Payment method

[kohldad]

I've heard Discover card isn't widely accepted in Canada. Have trouble getting a Visa or Mastercard because I haven't had monthly payments on anything in years. Was wondering how samsung pay or google pay was accepted.

[OkieGene]

Go talk to your local credit union. A real live person face to face, the manager.

[Grit_dog]

Lack of available credit or poor credit score when one is fiscally responsible and also has no debt sure seems counterintuitive. But it happens.
Have a buddy who, during the last recession, tried to take loans to buy up some property on the cheap. He is a general contractor.
Ended up having to reverse mortgage his home as he couldn’t even get secured loans with the proper down payments (vacant land is harder to finance and generally requires more $ down than home loans).
There he sat, late 30s wife n 2 kids, lots of money in the bank and investments, living in a $2M home that he didn’t owe a dime on. No car loans, cc debt, etc either.
At the same time, we got a loan for 50% of the purchase price of a tract of land. And a good interest rate to boot. While making less income than them. No problem. Difference was I was or had been carrying 1-3 mortgages depending on how many homes we owned at a given time, and I took out short term loans several times to buy vehicles or toys, even though the loans were generally paid off within a year.

Aside from your query about credit cards and Canada, if you’re having trouble getting a credit card, I’d also check into things like your auto and homeowners insurance to make sure you’re not getting charged a premium for them due to your credit score.

It appears, by simply having a mortgage and charging everything on credit cards, it keeps your credit score up.
But we carry Cc balances sometimes, intentionally. When a company won’t quit sending you 0% balance transfer offers, we will take them up on it, just because.
Latest example, wife charged the entire expense including first semesters tuition books and dorm for our son, on the credit card. Then transferred it to a “no interest” one.
That was good for a couple free plane tickets!
When it’s up, may pay it off, may transfer it again.

The way debt forgiveness works now, if your old, I’d rack up all kinds of debt.
And you can work it where you hide your assets (trusts or give it to the kids before you die) and then your executor can give the creditors the middle finger, legally.
Or even if you have debt that could cause a lien against your estate after you go to the big campground in the sky, repayment of that debt can be negotiated down, considerably.

You can thank predatory lending and irresponsible spending for these loopholes for the otherwise responsible people out there!

[wildtoad]

I use Apple Pay a lot (I don’t do anything Google), very convenient to just double click the iPhone or Apple Watch to pay at point of sale where the register/gas pump accept it. You can easily switch between cards before you pay. What I have found is depending on the merchants software they may not accept some cards. Somewhat frustrating is they may take Apple Pay, they may not accept Apple’s card (yet) even though it’s a Mastercard. Weird.

I try not to use a debit card for purchases cause if the card number gets hacked the potential is there to clean out your bank account. Yes most banks will cover the fraud, but you’re out the money until they do. But if you must, setup a separate bank account.

Another thing on the security angle is I have the Apple Card which is really nice. It’s metal which is different, but more important is it has no numbers on it front or back. Very handy when you have to give the card to the server for payment. No chance for them to write down the card information. If the place needs the three digit code the card info is on the phone or watch.

It took me forever to get the Apple Card even though I had an 840 credit rating. Seems the issuer Goldman Sachs too much outstanding debt. The only debt I had was my motorhome loan which I was two years ahead on payments as I was making double payments. Once I made a very large payment they issued the card.

[RetiredRealtorR]

kohldad wrote:
I've heard Discover card isn't widely accepted in Canada. Have trouble getting a Visa or Mastercard because I haven't had monthly payments on anything in years. Was wondering how samsung pay or google pay was accepted.

That shouldn't keep you from getting a Visa or MC. Go to your bank and tell them you want one. Unless you're an absolute desperado, they should be very accommodating :C

[wanderingaimles]

Do you want credit?
Or simply a plastic method to pay expenses?
A card to debit against a bank account with a Visa logo works anywhere a credit card does.
If you actually want credit, Try either your bank or a major retailer for access. Like Capitol One and their connection with Walmart.
Also , if you have poor credit due to no credit history, try going to experian.com and add your regular bills into their boost program, your regular payments for utilities and other monthly expenses can help you build a file.

[PartyOf_Five]

Maybe get a prepaid visa then, or a few in 200-250 increments etc. You could also apply for a secured/ student credit card, where you deposit funds and then that's how much you have on the card. A debit card with a visa logo (from your bank, for your checking account) withdraws directly but still gives you flexibility.

[SideHillSoup]

Yup, I don’t know of any place around where I live in British Columbia that accepts Discovery Card, none.
Hope this helps
Soup.

[bgum]

Have you a payment history on the Discovery card? Did you pay notes on your auto/truck? Have you defaulted on any loans?

What is Visa/Mastercard giving as reason for denial?