For what it is worth, Chase banks in Western Washington do not have no weapons allowed signs. At least one credit union has no weapons allowed stickers prominently displayed by their doors. Looking for those stickers is a starting point.
Credit card suggestions?
- Thread starter guitar1580
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jtcarm
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CCs are safer and some services like car rentals won't take a debit card.
Just pay it off every month.
Rastoff
US Veteran
Use cash. Still accepted everywhere.
OP
guitar1580
Member
Reasons to have a credit card:
1. Rental car, as mentioned above.
2. Online / mail order purchases.
3. To build your credit score, in case you want to purchase a home or get a loan someday. As Realtors, that's one of the things we tell young people who have zero credit. Get a card and use it, but pay it off, and don't go nuts with it. Zero credit can be as bad as bad credit.
4. Warranties. Some cards double your factory warranty. Some with purchase protection will replace lost / stolen / broken items. I lost a pair of $300 ski boots when my buddy neglected to put them in the trunk with the rest of the gear while I was starting the car. Received a check for the full amount.
Guit
1. Rental car, as mentioned above.
2. Online / mail order purchases.
3. To build your credit score, in case you want to purchase a home or get a loan someday. As Realtors, that's one of the things we tell young people who have zero credit. Get a card and use it, but pay it off, and don't go nuts with it. Zero credit can be as bad as bad credit.
4. Warranties. Some cards double your factory warranty. Some with purchase protection will replace lost / stolen / broken items. I lost a pair of $300 ski boots when my buddy neglected to put them in the trunk with the rest of the gear while I was starting the car. Received a check for the full amount.
Guit
Another reason. Fraud protection from bad sellers.
Someone said go with a Debit Card. I don't see any win there. Debit cards are issued by the same banks that issue the credit cards you don't want, so what's the difference there?
Credit cards are protected by Federal Law to a loss of $50 if you notify the card issuer of fraud / errors in a timely manner. Most reputable companies won't hold you liable even for the $50 if you follow the reporting rules. And, a fraudulent CC charge does not impact your current bank balance.
A Debit card is not protected except by the goodwill of the issuer. I've seen friends whose debit cards were hacked. They had (stupidly) linked the debit cards to checking accounts which were linked to savings for overdraft protection. Both accounts emptied to the tune of total $0 balance. That caused all automatic debits to be bounced, and rent, telephone, electric, car payment all fail.
The bank in one case covered it, but the damage went on for months, and credit report is chaos still.
Example two - the bank (different one) said you waited one day to late to send back the fraud reports, stuff it. They lost everything involved. Over $25,000. This will be generating income for lawyers for years.
Credit cards are protected by Federal Law to a loss of $50 if you notify the card issuer of fraud / errors in a timely manner. Most reputable companies won't hold you liable even for the $50 if you follow the reporting rules. And, a fraudulent CC charge does not impact your current bank balance.
A Debit card is not protected except by the goodwill of the issuer. I've seen friends whose debit cards were hacked. They had (stupidly) linked the debit cards to checking accounts which were linked to savings for overdraft protection. Both accounts emptied to the tune of total $0 balance. That caused all automatic debits to be bounced, and rent, telephone, electric, car payment all fail.
The bank in one case covered it, but the damage went on for months, and credit report is chaos still.
Example two - the bank (different one) said you waited one day to late to send back the fraud reports, stuff it. They lost everything involved. Over $25,000. This will be generating income for lawyers for years.
Reasons to have a credit card:
1. Rental car, as mentioned above.
2. Online / mail order purchases.
3. To build your credit score, in case you want to purchase a home or get a loan someday. As Realtors, that's one of the things we tell young people who have zero credit. Get a card and use it, but pay it off, and don't go nuts with it. Zero credit can be as bad as bad credit.
4. Warranties. Some cards double your factory warranty. Some with purchase protection will replace lost / stolen / broken items. I lost a pair of $300 ski boots when my buddy neglected to put them in the trunk with the rest of the gear while I was starting the car. Received a check for the full amount.
Guit
Another reason is to have the bank on your side if any merchant messes up and refuses to make good. Years ago I suffered from a major airline that thankfully is no longer in business. I was flying on a trip that required a connection, but the connecting flight was cancelled weeks before my trip and nobody bothered to tell me. So I was stranded in a strange airport and my brother who I was going to see had to make a reverse trip from where I was supposed to land and we basically killed the whole day. When I complained to the airline they tried to buy me off for about $25. I didn't cash its check so I wouldn't compromise my claim, and reported the whole sorry scenario to the bank. They made the airline eat the whole ticket.
I'm another user of the Cabela's Visa Card......I've used the points to buy lots of free Cabela's stuff, from ammo to binoculars and clothing, etc...
Don
Don
Rastoff
US Veteran
All of these things can be done with a debit card. The benefit is you're using money you have vs money you might have one day.Reasons to have a credit card:
1. Rental car, as mentioned above.
2. Online / mail order purchases.
3. To build your credit score, in case you want to purchase a home or get a loan someday. As Realtors, that's one of the things we tell young people who have zero credit. Get a card and use it, but pay it off, and don't go nuts with it. Zero credit can be as bad as bad credit.
4. Warranties. Some cards double your factory warranty. Some with purchase protection will replace lost / stolen / broken items. I lost a pair of $300 ski boots when my buddy neglected to put them in the trunk with the rest of the gear while I was starting the car. Received a check for the full amount.
