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paulz
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2021 03:58pm
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I getting to be about the last guy around here to pay with cash. Old habits die hard I guess. Today at the market the checker says "Oh, you're paying with cash", with a disappointed look.
I use a card at the gas pumps for convenience. And I do get some cash back award with the card. Why am I not using it everywhere? I guess one reason is not having to sift through 100s of items when checking the monthly bill. Or account theft.
How about you guys?
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frankpaige
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2021 04:55pm
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I went cashless more than 10 years ago. The kids give cards, the grandkids want cards.
Guess I do not purchase enough to have ""100's) of item to scan through. One debt card, two credit cards. Even in the last months, I have started paying the bills electronically.
Now? If that Russian hacker ever gets into the banking system? I guess I will have to start paying bills with my reloads?
Have to say, July. Has been the greatest month to be at the cabin. Have fun, Stay safe.
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pabear89
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2021 05:18pm
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I use cash as much as possible, Any cashier says cards only will have to put it all back on the shelf and will not shop there again.
Bill pay online is easier than getting to the PO as it is a 20 mile trip and only stop when having to go to town which I try not to have to do much.
Have bank notifyer when ether card is used, Have had fraud 4 times in last year and a half and its a pain to get cards replaced each time.
The hackers are second on the worry list, The Gov is first, never can tell when they will shut down the electronic pay system because we will not bow down.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2021 05:55pm
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I am a long-time credit card user. My first was a Bankamericard obtained in 1970. That was the card that became Visa. Back then there were not many places that took cards. A few used to give a discount for cash way back, even though that was against the card company-merchant agreement for a long time.
I use two cards for virtually everything; one personal use mainly, the other business only. 2% cashback on all charges, deposited into my bank account.
I do not view the list of charges on the monthly statements as a chore. Rather to me, it is a list of where I spent my money that can be downloaded into my bookkeeping software. Very convenient. I can sort and categorize everything, flag the tax-related items, etc.
Over the decades I have had to replace a card a few times because of some unauthorized activity. Not a big deal to me. I have never lost a dime and the card company has helped a few times when a vendor was not holding up their end of the deal. I also have my cards set so I get a text notification every time there is a charge over $10. So, if an unauthorized charge over that amount is ever attempted I know about it as it happens. I also make use of every security device or system that is available.
The only cash I spend is for a few produce items, eggs, chickens I buy from local farmers. Plus I keep a bag of ones and fives in the bus/rv to use at campgrounds where they use the self-serve registrations. I haven't had a coin in my pocket for I don't know how long.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2021 06:26pm
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A couple months ago an elderly lady at the market paid with a check. Hadn't seen that in a long time. Also reminded me of the earlier days of cards. Whip out the card imprint machine, imprint form, slide, sign, rip out customer copy. Did that when I worked at gas stations, and later on retail stores.
Then, when the insert or slide your card machines came around, there was always 'that guy' holding up the line trying to figure out which card had money, which way to slide the card.. That seems to be mostly resolved now with chip cards.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2021 06:32pm
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I haven't used a paper check for soooo long. E-checks for some things, but no paper.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2021 06:34pm
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With the old imprint sliders there was sometimes the required phone call for an authorization number on some purchases.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2021 06:59pm
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Credit cards have built-in protections for you, debit cards not so much. That has saved us from some scammers a few times. Also, a debit card has access to your bank account it draws from. I will not use one any more!
We use cc's for almost all store purchases, and have a few actual 'store cards' that give us some bennies.
We have two Visa accounts, one is a gas company card that also gives us a 10c/gal discount at their stations. If/when one card has 'issues' we still have use of the other instead of left hanging. That has been useful a couple of times.....stuff happens.
I keep and carry some cash, mostly for those kind of 'deals' that pop up where cash can talk to make the deal. I suspect, Paul, that you know exactly what I mean 
All in all I like the tracking of our purchases with the cards, the review is quick and generally painless, though I suspect we do spend more because the card is just so easy, lol. THAT is definitely a personal problem!
We pay off each card with a check each statement, never carrying a balance thus no fees.
Works for me, that is, I make it work for me and I was an old 'cash guy' too. Just takes a little change in how you think about/manage things from what youve been doing.
