Am sitting here watching a program on The History Channel about the origin of credit cards as a major transformative business. Very interesting.

It got me thinking about my first credit cards. It was when I got my first job after I graduated college in 1965. That job required me to travel a lot so the company gave me two of them. One was an Air Travel card to get airline tickets. The second was a Diners Club card for everything else. The Diners Club card was first on the market. Pretty neat, I really felt like a big shot, spending all that company money. The company paid the CC bills directly but I had to give them the receipts when I filed my expense account. Back then, many places did not accept credit cards so I had to pay them with cash, then put them on my expense account. Today, I usually put every purchase of anything on a card and carry no cash at all. But I have to pay the CC bill out of my own pocket. How things have changed.

I remember that back around that time, my father thought credit cards were instruments of Satan and refused to get one. In fact, he didn't think much of using bank checks either. For him, using greenbacks was the only way to go. And he was an accountant by trade. His guiding principle was that if you were not able to pay cash for something, you don't need it. That was how I was raised.

I think I was about 20. First a Master Charge, and then a year or two later, an American Express card, which was harder to qualify for. I was especially proud of that American Express card. Both of those were my personal cards.

After grad school, which I was in forever — ten years as a penurious grad student — when I got my start in the corporate world as a business development guy, I was issued an AMEX card and an expense account. I asked one of my new colleagues, "So, um, who is in charge of this expense account?" He said, "You are," and I thought, "Okie-dokie. I can do this!," and took off running...

My first was a Palais Royal, second was Montgomery Wards, and third was a Sears. I still have the leather bomber jacket I bought with the MW's card. Down to a Visa and AMEX that I pay off every month these days.

Definitely a Diners card issued around 1960. At the time, a young naval pilot officer and able to settle the restaurant bill with a card and a signature, certainly impressed any young woman that was my date for the evening. Little did she know that it probably took a few weeks to pay off the account...

My first was also a Diners Club thru Standard Oil, probably 1967. Next was JC Penney.

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Super Snooper

A Mobil gas charge card was part of my wife's dowry. Never had one before that. My folks had a J.C. Penney card, which Dad was sure would bankrupt them, but never did.

Interestingly enough, when Mom died last month I called to cancel her Discover card, which was her only credit. They told me she had a zero balance. A week later I got a condolence letter that said she had up to $25,000 loan forgiveness available and they were reviewing her account. The following week they sent a $69 check for the balance in her loyalty points.

My opinion of Discover has changed, but I'll still stick with AmEx.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

Out of the clear blue sky I was sent a VISA card when I was the ripe old age of 14. Mom impounded it immediately.

I was up in that Hoosier Land.
The Big Chicago sent teams to the hitherland to convince the local yokel banks to sign up for Visa.
And sign they did! The Chicago folks sent apparently every Hoosier Bank Customer a card. The limit was low, I think it was $500.
The team signed up local businesses to accept the cards.
Initially the businesses didn’t know how to process or verify the cards.
But it’s fascinating how quickly people learn how to extract money from other people!

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

My first was a Monkey Wards card. Bought cheap stuff that I needed. Payed it off every month to build credit. Worked out well.

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No baby we aint

I was raised to pay cash or do without.Sometime after I married I got a visa or Mastercard in my late twenties. I had good credit as I’d taken a loan to buy a new truck at 24.(My old vw had let me down one too many times lol)

Bank Americard, 500.00 limit, 1970. Always had to ask businesses if they took plastic. When my niece got her first one, she just thought that it was the greatest thing ever until she found out about that you gotta pay ‘em back part.

I'm pretty sure Sears was my first. Used it for appliances, auto parts, and tools.

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Or something like that . . .

56 years old. Never had one.

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The best I can with what I got

In high school 50 years ago I wanted a credit card to start building credit and I got one at Brooks Bros. I bought the cheapest thing I could find in the store. I think it was a stocking cap.

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Buy American
Vote Responsibly

Sears or a Northwest tire store called Brunell tire store.

I remember that in the 70s many stores came out with their own independent credit cards. The major oil companies, Sears, Wards, J. C. Penney's, Marshall Fields, and similar large retail chains. I remember having both a Sears card and a Penney's card around that time. Mainly because both screwed up my accounts and I cancelled them. I am pretty sure I also had a gasoline credit card, don't remember which one, maybe Shell. You don't see that today as every retailer takes Visa and MasterCard. I suppose American Express and Diners Club may still issue credit cards, but I have neither. I don't know why anyone would want either one today. My wife has a Kohl's card because they sometimes have sales for Kohl's cardholders. She very seldom uses it.