Guit
Yep Cabela's card. My wife used MY points and got herself a Bushmaster AR 15. She has the (mistaken) belief that the earned points are hers to use. In fact I used some points the other day when I was roaming Billings and stopped at the local Cabela's. Got a couple boxes of seldom seen 32 cal Hornady bullets for my 327 Fed . Pay the bill so no interest and use it for most everything.. Sometimes the bill is fairly large but only one bill to pay most months
That's a personal finance issue, not a credit card issue.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Not a good idea to cancel ANY credit card (unless you are paying an annual fee). Reason being is that your credit score is based in part on how much available credit you have vs amount currently in use. Example. You have a card with NRA friendly bank with a 5k limit and are currently carrying $1000 on it. You also have a credit card with nastybank with a 5K limit that you refuse to use and are considering cancelling. At this point you are only using 10% of available credit-a good risk indeed. Cancel that unused credit card to spite the nastybank and you now are a higher risk because your credit score is now based on you currently using 20% of available credit. I've got old cards with no annual fee that I haven't used in years for that very reason.
Know the rules-it helps while playing the game!!
Know the rules-it helps while playing the game!!
Caj.. I understand the credit percentages etc.. Having 2 3 or 4 cards unless all are used reduces the percentage at risk for the card company... But Credit cards get hacked all the time. used or unused ones. Also puts your personal info out there to get identity stolen. Not arguing..just asking. Is the risk associated with having unused cards worth the small loss in credit score? Seems like a catch 22. I did have a debit card hacked.. Bank made it good....but I am very leery of cards these days
Skeet,
Your credit score / FICO is used for so many things -
Qualifying for a mortgage.
Car insurance rating.
Home / property insurance rating.
Security ratings for jobs (even volunteer positions now) that require background checks.
Interest rates on credit cards.
Renting an apartment / home.
Amounts of deposits required for some accounts with utilities / services.
You need for it to be as good as it can be. Also, it is sometimes (as at my past employer) viewed in ranges, not the number. Someone with 800+ would go to the top of the list. For 799- you got the second tier. So there, a ONE point drop could put you behind 10 others looking for that job.
One of the cards I would get rid of if I took the "dump the anti's" path has a $30,000 credit line from my pre-"retirement" days. Dumping that would be extremely stupid, as I have no way to replace that, now being on SSDI with a $300 /mo pension from a long past employer, and no other sustainable income for now. I'll pay the $90 a year fee for that one.
Your credit score / FICO is used for so many things -
Qualifying for a mortgage.
Car insurance rating.
Home / property insurance rating.
Security ratings for jobs (even volunteer positions now) that require background checks.
Interest rates on credit cards.
Renting an apartment / home.
Amounts of deposits required for some accounts with utilities / services.
You need for it to be as good as it can be. Also, it is sometimes (as at my past employer) viewed in ranges, not the number. Someone with 800+ would go to the top of the list. For 799- you got the second tier. So there, a ONE point drop could put you behind 10 others looking for that job.
One of the cards I would get rid of if I took the "dump the anti's" path has a $30,000 credit line from my pre-"retirement" days. Dumping that would be extremely stupid, as I have no way to replace that, now being on SSDI with a $300 /mo pension from a long past employer, and no other sustainable income for now. I'll pay the $90 a year fee for that one.
Most, if not all major credit cards, will call or text you if any suspicious charges are attempted. I've had messages from my
Cabela's Visa and my business AmEx cards to verify if it was me or not. 2 times it wasn't me and they refused the charges.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Pretty simple really-the companies will usualy call you on dubious activity and if you get a statement-you KNOW someting is up and it's pretty easy to reverse the charges
Plus, and I mean this honestly, it's comforting to know you have 30-40k of credit at the drop of the hat in case you are diagnosed with a terminal illness and decide to go on that one last road trip
OP
guitar1580
Member
I have a stellar credit score at 833, and still have quite a few active cards. I closed two that pissed me off a few months ago, and it felt very good to give them a piece of my mind. The closed accounts showed up, and did not affect my score, still 833. I'll replace them with better ones. No regrets.
I have the Cabela's card, but I purchase very little there because their prices are sky high.
It seems no one really has a concrete answer to the original question. I'll update if I find out anything from the NRA. I haven't had time to call back to the 800 number, as it takes a while to get through.
The important point here is that if all major banks wage war against gun manufacturers and gun buyers, it's not going to be a good thing. Whether you keep your current cards or find some that are more 2A friendly, you should call and let them know that you do not agree with discrimination against the NRA and legal gun buyers.
Thanks very much for the replies and suggestions.
Guit
I have the Cabela's card, but I purchase very little there because their prices are sky high.
It seems no one really has a concrete answer to the original question. I'll update if I find out anything from the NRA. I haven't had time to call back to the 800 number, as it takes a while to get through.
The important point here is that if all major banks wage war against gun manufacturers and gun buyers, it's not going to be a good thing. Whether you keep your current cards or find some that are more 2A friendly, you should call and let them know that you do not agree with discrimination against the NRA and legal gun buyers.
Thanks very much for the replies and suggestions.
Guit
As to monitoring card usage. My credit union will alert me if any charge (or withdrawal from checking) exceeds a preset limit. I set the limit at $5. I get quite a few alerts but I'll put up with the slight inconvenience for the peace of mind.
gregintenn
Member
You haven't rented a hotel room lately.
