[speaker001:] Okay.
[speaker002:] Hi. Do you have lots of credit cards [LAUGHTER]?
[speaker001:] Yeah, we, well, we have quite a few but we don't really use them a lot. We have, well, we like a lot of gasoline credit cards,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] because we like to be able to stop, you know, when we're traveling and stuff wherever there's a station, but as far as like MasterCard and Visa, we don't use those too often. What about you?
[speaker002:] [TV] Um, I used to have a ton of gas credit cards, and now I have one or two of them, but I think I've even let some of them expire. But I was living out of the country for a while so I wasn't using them too much
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and I don't drive that much. But I have, you know, MasterCard and Visa as you know, I have a MasterCard and an American Express now. I got rid of the Visa because it was getting out of hand having fifteen million [LAUGHTER] cards.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] But, as long as, like my MasterCard is, um, free as long as you spend about, I don't know three thousand dollars a year or something like that.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And so, I tend to buy almost all major purchases on a credit card,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] when I have the choice. And, um, I used to even use it for my grocery shopping and stuff. The stores around here don't let you do it too much.
[speaker001:] Oh, really?
[speaker002:] And so I don't. But I was living in France and there you pay for everything by credit card,
[speaker001:] Huh.
[speaker002:] but it's not really a credit card [baby crying].
[speaker001:] Oh, is it like an automatic debit or s-,
[speaker002:] It's a, it's a debit card, yeah.
[speaker001:] Oh, huh.
[speaker002:] And, um, just, you know, it's sha-, many times [baby] you get out of the store faster if you pay with that than if you pay with cash. [Talks to person in background] Bye, thanks.
[speaker001:] Oh, really?
[speaker002:] Um, yeah. Because they're just so well set up with it [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah. We use our credit cards sometimes for a big purchase, but we always have the money set aside already to, and then we just pay it off the next,
[speaker002:] [TV] Right, well,
[speaker001:] month. We never pay, we don't like to pay interest on the [LAUGHTER] credit cards at all.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I, I never pay finance charges on them except when I screw up which I occasionally [LAUGHTER] do.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And, you know, I'll forget to pay the bill by the due date, or this last month I mailed a check to them on the twenty-second and they didn't get it until the thirtieth, and it was,
[speaker001:] Gosh.
[speaker002:] due the twenty-fifth.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And you know, so I thought I, and so I got hit up with a cre-, uh, finance charge on it which pissed me off
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] because, um, you know, I really did mail it in time.
[speaker001:] Right. Yeah.
[speaker002:] But they have no proof of that. I don't, I don't want to probably talk to them some more discuss it, but I, I never, um, usually never pay [LAUGHTER] finance charges.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Yeah, that, yeah, we, we screwed up one time like that too. We mailed it and they just never did get it, and we had to finally mail them another check.
[speaker002:] I had that hassle one time and I-, that went on for months and months and months because, and they eventually found the check and deposited it
[speaker001:] Huh.
[speaker002:] and months later they were still telling me that I owed them finance charges and, um, late fees and things like that. And I said, well, I mailed you a check and you eventually did deposit it. So, you know, I guess I don't know who the, the burden of proof is on.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I don't either.
[speaker002:] You know, kind of the, because you never d-, when I pay bills I don't make a Xerox copy of it or I don't
[speaker001:] No, you figure,
[speaker002:] um,
[speaker001:] you'll get your check back if you have to.
[speaker002:] Right. Or I don't get a, I don't mail them all a signed receipt whatever I,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] you know, at the bank to have a proof of when I mailed it. And, I mean you can't do that, it would be ridiculous.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Really. I like to use my card if I buy something through the mail which I don't do real often or something from out of state, you know, where if something is wrong,
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] you don't want to end up having to pay for it.
[speaker002:] Well, you can,
[speaker001:] A couple times I've had to write big credit card companies and say, you know, I didn't really get this or I don't know what this is.
[speaker002:] Right. Or I returned it so don't charge it, yeah.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Well, that's basically what happened with us is we bought a computer, and the computer, um, d-, wasn't, didn't do what these people said it would do.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] We need to just put external cards in and it wouldn't do that so he brought it back to them, and they're supposed to modify it. And so I called the credit card company and said, well, we haven't really taken possession because it's not useful for us. We can't use it.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And then they said, well then don't pay it. And then a month later, I had to dispute it in writing, and I was out of the country and got back, and I took care of it as soo-, as soon as we got the computer back and it was okay. I mailed off a check but then it was too late. So now they're hitting me up there [LAUGHTER] with a finance charge.
