[speaker001:] well how do you use your credit cards
[speaker002:] um I use them carefully I guess um
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I uh I usually don't I usually use them to consolidate billing
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] uh for convenience sakes but I usually just pay them off at the end of the month
[speaker001:] yeah especially what I do
[speaker002:] I don't I don't avoid the finance charges uh as high as they are
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I don't uh
[speaker001:] ridiculously high
[speaker002:] don't you know I don't let them carry over you know I uh
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] I've been lucky I guess I haven't had a bill big enough where I couldn't pay them off at the end of the month but I I try to try to live within a budget you know and so
[speaker001:] well so
[speaker002:] I keep that in mind I just don't you know I guess it takes self-restraint when you have a credit card to know that that there's really you really have to pay these things off
[speaker001:] yeah plus a lot more
[speaker002:] plus a lot more you know and you got to realize that there's only this much money in the bank and if you're going to live you know
[speaker001:] yeah well
[speaker002:] if you're not going to try to you know say well I'll pay it off sometime in the future
[speaker001:] yeah for so many years I was so deep in debt on credit cards and I finally dug my way out of them and that was enough to teach me you know you just I can do without them
[speaker002:] um-hum right some people have a rip theirs up just because they can't you know they can't resist them
[speaker001:] yeah I got rid of a lot of them especially the ones where I paid fees
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] uh I kept the ones that were free
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and basically the same thing I use them if I'm running short of cash and there's something I want or sale a sale or
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] when I travel I use them
[speaker002:] right I use them to float sometimes if it's near the end of the month and you know and you know I don't have a check coming in a few days
[speaker001:] yeah yeah yeah it's about
[speaker002:] I'll go ahead and and charge it knowing that the money will be there
[speaker001:] yeah that's what I do
[speaker002:] by the time the bill comes
[speaker001:] yeah if there's running into a cash short or something there's some things some purchases I make that I will do always on credit card just so I have a record of them just like when I take all my cats down to the vet I always pay that on credit card
[speaker002:] uh-huh right you know we go out to eat a lot of times
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I don't like to carry a lot of cash with me
[speaker001:] hum-um
[speaker002:] I have so I just carry my credit card and and for things like that
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] as long as I know you know that I'm I'm not over doing it
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] it's a and yeah I have I have what I have two credit cards that's all I use I'm always getting stuff in the mail all the time
[speaker001:] yeah yeah I
[speaker002:] you are a preferred such and such and you are
[speaker001:] yeah you're you're already approved then it's back
[speaker002:] you're already approved to get I
[speaker001:] I uh for the longest time I I'd gotten rid of my gas credit cards and then all of a sudden I started getting a flurry of these things so I I did I have picked up three gas credit cards in the last couple months
[speaker002:] oh
[speaker001:] but uh
[speaker002:] sometimes they just send them to you and say here have a credit card
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I have that one
[speaker001:] oh do you yeah
[speaker002:] yeah I just ripped I just cut it up and threw it away but you know
[speaker001:] oh you should have used it you wouldn't have been liable for the payment
[speaker002:] is that right
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] huh I didn't know that
[speaker001:] they yeah they send you card that
[speaker002:] that you didn't want
[speaker001:] that you didn't apply for it's yours
[speaker002:] is that right
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] huh
[speaker001:] of course they could always stick something in the credit bureau
[speaker002:] that's right that's right they could they can make your life miserable if they want to
[speaker001:] sure yeah I had a I had a tough battle with Exxon several years ago
[speaker002:] is that right
[speaker001:] uh and I I tore up their card and sent it to them and now I've got another one
[speaker002:] we don't have too many Exxon stations out this way
[speaker001:] oh really what do you got out there
[speaker002:] uh we've got lots of Mobil
[speaker001:] Mobils yeah
[speaker002:] Mobils are big and we have a few Exxon we've got some other ones like Citgo
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] yeah is a is a one
[speaker001:] yeah well I don't think I don't think we've got a Citgo here in Raleigh no matter of fact I know we don't
[speaker002:] yeah got some Shell stations
[speaker001:] um
[speaker002:] a few Texaco stations
[speaker001:] we have several convenience stores that sell Citgo gas but they're not Citgo stations I guess
[speaker002:] uh-huh right
[speaker001:] the biggies around here are Exxon Texaco and um well gosh that's about it BP I guess
[speaker002:] and there's another local one I can't I can't remember what there's some few Sinclair stations
[speaker001:] gosh I haven't seen a Sinclair station in years
[speaker002:] yeah the few they're the green dinosaurs are
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] their their
[speaker001:] gosh there used to when I was a when I was a kid there was a Sinclair station about three blocks away that's where I used to go to pump up my tires and get my flats fixed and all of that
