# Do I NEED to have credit cards? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 4, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520 "2014-09-04T20:15:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/41 "2014-09-05T16:49:54Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > This is pretty close. I can get rid of a bunch of it by sacrificing money in my checking account that I never use, but I tend to not do that but once every couple months You should be doing it once _every_ month, unless you want to pay the credit card issuer interest for no reason. Your credit does improve slightly if you carry a (small) rotating balance but not enough to make it worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/42 "2014-09-05T16:57:11Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > This is pretty close. I can get rid of a bunch of it by sacrificing money in my checking account that I never use, but I tend to not do that but once every couple months > > More closely with the second one. Despite how I may have seemed in my OP I am more responsible with money than I came across, and due to that I understand that I don’t make enough to confidently handle two separate credit cards. I would be worried that I would get TOO complacent and therefore run one (or both) of them up too much and have a helluva time recovering. Forcing myself (if you call it that) to stay at one card keeps me grounded…which was the point of the conversation between she and I in the first place Sorry, my post was a response to the one directly above it. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/43 "2014-09-05T18:00:41Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > So many times a woman can destroy a guy financially by pushing him into too much credit. The lady sees something for $1.29 that she wants, the store won’t process transactions on a card for less than $5.00 so she picks up several more little things she had no desire for and at the end of the month she pays the minimum payment, it takes 25 years to pay off her $1.29 desire. Resist this type of pressure. Um, in your scenario the lady destroyed her own credit. But I do agree that if you’re not paying off your balance every month, that pack of gum will cost you dearly. Also, “financial pressure” works both ways. People who want or expect more than they can afford come in both sexes. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/44 "2014-09-05T19:01:03Z")
I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would tell someone else to get a credit card, let alone argue with them about it if they should say no and especially if they explain why the answer is no. With one credit card, a car loan and student loans, it seems you have adequate revolving debt that you are able to handle right now which is what will give you a decent credit score. Saying “no” is a very valid response in this situation, but even if it wasn’t, it’s YOUR financial ass on the line, not hers. If your girlfriend wants a credit card that gives airline miles, why doesn’t she just go get one for herself? ETA: Are you trying to plan some kind of vacation together that would require you fly to your destination? Is she trying to make sure you can “afford” it by getting free miles? Just a WAG in trying to figure out her motivation. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/45 "2014-09-05T19:40:51Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I got rid of all my credit cards about 8 years ago. My car has been paid off for about a year now and all I really owe is the mortgage. > I always heard “oh, you better have a credit card or two. And make sure you use them even if you pay them off every month. It’s important to your credit score. If you have available credit and don’t use it your score will go down.” > I pretty much blew off the advice. > And I just so happen to have checked my score yesterday and it was 840. So apparently having and using a credit card really isn’t that important. You’re leaving money on the table. Almost all of our purchases are on a cashback card with no annual fee and which we of course pay off every month. At the end of the year we have $400 or $500 saved up, so our credit card company pays us. I’d think not having any card would be a massive pain in lots of respects for little or no benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/46 "2014-09-05T20:25:07Z")
It’s not a pain to use a debit card, and you’re having to spend $40,000 a year in your card to accumulate $400 worth of points on most cards. Most people just aren’t going to do that. There are a few studies out there that looked at spending habits, and one of the findings is that paying for everything with actual poser money causes people to spend less. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/47 "2014-09-05T20:37:33Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > It’s not a pain to use a debit card, and you’re having to spend $40,000 a year in your card to accumulate $400 worth of points on most cards. Most people just aren’t going to do that. > > There are a few studies out there that looked at spending habits, and one of the findings is that paying for everything with actual poser money causes people to spend less. **Paper** money. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/48 "2014-09-05T20:47:28Z")
> [@Salem](#): > > I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would tell someone else to get a credit card, let alone argue with them about it if they should say no and especially if they explain why the answer is no. With one credit card, a car loan and student loans, it seems you have adequate revolving debt that you are able to handle right now which is what will give you a decent credit score. > > Saying “no” is a very valid response in this situation, but even if it wasn’t, it’s YOUR financial ass on the line, not hers. > > If your girlfriend wants a credit card that gives airline miles, why doesn’t she just go get one for herself? > > ETA: Are you trying to plan some kind of vacation together that would require you fly to your destination? Is she trying to make sure you can “afford” it by getting free miles? Just a WAG in trying to figure out her motivation. We live apart (I’m in Charlotte and she is in Orlando) and we would use the accured miles to see each other. Also my family is in Indiana and hers in Wisconsin, we could/would also use miles to go see them as well. AFAIK she is planning on getting the card for herself, but she also makes more than I do and will build up miles faster. Her grand idea was for us both to get it, spend the 1000 to get the 50,000 miles and then pick and choose weekends for us to go visit one another since the time apart might not be ending anytime soon ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/49 "2014-09-05T21:00:23Z")
