What credit cards do you carry on the road?

Dutch_12078 wrote:

rk911 wrote:

2oldman wrote:
You folks with no credit cards.. how do you: pay high dollar repair bills, tires, rent a car, buy online.. etc?

one word...checkbook. debit cards work online and many, not all, rental car agencies will accept debit cards.

Do you really prefer giving complete strangers your bank's routing number, your checking account number, home address, and the other info included on written checks?

as i said we use credit cards for everything but on occasion we've had to write a check on the road. I just wrote two for a mobile RV service in Mesa last week.

at home virtually all of our bills are paid via auto debit from our checking account but I still write 3 or 4 checks a month. a lot of us write checks everyday. we've had a checking acct for the past 51-years with nary a problem. and when we first started this RV thing in 1986 we wrote a lot more checks at RV parks.

if you choose to not write checks then you're left with credit cards, debit cards or cash. and I certainly don't want to carry huge sums of cash. to each their own.

2oldman wrote:

Effy wrote:
If there is a strip stealing device (you'd be surprised how many there are and where they are) on a machine someone can drain your account in a matter of minutes.

I've heard this before, but how, exactly, can your account be drained in minutes? And the bank will just say 'tough luck'?

The strip can be replicated and new plastic - several if they want, and can cash advance or purchase under the limit until it's gone. That process takes a little longer but a cash transfer to a new account can happen pretty fast. And although there are FEW (fraud early warning) detections on large cash transfers - it's a moot point as the account it's funneled to will be drained as quickly and closed before the trail even gets warm. There is no systemic way to know if a strip stealing device is on a merchant machine. So by the time you realize - looking at a statement for example - the damage is done. Unless you look at your statements hourly.

The bank may/may not reimburse you, it may depend on the bank. But it's not a process that is fast like a credit card and it's not a process you want to go through. Usually it would involve police.


Using an ATM card provides direct access to your cash. Using a credit card provides access to a credit line funded by a bank. Big difference in loss and liability. Not to mention risk and fraud controls. Credit cards have controls to monitor suspected fraudulent transactions, or more to the point, transactions that aren't typical of your spending habits and can put a hold on the account before further damage is done.

Someone replicating your atm card is easier as it's the same as cash - your cash - and thereby much greater risk.

This is exactly why the OCC defines that credit cards are not considered devices for money laundering but checking accounts are. And an ATM is a device used in lieu of cash but it comes from the same account.

Here's a good article

article

What is doesn't say is how much easier credit card transactions are to detect and shut down vs ATM cards and the owner of the risk (you vs the bank)

Effy wrote:
If there is a strip stealing device (you'd be surprised how many there are and where they are) on a machine someone can drain your account in a matter of minutes.

I've heard this before, but how, exactly, can your account be drained in minutes? And the bank will just say 'tough luck'?

We primarily use our Discover card as it has the greatest cash back rewards. That said because of this the merchant fee is higher and some places don't take Discover. In that case I reach for the next one in the wallet without prejudice.

A lot of places, especially when you aren't local, won't take a check and I don't blame them. Working in fraud it's astounding the number of fraud checks are transacted in a day.

Cash - a lot of folks carry cash . I don't. If you do, only carry what you can afford to lose. If you lose cash or it's stolen, it's gone. When you pay with cash and folks see you carry a lot, you become a target. If I lose my card I can cancel and get a new one the next day. Bank cards - ATM cards are the exception. I don't use ours ever for purchases. If there is a strip stealing device (you'd be surprised how many there are and where they are) on a machine someone can drain your account in a matter of minutes. And then your cash is gone. Credit cards offer protection and it's not your money that's at risk. It's the banks.

I work for a large bank in risk and fraud and credit cards are the most risk inhibitive devices to use by far for a ton of reasons.

Credit cards are just so easy and so much safer and if you have good credit you can usually find one with good rewards to fit your lifestyle.

Checks are becoming less and less accepted, especially out of state. I don't know if that includes things like repairs and tires. Nowadays a check is more like a debit card anyway - the readers can clear them in an instant. No more "float".

rk911 wrote:

2oldman wrote:
You folks with no credit cards.. how do you: pay high dollar repair bills, tires, rent a car, buy online.. etc?

one word...checkbook. debit cards work online and many, not all, rental car agencies will accept debit cards.

Do you really prefer giving complete strangers your bank's routing number, your checking account number, home address, and the other info included on written checks?

2oldman wrote:
You folks with no credit cards.. how do you: pay high dollar repair bills, tires, rent a car, buy online.. etc?

one word...checkbook. debit cards work online and many, not all, rental car agencies will accept debit cards.

my wife's Costco card.

One bank credit card with travel rewards paid off monthly in full. Always a wad of cash as a back up and have needed it on occasion when card not worked or card systems down where I've filled/ate/bought.

Will be looking soon at all credit cards for the best option for when travelling on cash back rewards with least or zero costs per annum.

You folks with no credit cards.. how do you: pay high dollar repair bills, tires, rent a car, buy online.. etc?