Customers Using Less Credit Cards and More Cash

that's exactly what we do . pretty well anything over $20 goes on plastic - good way of keeping track of expenses and helps in planning the budget for the next year .
also handy if something has to be returned to the store .
on top , we get a 1/2 % bonus from the bank (shopping coupon) ; so twice a year we get our groceries for free .
too bad we can no longer charge our municipal taxes on plastic .
hbg

Not making any changes. Gasoline always goes on a card, as does internet shopping. I also try to use plastic as much as possible when traveling as I don't like to carry lots of cash and also don't want to run short of what I do carry.

mrs h's billfold was lifted out of her zippered handbag (which she was carrying in front of her and holding onto !) in berlin a few years ago .
the "plastic" was replaced the next day - the cash was gone forever !
(luckily it was less than about $100)
hbg

Here in Germany, mostly electronic cash cards (from your local bank) are used. (A European kind of debit card.)

While credit cards were generally given only to people after a larger credit check then e.g. in the USA or UK, and until recently it was normality to pay your credit cards debts once a month, credit card organisations are now (sic!) starting to sell the US and UK model ...

I live on my debit card.

I rarely use my debit card to pay for anything. Only if no credit card option available.

Also, I don't use cash too often either. Most of the time it's on the one credit card that my wife and I share. The bill gets paid in it's entirety every month.

For us, it's a plus to use the card, because it's a rewards account. When I have 3000 points, I get a $25 Esso gas gift card.

I consider credit cards a great evil. I keep one for the rare case where I need to rent a car, and nothing else-- and it pisses me off that I need them to rent a car.

I think it is grossly wrong for credit card companies to charge stores... a cost that is passed on to customers whether they use credit cards or not. I think it is grossly wrong for credit card companies to offer "cash back" or other bonuses... gimmick that is far from free. They are raising the prices of goods across the board to keep some of you addicted to their "services".

Of course the real cost of credit cards is their effect on the poor. The billions of dollars being paid by the Americans who are least able to pay it and who are getting absolutely nothing in return. Anyone charging 28% interest to people having trouble feeding their family is deserving of the hottest place in hell.

Let's not forget that it was the credit industry that is at the root of our current economic failing... another consequence that is being paid by all of us, whether we were involved or not.

I say... to hell with credit cards.

i have often enough offered stores a cash payment for large purchases in return for a small discount . the usual answer : "no thanks , we are happy to put it on your credit card . " .
a business-owner friend of ours pays most of his suppliers with a credit card .
usually he gets enough "points" to buy a round-trip ticket to europe once or even twice a year . he is pretty happy with the credit card business . he told me that his sales would likely be considerably lower without credit cards .
he also doesn't have to accept cheques that may not be honoured - not an unusual occurence in the days when cheques were the payment of choice .
nothing is ever black or white only - a lot of grey .
hbg

I pay cash for almost everything. If I don't have the cash, I can't afford it.

I only do that because I have excellent credit, though. I do worry a bit about my credit suffering in the future because of my current habits. Should I need credit I want to know that it's available.

Don't you find carrying large amounts of money with you or left at home is risky?

for anything over $20, out comes the debit card.
but i still use cash for smaller purchases.

somehow it doesn't seem right to pay for a soda that way...

I just got one of my cards rates raised...and I've been with them for over 5 years. I'll be cancelling them.

My payment choices haven't changed -- I still charge almost everything and pay the balance in full each month -- but my spending choices have changed.

Me too. I paid off my credit cards and cut them up 14 years ago and only use my Visa debit card. It works for internet transactions as well as in place of carrying cash. I write one check a month for my rent. The utilities all get paid online and I do my grocery shopping online.

Harrumpf! Your gas is .35 lower than here in the middle of the oil patch, and now your sodas are under $20.00. Where do I file a grievance?

boomer- That's the problem. If you only pay cash, you will never establish a credit rating. Then you may want some credit, and you won't have it.

My suggestion is to get a credit card, and use it to buy only what you would normally buy for cash. I think that the fact that you are used buying for cash would indicate that you would be prudent in your credit card use. Pay the card off every month, or better still, have the bill taken out automatically from your checking account.
An advantage of a credit card is that some of them offer "cash back" and/or points towards something or other. You have to check around for the best deal. We have a couple of cards with a "cap" on the cash back every year. When we reach the maximum cash back on one card, we just use the other one.

boomer- Take a look at this:

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/cc_home.asp

I use this site to find the best rates for CDs, but they also have a great section on credit cards, with lots of information.

Watch it! I think they're all doing it. They've got to make up for defaults somehow, you know?

Thanks Phoenix, I will take a look but I really do have great credit, just haven't used it in a while. I just don't want to be one of those women who stop working to raise a kid and fall off the face of the credit world.

I don't worry about carrying cash as I never make very big purchases and I don't look like the kind of person who would have much cash on me!