There’s nothing wrong with doing that. Just cancel your existing card, if you don’t want two. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/50 "2014-09-05T21:48:26Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > This is pretty close. I can get rid of a bunch of it by sacrificing money in my checking account that I never use, Using money in a checking account to pay off your credit card bill isn’t ‘sacrificing’ the money, but exactly the opposite. You’re paying something probably like 15-20% interest on that credit card bill. So paying off the credit card bill saves you that 15-20%. Unless your checking account is paying more than 20% interest, using that money to pay your credit card bill is the best investment you could possibly make with it. TLDR: Stop worrying about a second card, and pay off the one you have as soon as possible, even if it means short-term sacrifices. ---
**Author:** ![justanothermike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@justanothermike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justanothermike)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/51 "2014-09-05T21:51:40Z")
You don’t need more abilty to go into debt. You need more money. Debt free here except for my house and it is a far better place to be than when I had debt. Listen to Dave Ramsey, not your girlfriend, and learn how to handle money rather than debt. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/52 "2014-09-05T22:04:45Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > It’s not a pain to use a debit card But it is a much greater security risk than using a credit card, which has greater benefits. You will _never_ catch me making a purchase with a debit card. I know better than to put my own money at risk when I can put Citi’s at risk instead. ---
**Author:** ![justanothermike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@justanothermike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justanothermike)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/53 "2014-09-05T22:34:00Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > But it is a much greater security risk than using a credit card, which has greater benefits. You will _never_ catch me making a purchase with a debit card. I know better than to put my own money at risk when I can put Citi’s at risk instead. Use a Visa debit card and you have the same protections as their credit card. From what I understand the same holds true for most companies. I can swipe my debit cards and click credit to go through their network. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/54 "2014-09-05T23:39:58Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > It’s not a pain to use a debit card, and you’re having to spend $40,000 a year in your card to accumulate $400 worth of points on most cards. Most people just aren’t going to do that. > > There are a few studies out there that looked at spending habits, and one of the findings is that paying for everything with actual poser money causes people to spend less. Debit cards lack the protection of credit cards. A while ago Lucky’s got hacked, and lots of people who used debit cards lost money. They were SOL. Lucky’s told them tough, close your bank account and open a new one. if you spend less on the card you get less money - but you still get money back. Just the money we spend at the grocery every week is a big chunk. Clearly this only makes sense if you have the ability to pay off each month, but I suspect anyone who has the willpower to not use a card can do that quite well. And I do use cash for small purchases, mostly to give the store owner a break and not have them pay the credit card company. But I have no trouble not spending money. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/55 "2014-09-05T23:41:17Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > But it is a much greater security risk than using a credit card, which has greater benefits. You will _never_ catch me making a purchase with a debit card. I know better than to put my own money at risk when I can put Citi’s at risk instead. That’s absurd. Mine has been compromised on the past, just like my credit cards, and it was no problem at all to fix the problem. ETA: Isn’t Lucky’s a supermarket? Find a decent bank. Lucky’s had absolutely nothing to do with the decisions made by the banks used by their consumers. If you have a cite that the banks didn’t replace their customers’ money, I’d love to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/56 "2014-09-05T23:49:26Z")
> [@justanothermike](#): > > Use a Visa debit card and you have the same protections as their credit card. From what I understand the same holds true for most companies. I can swipe my debit cards and click credit to go through their network. [Here](http://www.usa.gov/topics/money/banking/atm-debit.shtml) is the government page on this. That page talks about lost or stolen cards, not stolen numbers and PINs. My debit card is Visa, and I suspect a good number of people who lost money had Visa card too, since my bank is across the street from the supermarket. Losing $500 is a lot. Even if they got money back, it is gone for the time that it takes to get through the system, while credit card charges in dispute don’t cost you anything. The only time we use ours is at Costco and infrequently to get cash while at the grocery. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/57 "2014-09-06T00:02:59Z")
Debit card security isn’t a problem for anyone with a decent bank. If you’re worried that the money missing from your account for a day is going to be a huge inconvenience, then keep most of your money in a savings account. ETA: The liability is $50, not $500. My bank has always replaced all of my money. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/58 "2014-09-06T02:14:16Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I have had about three times in the last five years when a large merchant reported a data breach (although my card specifically was never used fraudulently) and Bank of America responded by re-issuing my card under a new number. I am very surprised that your bank would simply shut down your card without immediately providing a replacement. This actually just happened to me. They do “immediately provide a replacement”, but what that means is that they mail you a new card. Which takes about a week. So you don’t have the use of the card for that period. Or longer if you’re traveling. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/59 "2014-09-06T03:31:00Z")
And you can be very screwed if you’re in another country and your only card stops working. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520/60 "2014-09-06T04:14:46Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > we could/would also use miles to go see them as well Be warned: miles are just pennies. They correlate in no way to actual distances. They are _exactly the same as cash_ spent on airline tickets. They reduce the price of the ticket by $.01 per mile, and that’s all. A “mile per dollar spent” card is the exact equivalent of a “1% cash back” card, as they’re both 1 penny per dollar. In other words, if I buy a ticket, it might cost me $425.00. If you buy it, it’ll cost 42,500 miles. The “miles” label is a gimmick to get you to spend on airline tickets unnecessarily, and that’s all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-have-credit-cards/697520.md?page=4)