Gas Credit Cards

Gdetrailer wrote:


Ouch, spending $12K a yr on a CC to "get back" a measly $250 per yr?

That's insane, it's only $20 per month they are "giving back".. $20 per month is one restaurant meal for one person for each month..

Much better ways to earn $20 per month and it doesn't involve spending a $1,000 on a CC to get it..

NOPE. Not happening for me, no way do I ever want to get blasted every month with a $1,000+ CC bill.



On top of that, failure to pay off those monthly charges every month (zero balance carryover) typically results in interest charges of $20% and higher depending on the card.

It is a no win situation for you the card holder..

Lately, we have been buying some generic prepaid debit cards like "Vanilla card" at our local WM.. Typically put $200 on each card and buy 3 cards when we take a long, long trip.. Those work reasonably well but sometimes when the balance gets to $75 you end up having to take them inside for the clerk to run them through..

Prepaid cards prevent our accounts from getting hacked or stolen and limits us to $200 per card max loss if the prepaid card gets hacked or lost..

This is about 100% flawed logic....or good practice for someone who can't control their spending....
Which one are you?

$12k a year on a CC? LOL
We probably put $40-50K a year on cards. Yes they get hacked sometimes. No, you're not responsible for the charges.
Yes, they get paid off monthly. Yes, they earn rewards points etc.
Is it alot? Not really, but a few free flights plus some rental cars and hotels are free every year.
Is that why we use CCs?
Nope, not really.
For 1, many things you CAN'T do or can't do easily without a CC or you have to plunk down significant deposits (rental cars for example).
2. Have a bad or illegal transaction with a company, you can easily dispute the charges and be made whole on it. Try that once you give them "cash."
3. Building or maintaining credit. Not a huge deal for us as our credit scores are right where they need to be for all the things in life that you get charged by your credit score. But some need the good credit rating provided by timely payments on a CC, whether paid off monthly or not, to not get hosed on other rates, like insurance.
4. Convenience. Cards are available. Limits are high enough that if I wanted or needed to drop a significant amount of money on something "right now", it's there without any hassle, going to the bank, transferring funds, waiting to earn the funds i need today but don't have in the bank until 3 weeks from now.
Doesn't happen often, but has several times. You're somewhere, away from home, the want or need for a significant purchase comes up. Maybe it's a great deal, maybe it's a need, maybe it's just splurging on something. Bam 5 min later, it's yours. Deal with the finances tomorrow.

It's absolutely laughable that you would be anti credit card in todays world (today being the last, idk, 30-40 years) unless you are an irresponsible consumer, but have just enough self control to not put a credit card in your own hands.

And what are the better ways to earn a little cash back or points for, whatever you may use them for, for free?

Please be specific, because if it's free money earned, I'm all about it!