Mine was a Sears card. Bought a 5" bench vise. It is bolted to the workbench in my shop, 47 years later.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

IIRC my first credit card was a Discover card - offered trough Sears Finance.

I was already buying Craftsman tools from Sears on a pretty regular basis, and they offered me a Discover card as a way to buy their tools on credit (pay for them over time).

Seemed like a pretty reasonable proposition to me, as a 22 year old kid with limited resources, on a tight budget, and wanting to build up my credit rating.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

First card was Sears and I was 18. The local Sear's store always ran an ad in the local paper on Monday called "Thrifty Monday Specials". They always had at least one tool or tool set listed, and if it was something I even remotely thought I might someday need, I would try to buy it. At the time, I didn't always have the cash and I made mention of this to a saleslady one time. She suggested I get a Sears Credit Card and said they would give them to people 18, so I applied and got one. I used it a few times but was intelligent enough to know it wasn't money for nothing and never let a balance carry over. I still have all the tools today unless one was broken/worn out (and replaced under their lifetime warranty) or lost. They weren't comparable to Snap-On, but they got the job done and didn't break my piggy bank.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

When I graduated from college and got my first job, I applied for my first credit card - an American Express card. They declined my application. So I got a Master Charge card instead. Later in life, AmEx used to send me pre-approval letters and even call me with pre-approved offers for a card. I told them I was just as credit worthy when I first applied as I am now, and where they could stick their credit card.

When I got out of the Army and started college, I applied for a Shell CC and got turned down. I avoided Shell for 35 years.

My first credit card was a Clark Oil CC, followed by Sears, and then VISA.

I never carried a balance on the Clark or Sears cards, but once I got married the VISA card got a workout from my wife.

My very first was Texaco, followed by Sears and then by Mastercard. At one point I had 35 or 40 CC's but that was before the big stores like Macy's, Penny's, Bloomingdales, etc. took the big bank cards. Since that time I carry very few with me. My main card is now Costco Visa but I also carry a Bass Pro MC, Home Depot and Lowes for when they have their discounts and coupons that you must use their cards to get. I also have a Jet Blue and SW Air CC for booking trips. I have not used anything else in decades as almost every other vendor accepts the big ones.

A BankAmeriCard (sp?) in the mid-60s. Was an adjunct to my first checking account. Was still in HS, so I remember feeling like I was a very big deal.

My first was Sears. In 1987-88. I was a motor head and loved me some Craftsman tools. And Diehard batteries for that matter. I was making $5.50 an hr and easily qualified. Funny thing is when I was growing up I hated when mom would use a credit card for school closes and other things. In my mind credit cards were for poor people just like layaways. You couldn’t afford it so you put it on credit. I eventually realized that’s not how things work. I use my debit card daily. I use my credit card occasionally so it doesn’t get cancelled for inactivity

My first was a master-Card; It soured me to the point I refuse to have a card, bank, Debit or otherwise with a M-C logo on it.

I have had a Discover card since they were fairly new, No problems.

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Sceva
OGCA SWCA NRA

I was glad I Discovered Discover.
Then I Discovered how fast I could hit my limit.
Then I Discovered I couldn't pay the bill.
Now they're trying to Discover my new address.

Credit cards make modern life possible. Places such as Amazon couldn't exist if they had to process millions of paper checks.

The first multipurpose card was the Diner's Club card, created in 1950.

There's always a "next" around the corner, I'm guessing it will be something with phones; there's already a segment that uses them for purchases, now they just have to drag the rest of old fogies in.

Was working at Sears whilst in college and thought it was cool to have one.

Over the years have had probably too many but now just 5. AMEX Platinum (more about that below), Marriott affiliated Visa, United Airlines affiliated Visa, Southwest affiliated Visa, and American Airlines affiliated Master Card.

All serve their purpose…never a balance incurring interest.

Thought all have yearly fees, the benefits far exceed the costs by far.

Just passed 50 years of AMEX membership and received a quite lovely set of Tiffany champagne flutes as recognition. That was kinda cool.

Be safe.

The main point made in the History Channel program was how transformative the development of credit card payment technology was. It was, and is, an indispensable part of the e-commerce revolution and it has affected how everything came together, not only the rise of thousands of internet businesses like Amazon and eBay, but also shipping and distribution businesses like FedEx and UPS, to say nothing about banking and finance. Like it or not, we now live in a largely cashless society which was unimaginable 75 years ago. All thanks to credit cards.

