 2001, indicating that this generation is more likely to file bankruptcy as young adults than were young Boomers at the same age (Generation Broke: Growth of Debt Among Young Americans)

Between 1989 and 2006, the nation's total credit card charges increased from about $69 billion a year to more than $1.8 trillion, and the average amount owed by households has increased by a staggering 88%--from $2,768 in 1989 to $5,219 in 2004. (Source: Demos.org, April 2008)

From MWHodges (updated March 2008)

- America has become more a debt 'junkie' - - than ever before
with total debt of $53 Trillion - - and the highest debt ratio in history.

- That's $175,154 per man, woman and child - - or $700,616 per family of 4,
$33,781 more debt per family than last year.

- 80% ($42 trillion) of total debt was created since 1990,
a period primarily driven by debt instead of by productive activity.

- In 2004, the average credit-card debt of US households was $9,300, up from $2,966 in 1990, according to research firm CardWeb.com - - that's 214% more debt.

- Credit card debt. Ick. Most Americans have it. In fact, the average American carries more than $9,000 of credit card debt … and growing. (ABC News) That $9K is per person, not per household.

The original $35K I quoted may have included debts from stores that give you lines of credit (ie, furniture stores, Best Buy, etc.) not just major CC's. Unfortunately the information was learned in a class that I took almost 2 years ago that I no longer have the textbook for.

Seriously, this topic needs to be dropped all together. There are people that can't live without CC's and there are those who can. The whole point I was saying in my very 1st post about the reaction the OP had to the cashier as Kohl's was justified. The cashier had no right to tell the OP that she had to get a credit card because everyone else had them. I was just backing the OP in saying that it's ridiculous that she should have a CC.

 

[tspann]

What about those of us who can't get credit cards? I am 38 years old and have never been able to get a credit card.

There is a young lady in my hometown (were I have not lived for more than 13 years) who has the same exact name as mine, the same birthdate and her social security number is extremly close to mine - same first 5 numbers in the same order and last four are the same as mine but in a different order. Heck she was even born in the same hospital as I was! There are some of her debts that have ended up on my credit reports. I monitor my credit report annually and file appeals on them when they show up but credit card companies just dont' care. One credit card company even told me that its an automated system and if their system declines me that's it.

I decided about 10 years ago to look at this as a sign from above that I just should not have credit cards and their probley right. We live paycheck to paycheck and I have wished at times that I had a credit card to get me through to the next payday.

 

[garmich]

If I don't have the money in my bank account then my check card doesn't work. No overdrafting here. It's actually better than a check because there is no way of overdrafting, which means no overdraft fees. If there is no money, then the transaction won't go through. Never had it happen, but that is what we were told by the bank.

My checking account has free overdraft protection. If there is an overdraft, an amount in increments of $100 is automatically deposited into my checking account to cover the overdraft. I have protection up to $1500. It's basically an instant loan, which I promptly payoff by transferring the loan amount from my savings account. I have never had a problem with overdrafts.

 

[Nie0214]

If I don't have the money in my bank account then my check card doesn't work. No overdrafting here. It's actually better than a check because there is no way of overdrafting, which means no overdraft fees. If there is no money, then the transaction won't go through. Never had it happen, but that is what we were told by the bank.

I work for a bank, your charge will still go through even if you have $0 in your account (at our bank anyway). There is an overdraft protection for people so that they will not get declined while in the store. It isn't a set amount, it is based on many factors on your account. Let's say my account has a $500 overdraft area, even if I have $0 in the account and I go to the store and use my debit card, it will still go through as long as the purchase is under $500.

Young Americans now have the second highest rate of bankruptcy, just after those aged 35 to 44. The rate among 25 to 34-year-olds increased between 1991 and 2001, indicating that this generation is more likely to file bankruptcy as young adults than were young Boomers at the same age (Generation Broke: Growth of Debt Among Young Americans)

This is more than likely because they have gone to college and have loans to pay. People would probably consider me in debt because I have over $15,000 in student loans, but I do not consider myself in debt and manage my money well, including having a credit card with no balance currently. For that study, I was probably considered one of the young Americans in debt, but truly I don't feel that I am.

