Wednesday, June 21, 2006

For everything else...

I can't imagine how life was like before credit cards. And frankly, I don't want to.

A lot of people take for granted what it means to have good credit. Personally, I don't. I've always appreciated my credit because there was a time when I didn't have any in the US (I was a victim of identity theft) and that pretty much sucked. But I still had my foreign credit cards and that was good enough for me.

Anyway, a lot of people think that credit cards cause more harm than good and under poor management, that could totally be true. But credit cards are wallet sized gifts from God. I am convinced that a good portion of the population of the developed world would do at least 50% less were it not for credit.

The last time I used my credit card because I was a brokeass, was to pay for my trip to Miami for Ultra back in March. Buying now and paying later is the way to go. I know that had it not been for my credit card, I would have not been able to go. Aside the fact that I wouldn't have been able to come up with the money on time, I would have had to pay for insurance (car, health, travel and whatnot) and that would have taken a substantial chunck of my partying money. I also know that had I not gotten that credit line increase my partying would have been a whole lot more subdued, hence a whole lot less fun. I like to party, but like everything else in life, that must be done well.

Thanks to credit cards, I keep myself sane. Everyone knows I believe in the power of retail therapy and sometimes retail can get a little costly. Nothing like buying a whole lot now, and then paying the minimum amount due + $100 for x amount of months. Seriously, even if you have nothing to eat and no money to pay your bills, at least you'll look all kinds of cute in the process :)

My very good friends who are visiting from Houston also agree. They wanted to see Tenaglia and hang out for a few days. The fine people of AmEx made their trip possible and they couldn't be having any more fun if they tried. Same goes for the party people who left to Ibiza last weekend and then, again, me because I think I should go to Europe next month.

I don't think credit cards should be overused; but by God, everyone should ALWAYS have at least 2 good credit cards. Because, you know, Visa is everywhere you wanna be ;)

6 comments:

Grant said...

I mostly use Discover because I get cash back, although I have a Visa check card as backup because Discover still isn't accepted everywhere, like at my favorite Japanese restaurant. You're probably too young to have seen this, but when I was a boy and credit cards weren't widely accepted, they were considered a legal form of ID. Now a lot of places require you to show legal ID before accepting them.

gotbrains? said...

Credit Cards are evil for shopaholics like me. I use my AmEx for everything, so I don't spend more than I can afford. Forcing me to pay the bill completely at the end of the month helps to keep me in check, otherwise I'd rack up $100,000 in debt. I do have a Visa, though. AmEx isn't accepted everywhere. However, Visa stays home for emergency situations only. I have no will power.

Chris Fleites said...

Hello dears. Those id theft commercials crack me up. Especially the one with the fat ol' lady pretending to drive a boat. Good stuff man. Good stuff. So hows it going over here? Right now i'm working in Miami. it's such a change from Kauai i swear. Luckily i keep occupied and time flies. What's even cooler is that starting next week I will be frequently flying to New York for work. i've only been there once in high school for a yearbook convention and am happy to get this chance to explore. Anyways let me know how it's going.

yours truly

LoWa

gotbrains? said...

I like cornflakes, can you swim? =)

annush said...

I like granola and I can swim AND ride a bike...TOP THAT :P

Blanca said...

This post may seem shalow at first sight, but thinkin bout it, i don't think i could afford to have the quality of life i do if it wasn't for that darn plastic!
So go ahead CHARGE IT!