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Irrigation Guy
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2021 07:02pm
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I use both and am not partial to either. I do sometimes get paid cash by customers but that is my only source of cash. I will rarely take money out of an atm unless we are taking the kids to a fair or something like that.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 07:56am
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I have never been one to spend on my credit card in a fashion that I didnt have enough in my account to pay for it. In fact I have only carried over a balance on a CC to the next month one time. They have also canceled my card due to not enough use too...that reminds me I should use it soon so they dont do that again.
Generaly I use the credit part of my debit card. I save my cash for gas(they charge 10c more per gallon on a CC) and my cabin build.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 08:45am
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Brettny, the credit option isn’t really a credit purchase. It just means the transaction data gets processed through the credit network associated with your card. The transaction won’t help you build credit, and money still gets taken directly out of your bank account, even if the transaction is pending for a few days.
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jsahara24
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 08:57am - Edited by: jsahara24
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I use both cash and credit cards, cash for small stuff like going to lunch or buying a drink at the gas station. For bigger purchases and all bills that don't charge extra to use them, I use a cash back credit card and of course pay it off monthly.
I refuse to use my debit card as I have been hacked, and while I did get the money back, it took some time....Just makes me nervous having a direct line to the checking account....
I pay all my bills online, however I do still write checks for my tax bills..
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 09:04am
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Quoting: jsahara24 I do still write checks for my tax bills..
My county started accepting e-checks a few years ago through their website with no fee.
This reminds me that the credit union I use as my bank also has an alert system on the accounts. I have that set so every time any money goes in or out I get a notification.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 09:14am
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Quoting: jsahara24 I pay all my bills online, however I do still write checks for my tax bills..
Me too. I like the pennies in the wheelbarrow thing though..
How do E-checks work?
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jsahara24
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 09:32am
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Our area is setup so every township has a tax collector that handles the county & school tax bills....Its not a great system and there is no option to pay other than cash or check.....
I am aware of two ways to do an e-check, either type in the check information on your banks website and they will print and mail it... Or setup your bank account to be directly linked to your payer, and sent it digitally....
I use a credit union and they seem to be a little behind the big banks in terms of technology....However I feel better keeping my money local and have found its easier to get loans with them.....
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paulz
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 10:01am
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Quoting: jsahara24 I am aware of two ways to do an e-check, either type in the check information on your banks website and they will print and mail it... Or setup your bank account to be directly linked to your payer, and sent it digitally....
Thanks. I should look into that. The California DMV accepts them for online registration renewal. I keep about half of my 20 or so titled vehicles registered, to the tune of $150 a year they charge. Costs about 3 bucks more to put it on the card, which I now do.
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frankpaige
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 10:26am - Edited by: frankpaige
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Quoting: paulz I keep about half of my 20 or so titled vehicles registered, to the tune of $150 a year they charge.
Paulz! Dude! You are a motorized rich man (person,owner,keeper of things,holder of titles) Didn't want label you with the "man". Lol
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 10:45am
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Debit cards for most things... we have been hacked a couple of times but they never got to our accounts and our banks are really good at cutting off the cards the minute they spot possible fraud. We get text notifications on purchases from one bank and the other is in rural Oregon and has a 500 mile radius, anything outside that is declined unless we add an exclusion area... like around our home in AZ and cabin in Colorado.
We actually use Debit cards for budgeting. We have cards for auto, household, lifestyle, travel, insurance and general which includes groceries. Not fool proof but keeps us in line on spending.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 10:58am
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Rich in vehicles, well, I guess. Rich to pay all those regs? Argh, they used to be $20-$40 a year before Calif. decided adding to vehicle fees was a good money source to fix roads etc.. The unfair part is a family with two cars can put 100k miles on a year and pay tax on those 2 cars. I drive 10k a year but pay tax on 20. But that's life and taxes. And the roads still suck..
Most are old motorcycles. Plus 2 old Corvettes, 1938 hotrod pickup, Blazer cabin 4x4 now mostly replaced with a newer 4x4 pickup, 4x4 yard truck, 2wd pickup for suburban runaround, dump truck...