@OP When I worked at JCPenney for extra Christmas money, when we took checks we had to look at their driver's license and write down the license number on the top of the check. We didn't need two forms of ID.

 

[Merriwind]

I apologize for the length of this in advance. I just can't let these half-truths from questionable sources go unanswered. My responses are in green - the color of money!~

Source: Demos.org, April 2008 Demos.org ONLY surveys households that have carried cc debt for 3 months or longer. Plus, they only survey low and middle income households. See the last paragraph at (http://www.demos.org/page432.cfm) Not a complete picture of America's debt. They obviously have an agenda to advance.

From MWHodges (updated March 2008). I have never heard of MW Hodges, so I had to look him up. You do realize that his only "published" work is his personal "Grandfather Hodges" att.net webpage, don't you? (http://mwhodges.home.att.net/) The source of his economic experitse, according to his own website? Admiration for Milton Friedman! (Gee, I admire Judge Judy, doesn't make me a law expert!) Also, realize that his statistics includes ALL debt, including the government's, not just consumer revolving debt. Several places in his "debt reports," you'll find comment like this, "As mentioned, debt is here defined as all U.S. debt (sum debt of federal and state & local governments, international, and private debt, incl. households, business and financial sector debts, and federal debt to trust funds)."

- according to research firm CardWeb.com CardWeb is a company that sells advertising to credit card companies and then puts together and sells "reports" on the industry. Reports with the same info the Fed Reserve and credit bureaus give away probably wouldn't sell very well, would they? From MSN, explaining the CardWeb way of coming up with its figures. "CardWeb, however, doesnt contend that the average American owes more than $8,000 on cards." Let's just say they play an interesting game with averages to come up with more sensational figures. The whole article is great and can be found here: http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Banking/creditcardsmarts/P74808.asp


(ABC News) That $9K is per person, not per household. Closest I can find to this statistic is at The ABC of Credit Card Debt.com, a credit consolidation company.

Fact is, the Federal statistics on credit card debt and the credit bureaus really are the best source of this type of info. The alarming sound bites can be found, but usually at a source that is trying to sell you something (credit card counseling, reports and advertising or just plain old self-importance). Truth is, half the people in America owe nothing ($0) to credit card companies. Are many in over their heads? Yes, absolutely. But, that is their doing, not the cc companies'.

If anyone wants to be afraid of credit cards, fine. Don't get one, I don't care. Realize though, that stores have a right to protect themselves against fraud. If they want to require a cc as a form of ID in order to accept a check, they can do that. Similarly, shoppers can exercise their rights not to shop in stores that have such policies. It's a free market!

I do care when people pull out exaggerated and made up statistics to try and scare people to their point of view. I'm going to stick to established financial sources, such as credit bureaus, for my info on credit card debt.

 

[soccerchick]

I dont think a person should have to have a creditcard or debit card to write a check. Whats wrong with just having a valid license.

At first i thought the cashier was just trying to pus the kohls card. I think they get rewarded for having people sign up, but if the manager also mentioned needing a card. Someday they will wanna put barcodes on our forehead

Identity theft is one reason.Making sure the check and the person are good for the $ and can be tracked down is another. Checks are very easy to commit fraud with.

I was a cashier over 20 years ago in hs and we had to have a DL and a CC to accept checks back then. Needed phone #; can't remember what else. There was a little stamp we used and then checked off the info.We could not accept starter checks and checks with low #s (103 etc) had to be approved by a front end supervisor.

I never write checks now except for graduation and weddings gifts! Takes way too long at the register. I either pay cash, debit card, or cc and pay off the bill in full each month.

PS - Kohls cards are worth it. They and Macy's are the only department store cards I have because of the awesome extra discounts you get. I shopped there this week w/an extra 30% code!

