5 Credit Cards You Don’t Want In Your Wallet

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DeweySayenoff - believe it or not, there are still people out there who know the meaning if the word discipline. I use my credit card for everything and leverage the benefits they afford (points, cash back, travel and purchase protection, etc.). You can live within your means and still use credit cards. My credit score is exceptionally high and I pay no fees for any of the cards I carry.


Why do people still use credit cards for routine things?  I mean, sure, you can pay it off every month (though many pundits say that actually hurts your credit rating), but so what?  you still pay for the privilege with fees and God forbid you miss a payment.  Not only do you get hit with late fees and automatic increases in interest rates, plus possibly having to pay an annual fee if there isn't one already, your credit rating gets dinged.

Credit cards stack the game against you.  Less in your credit rating than in your pocketbook - paying a lot for the privilege of paying it off at the end of the month.  Why not just pay what you need to pay with a debit card?

Okay, you have SOME protections with a credit card, but debit cards, depending on the institution, often come with the same or better deals.  My debit card will repay me everything should I be a victim of fraud (and I was).  If that had been a credit card, I'd be liable (in most cases) for the first fifty dollars.  That's how the game works against you.

The wealthy, who don't NEED credit cards, can negotiate great deals on them.  The rest of us who are actually human without Swiss bank accounts should just pay them off and never get one again.  I've been without a credit card for more than seven years.  When the Recession hit, I had no debts. 

You only really NEED credit to buy a house or a car.  BOTH can be negotiated.  Otherwise, living within one's means - not always easy but FAR better than not - is the best way to deal with life.


And the access to airline clubs that you get with the Visa Black Card is limited to only a few visits, not unlimited.  After you've used your free visits you have to pay for the access.