[speaker001:] Oh [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] But it's sort of, you know, it's, it's half our fault.
[speaker001:] Yes, it's, i-,
[speaker002:] And so w-,
[speaker001:] w-, yeah, if you filed that letter with them then they will kind of,
[speaker002:] Right, if I had filed the letter to dispute it and then paid it eventually, it would have been okay.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So I learned that for the next time.
[speaker001:] [Breathing] I'm like you, too,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] about the yearly fees. I don't, uh, I don't like to pay the yearly fee for a card. Right now both the MasterCard and the Visa, we don't have to pay a yearly fee on and
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] since we don't pay the interest it doesn't really matter what the interest rate,
[speaker002:] Right, yeah.
[speaker001:] is too, just as long as we don't have to pay that yearly fee. Now we had American Express cards and my husband had always had that before we got married, and those got so high we finally decided for him and me both to have a card it was like ninety dollars [LAUGHTER] or something I think,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] I can't remember but we decided let that one go and,
[speaker002:] Well, my husband and I both have that and I don't know what we pay for his card, I pay I think, I have a gold one so,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I think it's like seventy-five dollars for me
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and I'm not quite sure what it is for him. But I had really like w-, there [lipsmack] nowadays I'm not su-, so sure that it's worth it,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] but, um, in the past there, you know, there are some places that only take American Express
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and then they don't have the credit limit because I've over done the credit limit on the other card, if my husband and I both travel,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] it, you know, a couple of plain tickets and a little bit more and you're over the limit on the credit card. And, um, with the American Express they say there is no limit. There really is but they,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] tell you that, but then that was one advantage but th-, that's like, I don't, I think it's seventy-five dollars for me and forty for him
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] for a year which is a lot.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Be n-,
[speaker001:] But, yeah, like you said, if you really, if you need that extra for charging tickets and stuff,
[speaker002:] Yeah, well,
[speaker001:] it's more worth it.
[speaker002:] we should probably get another, um, Visa card,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] ye-, one, another one that's free. Because there are some, like I think A T and T has one that's free if you make two purchases a year.
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] Well so,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Yeah, that wouldn't be too hard to do [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah, and so that's easy enough to do, and if that's true, that's, um, it might be better off to have that as a second card just to have the credit.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And get rid of the American Express because it costs so much.
[speaker001:] Have you ever run into problems of charging up more than you meant to and having to,
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] be stuck with that? We've never had,
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] that problem either.
[speaker002:] I, and I don't under-, I mean, I guess I do understand the mentality of people doing it but I don't understand. Yea-, because people think it doesn't really cost them anything to pay. I have had months where I was shocked at how much had come in because like I thought I would buy a big expense and think that it would take one or two months to process
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and sometimes it comes in right away and it's like, oh, well, guess,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I have to pay that too.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Because like many times I'll tr-, I'll buy some things towards the end of the month thinking, hey, I won't get that bill until the next bill,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] not this bill. And it will come in on the next one, you have to pay for it right away anyway.
[speaker001:] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] But sometimes the is long. Like I've had things that I didn't get billed on for two or three months.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I guess it depends on whoever you buy it from how fast they turn them in or something.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Lot of places have tho-, I guess they're called those pointed sale terminals where it's like it goes in the minute,
[speaker002:] Immediately.
[speaker001:] you charge it.
[speaker002:] Yeah,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] but, that's what happened with us like we bought a washing machine seven months ago,
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] and that I got billed like the next day [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Oh, gosh.
[speaker002:] It didn't matter because we couldn't have paid for it by check but we prefer g-, like with the credit card you get the automatic, um, one year guarantee so if something breaks, things like that.
[speaker001:] Yeah, that's nice.
[speaker002:] You can, uh, return it so like the washing machine we bought it in October and, you know, if something goes wrong with it within the first year we've got an automatic guarantee on it besides the manufacturer's guarantee.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] And somethings like that are,
[speaker001:] Yeah, I like that feature and the insur-, like if you break it yourself even, you know,
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] if you buy something that's breakable.
[speaker002:] Or if it gets stolen or if you lose it or whatever it might be
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and so, so that's, you know, another advantage. And then even things like airline tickets you automatically get flight insurance which, um, you, hopefully you never use.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] But like if your bagga-, but things like if your baggage gets lost, you get money for that
[speaker001:] Oh, really?
[speaker002:] to buy new bags and things like that.
[speaker001:] Oh, I didn't know that.
[speaker002:] And yeah, when you rent a car, you get that and sometimes you get discounts with the cards and so...