 

[mamaLori05]

I work for a bank, your charge will still go through even if you have $0 in your account (at our bank anyway). There is an overdraft protection for people so that they will not get declined while in the store. It isn't a set amount, it is based on many factors on your account. Let's say my account has a $500 overdraft area, even if I have $0 in the account and I go to the store and use my debit card, it will still go through as long as the purchase is under $500.



.

Must vary by bank, because ours does not go through if there is no money in the acct. We made sure of it for security reasons. We keep just what we need in the checking acct for the week, and put the rest in savings. Taht way if anyone would get ahold of our card, they wouldn't be able to go crazy with it. Our savings acct is totally seperate from our checking acct.

 

[RetroMom]

For those of you that use debit cards, check with your bank to see if they use this service:

https://www.visaextras.com/

We use our debit cards for everything and get points for doing it. We have gotten 2 $100 Amazon gift certificates this year.

I found out about this on the budget board. Four months after we started using it, our bank finally sent a (very small) notice that it was available.

Oh my gosh!! Thank you!! I totally forgot about this program. I had to go dig up my password. I have over 63,000 points in there!!

 

[Disneymom2kiddos]

Merriwind .....YOU ROCK!!! Seriously, I am one of those people (DH and I) that pay off balances every month while using credit cards. I always think of that visa checkcard commercial where the person pulls out their checkbook and holds up the line for everyone else, and I laugh. I'm always the person right behind them!

 

[seashoreCM]

I Me, I think if you they need to write my credit card number on my check..I might as well pay for the item with my credit card where at least some of the personal info is blacked out on the receipt. Do I really want my credit card number, expiration date, name, address, phone number, driver's license number, bank account number and routing number ALLLL floating around out there.

The merchant has a right to some of the information you mentioned, juxtaposed. If push comes to shove, the merchant may have to have an imprint of your credit card (just as in the very old days of credit cards). Any exception to this is up to the credit card processor, the company that provides the machines where the cards are swiped and which print the receipts.

One of the consequences of this rule is that many mail order merchants cannot prove that credit card transactions are legitimate and have to live by what the credit card processor declares is true.

The lady who had difficulty getting a credit card should sit down with bank managers. I had to do that too in an earlier lifetime, like, just out of college. My credit card applications were rejected with the reason "insufficient credit history". Now how do you get credit history without having and using credit cards? OT: Today's college kids on average get all kinds of credit card applications in the mail during senior year.

 

[~*~Michelle~*~]

This is nothing new. In the past for checks at least 10 years ago you had to go to the customer service counter to get checks approved before going to pay with it. (They used to call the bank.) Now with id they allow it at the register.


And for the record, having a cc does not equal debt. I use the cc to pay for everything (getting Disney rewards) and pay it off every month. A credit card equals no hassles.

Not everyone that uses credit cards has debt.I pay for everything all month on the credit card, and then pay it in full at the end of the month.i also am about to pay off my mortgage and have no car loans either.it is all in how you manage your finances.the people that run into trouble are the ones that use a credit card buying more than they can afford to and end up with huge finance charges .If you use credit cards responsibly they can be quite beneficial.

Are you really implying you think everyone who has a credit card isn't responsible and has debt? Not true.

Unfortunately, businesses lose a lot of money on people who write bad checks or steal someone's checkbook. There are fewer and fewer businesses who even accept checks anymore.

Well, that's painting with a pretty broad brush!

We are another family that charges everything to a rewards card and pays the balance in full every month. Getting one monthly statement listing all our expenses lets us keep track of where the money goes much more easily. Using a credit card gives you extra purchase protection. Also, checking out at a store is quick and easy--just swipe, sign and go!

OP, I think that the fraud that seems to be rampant today is forcing retailers to take extra steps (like requiring extra ID) to ensure they get paid. Maybe a debit card linked to your account would be a good choice for you. Glad you got your shorts!

Count us as another family w/cc & no debt on them! I think it's wiser to have a cc & pay them off each mth. That way your building good credit as well. But like w/my disney card, I'm also building reward dollars!