Originally Posted By: rjundi
I NEVER use a debit card. The protections are less and they charge you for research(local bank) if you question a charge and it turns out to be in vendors favor.
Credit cards are the way to go. I love my Amazon.com card as it earns something to purchase from them or simply pay the bill.
I rarely use cash or check for anything except mortgage bill.
I have the same card and I love it. When I first got into the work force I used nothing but my USAA debit card. A few years ago I noticed that their CC offered one for one points per dollar, while the debit card was half of that. Two years ago, I checked around and saw that Amazon had a CC through Chase that offered three for one on Amazon purchases, which is where a spend a good chunk of change each year, and two for one on restaurant, gas, and etc. Type purchases. I've been letting Chase pay me to buy things ever since.
I can understand not wanting to have an e-trail, but it doesn't bother me at all. I don't buy pornographic material, nor would I care whether any one wanted to track my purchasing trends. If it somehow means Amazon can offer special deals on things I tend to buy, like electronics, the all the better.
I can also understand wanting to buy things only when you can afford them, but if you're financially responsible, then using a credit card vice cash shouldn't matter. I'm paid biweekly, and usually pay the CC off every two weeks. There are only a handful of times when I've carried a balance, and that's because it made more sense (to me) to pay a small amount in interest than to pull money out of savings-type accounts.
In the end, it seems those who are against credit cards either have low credit, no self control, are overly paranoid, or simply don't know what they're missing. Most older people fall into the latter group. To each his or her own, but free money is hard to pass up. Again, I pay a few dollars (MAX) each year in interest on top of the small amount Chase might soon be charging as a "maintenance" fee, and they pay me a few hundred. Seems like a good deal to me!