My 1st was a Master Charge. I remember my first time using it I felt like I was stealing, taking stuff without handing over the cash. Just came back from Dallas and very few places we went to were set up to take cash. parking downtown uses some sort of "Google Pay" which I don't have and not really sure I want it. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

My wife and I got a sears card just before or after our marriage. I had a master card a year or so before that. I had a boss that was totally against cc's and so was his son. The son and I were on a job 50 miles away when the work truck had a bad tire. The son hemmed and hawed and I just asked the owner if he would pay me back for the tire. When he answered sure, I put it on my card. I think the son had one the next week.

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Front sight and squeeze

First was a local department store credit card, where I worked. Then went to work as a traveling auditor for Sara Lee, and they gave me an AMEX for my expenses and travel. I paid the bill with the expense account money, so it helped build my personal credit. Now, just a MC debit from my bank, Amazon VISA, and a Lowes (got to have some place to buy tools and appliances without shelling out the cash).

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Heavily armed old man.

My first charge account was in 1974, Lazaras Department store in Columbus with a $300 limit on smalls and $800 on major things like furniture and large appliances. Right out of H.S. I applied for a Sohio gas card (now BP). Those two could be had by anyone with a pulse! Since I paid off (usually) and on time, by the time a year rolled around They were up limited to $1000/3000 and $500. (Years later I found out good jewelry was in the major appliance category, and my limit was $11,000, Over the years I bought my wife probably $100K at list price by with stacked on discounts that were cardholder only, always got 50 to 70% off and paid off in 2 or 3 months!!)

The other day I applied for a B.J.'s MC to get the extra 15 cents a gallon off of gas (10 to 20 cheaper than Costo and 45 to 60 cheaper than retail), and I noticed a huge limit! So, I looked up my FICO score and it was a huge as it has ever been! No first mortgage, a way under drawn PCL and 1 other credit card with zero balance. Utilities paid on time. Anybody with a pulse can get a credit card. The big profit is in late fees and High Risk interest rates for slackers.

I still have a Kohl's Card but you don't have to carry it to use it, so that's one thing less in my wallet! Only use it with cardholder discounts around Christmas. My brother does the same except; after checking out he goes to the service desk and pays it off before he (or his wife) leaves the store! (yes, you can pay before they even send a bill!)

Ivan

Way back when (late 50s) they used to mail out unsolicited cards. I got one, a Mobile Card. I was about 16 and 6 months. I used it legitimately and my buddy change from selling Mobil to another gas company (Sunoco) So I called up the credit card department and they said sure we will send you a card that you could use at your buddies.

I had a good after school job and decided to get a BankAmericard. Got rejected as too young. Gave them a call at their 800 number talked to a supervisor, read her off the numbers on the gas card I had. I guess that was the key got a BOA card about 3 weeks later, think it was for about $250.

Been using good credit cards since then. Now they pay me to use the card instead of I pay them vigorish-

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Sears card...I established credit at a place called Household Finance... Borrowed 500 bucks for a car(57 Chevy Convertible)..Co-signed by my mother. Paid it off in 2 months...Never needed another co-signer I was also 16 at the time...I also paid auto insurance by the month for a while

My Dad passed last year at 93. Never had a credit card. I finally talked him into a debit card so he didn't have to write checks. He got one, but as far as I know he never used it. He didn't trust credit. Paid cash for his home and vehicles, and left a fair sized estate to his heirs.

So, I'd say you're in good company.

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Or something like that . . .

When I got out of school and went to work in Reading, PA I was setting up an apartment with a few pieces of donated furniture from relatives. I was eating off an end table and decided I needed to get a kitchen table. So I found an old time family furniture store in downtown Reading, which I think was called Klein's. They had a kitchen table and 4 chairs that had been left over from a furniture set they had previously sold. So l was able to establish a charge account with the store to purchase my kitchen set. I remember that I had a record book from the store that resembled a bank book for keeping track of my payments. If this all sounds very quaint and old-fashioned, remember this was 1977. I hung on to that credit book for a lot of years because that was my first real charge account and cited it on who knows how many later credit applications.

Household Finance generally handled credit purchases for smaller local stores such as furniture and appliance stores. Long ago when we were first married, we had to buy a new refrigerator from a local store. I didn't know who was carrying the note, I thought it was the store. When I later found it was Household Finance, I borrowed the cash to pay it off immediately from my parents. It carried a really high interest rate. That was my first experience (and also my last) with using in-store credit purchasing. At least I learned what not to do in the future and it didn't cost me anything.

