A Word of Caution, You are being Watched...

All of this is inevitable, but bloody scary nonetheless. In the wrong hands - government and private industry alike, it's misapplication could create many problems for innocent individuals or groups of individuals.

 

Not sure I want to read that:>)))

 

I`m a $$$$$ dinosaur. I cary cash. I do not have a credit card for me or the farm. A few years ago I was going to borrow a few bucks to buy a new RV. The RV place would not make the loan because I had such a low score. So I went by one of my local banks and got a siginature loan on the spot, no credit check at all. The C.E.O. had been one of our former employees. He thought it was funny as hell! I sleep real good at night. I do have a Visa check card and use it about once a year when I buy myself a new lens from B&H so I don`t have to send them a check. If you did without it yesterday it won`t kill you to do without it today, and you can have it as soon as you save up the cash and everybody you oue money to is paid first. It is just plain stupid at the way people handle money today.

 

Happy fish. I'm trying to get in the same boat as you. I hope I make it. Particularly when the next administration comes into power. bsvirginian 

 

AMEN!!!

 

IN contrast, if someone steals a wallet (or you lose it etc...), your debit card has almost no use to them. Its cash and your credit card (Which requires nothing other than the numbers on the card to make transactions online and over the phone)

ITs almost archaic how Credit cards are handled, Debit is slightly more secure, And Cash the least secure of all (For physical transactions)
for remote transactions, Debit isn't used (that i know of) Credit Cards are pretty much completely insecure, and Cash is useless.
So Debit is the safest IMO, Just be a bit wary of outdoors / shady area ATM's

Though IMO Credit Cards are an accident waiting to happen

 

Go to any upscale luggage store or Bass Pro and buy a plain looking money belt. Do not get some fancy looking one. They will have mens and ladies. You can stick about $2,000.00 bucks in easy and more if you beat hell out of it to flaten it. Thevies are both lazy and stupid. And you do not need a credit card to buy something from over the pond, a Visa check card will do nicely. It NEVER leaves the house. Its home is taped to the inside wall of the main safe.(it`s very happy there)

 

Whatever floats your boat. The wife and I use it for most purchases and so far we've gone to Rome in business class on a free flight and this September we're going on a free flight to Ireland thanks to those cards. Even when you add the annual fee we still get the flight for 25% of what it would cost. We never carry a balance on the cards either. I heard somewhere that the credit card companies call us "dead beats."

Rich

 

Being aware of all the scams is the best protection. If I have someone swipe my card (debit/credit) and they say it didn't go through, and attempt to swipe again, I retrieve the card immediately and switch to another. If they say that one didn't go through and need to re-swipe, I take the card back, and pay cash. Double swiping is the most prevalent scam so far. My gas is paid at the pump with a small key fob which sends the purchase to a certain CC. My cards never leave my sight and I don't carry a purse anymore. The debit and CC, a few biz cards, and my driver's license all stashed in a pocket.

The banks here in Canada are very good about fraud. The client is fully protected.

One stupid thief here in Toronto sucker-punched a woman at an ATM right after she'd withdrawn money. She turned out to be a cop's wife. What an idiot!!! He probably got taken on the scenic route to the station.

Of course, I won't need to worry about debit or credit cards soon because I've got $25 million coming from some guy who's father was a Prince in Nigeria and he needs to get the money out before the bad guys get him. :biggrin:

 

Rich, this just proves that if you're careful about how you manage your money, it can actually pay FOR you to have credit cards. I'm in the same boat. I use my VISA card all the time because it hands me cash back in my December statement. I get back 2% of all my purchases. My AMEX card is the same. Neither card has a fee. I never carry a balance, and I get to use their money for 28 days! :biggrin: They hate it!!! Understanding the system, and managing your money carefully is the best way to achieve financial harmony.

We make money with their money!! Best thing in the world!!!!! :biggrin:
"DEAD BEATS UNITE!"

 

Lots of excellent advice. A lot of good ideas in this thread..well except for the implied threats of violence. I'm not sure I'd write off all thieves a s stupid though. The money belt idea is very effective. When we travel we have the ones which tie around the waist under our trousers. Yes, it's occasionally inconvenient turning to the wall and breaking out the card or Euros but we've been going overseas yearly since 1994 and have never had our pockets picked.

However, all it takes is a moment's inattention though. On a train from Newcastle to London a thief walked aboard and then right off with one of our luggage bags. With the distractions of passengers getting on and off he/she was never seen. No matter how careful you are, there is always someone eager to take advantage of complacency. The thief got mostly used laundry, but a few valuable items. They went for the large bag; right next to it was my roll aboard with EVERY bit of my photographis equipment in it! I was tremendously relieved it hadn't been taken...but at the time I felt so stupid for being so careless.

Rich

 

An interesting fact is that on average, people who use credit cards spend 18% more than those who use cash...so the money back and points systems may not necessarily be as "rewarding" as they promise to be.

 

Just curious; did the stats indicate a breakdown of those who do not run a balance?

Of course I've seen people (who look like they shouldn't) pay cash for a handful of lottery tickets on Friday afternoons in the Seven-Eleven stores.  

Rich

 

nope, they were all together. The point is that if the reduction in your capital is more palpable, you'll be more reticent to spend it. My wife and are aren't on an all-cash/debit card basis yet, but we're getting closer. It makes a difference when we do it, that's for sure. It really makes me think more about my spending now, and I wasn't all that careless to begin with. We felt it is one of those things where we can try it, and if we don't like it, we can always go back to doing things how we've always done them.

 

speaking of signatures, check this out:
Credit Card Prank on Signatures