But yeah, if they stop selling gas I'm in trouble. Here's a couple old bikes. I'm trying par down on those but tough to let go.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 11:07am
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I left my debit card in an ATM in Winnemucca Nevada some years ago, in a snowstorm. Got back home, realized it was gone, checked my account. Card had been used at a gas station for 4 new tires, oil change, wiper blades and whatever else they could tag on. Bank covered it.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 02:24pm
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Quoting: ICC Brettny, the credit option isn’t really a credit purchase. It just means the transaction data gets processed through the credit network associated with your card. The transaction won’t help you build credit, and money still gets taken directly out of your bank account, even if the transaction is pending for a few days
Alot of people get hung up on the building credit part. If you dont need a loan you hardly need long term credit. I have only needed my credit once 10yrs ago and I dont see needing it again for many decades.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 02:27pm
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Quoting: jsahara24 I use a credit union and they seem to be a little behind the big banks in terms of technology....However I feel better keeping my money local and have found its easier to get loans with them.....
I also keep my money with local banks. Technology can be good but it makes banking a risk. How many times have you seen big banks with identity theft or customer Info theft? Chase, HSBC, bank of america are just the few of the big ones that I remember having info stolen from.
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jsahara24
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 03:49pm
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Quoting: Brettny I also keep my money with local banks. Technology can be good but it makes banking a risk. How many times have you seen big banks with identity theft or customer Info theft? Chase, HSBC, bank of america are just the few of the big ones that I remember having info stolen from.
I don't disagree, its just annoying transferring money around. For my business I use a big bank and I can transfer money through their website to my personal account. With my local credit union I can either take cash to the bank, or write a check to myself and deposit it on the app.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 07:45pm
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Debit cards = BAD for a number of reasons compared to Credit Cards.
Just spend a little time looking up online what the difference is and what kind of protections for you each has.
There are more than a few horror stories of what has happened to folks who thought they were pretty much the same, and found out they should have used a CC.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2021 07:59pm
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Paul, Those are 2 Nice bikes! Id take either for a spin in a heartbeat.
I started out in 1968 at age 15 with a stripped down, rat 46 Indian Chief. 50+ years on, over 30 bikes owned and 250K + miles and I still have 3 bikes, still doing it 
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2021 09:10am
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Thanks gc. Let me know if you want to see more..
Well I guess I'll start using the CC for smaller purchases. I have done it a couple times when the wife cleaned out my wallet without mentioning it.
I'll admit to a bit of a mental block about it, coming from a cash is king mentality. I carry $2-300 in my wallet at all times (except as noted above).
I usually don't bother going over my monthly bill, and at times I have there's often cryptic charges, like '$38 at XYZ Intl' or something, and if I walk around thinking about long enough will remember what it was. Do you bother remembering every $8 purchase you made when going over the bill?
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2021 10:32am - Edited by: gcrank1
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Incidental 'small stuff' on the stmt eventually comes to mind, if I think on it enough, but they are small taters that dont much matter. Its the big surprise charges that I look for, like the time some $450 from Ticketmaster showed up for an oddball concert in CA (we are in WI). One call to the CC company to make 'the claim', a short series of questions and the credit was made back to us. No muss, no fuss. Another one was a horse saddle my wife ordered that was a scam with a very poor 'Pacific Rim' made imitation of a saddle. Repeat attempts to reconcile with the vender failed. Called CC co and, again, no muss, no fuss.
There is NO connection of our cc's to our 'banking' account, unlike a debit card Which Is a Direct Link to Your Acct! Withdrawals are made right from that acct...gee, what could go wrong?
CcS are a convenience, a quick and easy way to pay and be out of the queue and a monthy stmt to review what Ive done in the past month.
Hey, how about this? You have a card, use it for most everything for 1 month and see how it works out for ya.
And YA, Id love to see a separate thread of your bike pics
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jsahara24
Member
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# Posted: 3 Aug 2021 10:35am
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Well just had my PayPal account hacked, they bought something, $272, from overstock and had it shipped to Jamaica, NY and it came out of my checking account.
Filed a dispute, said it will take up to 9 days to complete their investigation.
Moral of the story is while digital money can be very handy and I definitely expect to get the money back, you need to remember to check your accounts often b/c there are a lot of crappy people out there....
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 3 Aug 2021 12:33pm
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That's a drag. So does it mean they got your Paypal password, and you change it and all your others?
Let us know how it turns out.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 3 Aug 2021 12:38pm
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Does PP direct link withdrawals from your checking? If so, that is a Bad Thing.
Use a CC with PP and you have whatever 'protections', if any, that PP has and all the protections the CC has.
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