Exactly like my father. People who lived through the Great Depression learned to be very careful about spending their money. My father was one of the fortunate ones who had a reasonably good job all through the Depression. At least my parents didn't have to stand in soup lines.

Growing up it was cash or check, no credit cards. Wasn't till I got married that I was convinced to get my first, a Sears card (mainly to make it easier to get things a growing family needed). Shortly after got a couple gas cards and over time more cards......... Got behind a few times but worked our way out of it. Only use a couple now and pay off balances right away (unless taking advantage of a special/no interest offer!). With so much stuff online nowadays just about have to have a card to even function.

That's true. It is nearly impossible to function today without some form of credit or debit card. In some places cash is no longer acceptable as an exchange medium. There is a local restaurant that has a sign that says payment by Credit or Debit card only at the cashiers station. At the supermarket I rarely see anyone at the checkout stand pay with cash.

Some years ago I bought a car with my credit card. I did it mainly to get the cash back reward and my card credit limit was high enough. Of course I paid it down right away so I didn't pay any interest. That was the only time I ever got anywhere close to my credit limit.

Years back I tried to put a big down payment on a car and they said we only except up to $4,000. The funny thing parts and service departments had no CC limit.

I have a decent limit on my cards, but at least every 6 months I now get a offer to raise my limit.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Though not a "Credit Card" in the accepted genre, in 1966 in Brighton, UK, the local Barclays Bank issued what today would be called an ATM card. I think this might have been (well) before the US got into the ATM card systems. Since the electronics and machinery were not yet established to dispense cash, what substituted were envelopes containing 2, 5 or 10 single pound notes. You entered your card, entered a PIN and then after the Bank systems checked that you had enough money in your account, your envelope was "produced". This was at least 5 years before the US had ATM cards. I came to the US in 1968 and my first Credit card was the Green AMEX one. This was roughly a year after it was introduced. I still keep having AMEX "urging" me to upgrade, but I have refused for over 40 years. Dave_n

I have used an ATM once in my life. And that was sort of an emergency when I was out of town. Normally I keep enough cash at home to meet my usual household cash needs. I have friends that withdraw cash via ATM frequently, but don't understand why. I forgot one other large credit card transaction I made. And it involved paying a hospital bill but under unusual circumstances.

My first was probably a Sears card. They were giving them out like peanuts at a bar if you had a job. Somewhere back in the 70s they came out with ATMs. Usually cash was king for me.

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There's a Monster on the loose

I had a very bad experience with my Sears credit card. Ended by my cancelling the card and personally boycotting Sears for years afterward. I wanted nothing more to do with them.

My first card was a Firestone card. A buddy's dad was a regional manager for the company here in the Columbus area. We all got cards $150.00 LOC. We bought tires and batteries for our cars since that was really all we might need. We did our own oil changes etc.

The first non-proprietary card was a MC. My dad co-signed so I could get it. I had a $500.00 LOC to be used only for emergencies. I was afraid to use it as it was issued by my dad's local credit union and he would have disowned me if I couldn't make the payment.

Ironically, I spent 31 years in the CC industry retiring from Discover Card in 2022. I have seen some comments both good and bad about them, but I can tell you from an insider's perspective it really is one of the best utility cards out there. Not sure what will happen with the Capital One purchase recently announced. I hope they maintain the on shore, human rep service model. While expensive it is a real product differentiator that people seem to appreciate.

My wife got me my first credit card. It was like a hobby for her right after we got married. She started with gas cards and store cards and worked her way up to Master Charge (as it was then called) and Visa.

Yeah, we got a bit over extended but I was as guilty as she was. We paid it off and didn't do it again. We have some now but they are paid off every month. I like the points. One card has triple points on fuel and double on restaurants. I just bought some powder with my Cabela points. As long as you don't pay an annual fee or interest, why not? It's free money.

My first card was a BankAmericaCard too. I got it in the mail free of charge around 1965 after I opened my first checking account. It had a whole $300.00 limit. I kept it in my wallet as an emergency fund all through college and never used it. I finally used it in '71 after I graduated to fund the hotel stay for our honeymoon between basic and my PCS.

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

Started out with a Radio Shack card .
Got married and had a handful of them.
Got divorced and did without them for 20 years.
Got a reality check when I needed to rent a car.
You cant rent a car without a credit card.
Wouldn't take a cash deposit.
Was so embarrassed that my daughter had to rent it for me.
After that me and the wife got one just for traveling with.
Surprising how many places don't want to take cash anymore.