[speaker002:] logo  yeah there's not that many down here that you know once once in a while you'll see one
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I guess they're still in business
[speaker001:] just barely I guess
[speaker002:] yeah yeah
[speaker001:] well just
[speaker002:] you ever you ever gotten in trouble with your credit card where they they've charged charged you for something you didn't didn't
[speaker001:] no uh I I've nope I've never had that
[speaker002:] didn't purchase
[speaker001:] I I did have a problem with American Express one time about ten years ago when I first got started in a business um
[speaker002:] yeah I have uh-huh
[speaker001:] they got my name of course
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and I said yeah this will be handy because I can use this for all my business expenses so I used it went on a went on a trip and used it got the bill and paid it about three weeks later I get this nasty letter from them saying you haven't paid you're overdue pay it
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] so I ignored it assuming that the things had crossed in the mail about two weeks after that I get a phone call
[speaker002:] right from someone saying
[speaker001:] say you are really overdue you need to pay this thing and I said what are you talking about I've already paid you and by that time the bank statement had come in and I had the canceled check
[speaker002:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker001:] so they said okay we'll take care of it two weeks later I get another nasty letter threatening legal action so I sent them a letter with a copy of the canceled check and their card cut up into about a hundred pieces I said here is your card here is the copy of my canceled check never send me anything else and never heard from them
[speaker002:] uh-huh somebody blew it
[speaker001:] but I just yeah I just you know I ain't got time to mess mess around with them
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] too many people want my money out there I don't have to pay somebody to take it
[speaker002:] right do you have the Discover card
[speaker001:] no I don't I I kept wanting I kept thinking about getting it but I just don't use the things enough to justify getting it
[speaker002:] either either do I they they I don't know I don't know how anybody can fall into this you get cash back and buy into that because
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] all they're giving you back is a little bit of the interest you paid in
[speaker001:] that's right that's that's right you're paying you're paying a higher interest rate so they can rebate you two percent of it
[speaker002:] yeah their interest right their interest rate's twenty two percent
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] higher than any other ones and then they said that we'll give you back some of your money
[speaker001:] hum that's right yeah right and in the meantime for that entire year they've got the use of that money
[speaker002:] uh like right
[speaker001:] uh yeah it's
[speaker002:] it it's a rip-off
[speaker001:] oh it is I there's so
[speaker002:] but a lot of people think it's wonderful I guess said they're they're doing well everything I've read they've been getting a more market share I guess they're they're advertising and promotions and
[speaker001:] well uh America's Americans are suckers
[speaker002:] yeah I guess so
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I don't know
[speaker001:] they don't know how to sit there and look at the interest rate and say well this one is only sixteen percent and this one's twenty two hum
[speaker002:] yeah um-hum yeah I have a on my credit cards I have a grace period if I pay it off within when the bill comes I I don't have to owe any interest
[speaker001:] yeah I yeah right that's
[speaker002:] and uh
[speaker001:] I've only got I've only got two uh two cards now I've got a Bank of Scotland Visa and a Citibank MasterCard
[speaker002:] right um-hum
[speaker001:] and and that's it I mean I I don't need anything else now
[speaker002:] um-hum yeah once in a while uh my I have an American Express they have this a buyer protection thing
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] where you they extend the warranty
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] so uh they both can be nice around Christmas time and stuff if you're going to buy a TV or uh or uh electronic
[speaker001:] yeah yeah something something like that
[speaker002:] then
[speaker001:] my roommate really believes in American Express he's got the green card or the gold card and the the Optima card and
[speaker002:] and everything huh
[speaker001:] he just he just thinks they're terrific
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and I sit there and say yeah look what you pay for that every year
[speaker002:] he pays for that yeah a couple hundred bucks probably for that like high end card
[speaker001:] yeah gosh
[speaker002:] well if you have the money I guess
[speaker001:] yeah yeah I'm I'm thinking myself
[speaker002:] get what you pay for huh
[speaker001:] really yeah you know he's he's impressed because they send you this nice statement every I guess it's every year they itemize all your purchases and they break it down in little categories for you and all that uh yeah it's a nice report but is it worth you know is it worth sixty bucks a year
[speaker002:] for that little
[speaker001:] for that report
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] don't be crazy
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] uh when I was over in England I picked I picked up that uh Bank of Scotland Visa card and I I don't know hardly I don't ever use it except when I want to play the currency market um that's that's when it becomes handy because if I know that you know if the if the uh if the pound is high I can buy more dollar things
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] for what I'm getting and then if if I think the rate's going to drop then I pay them back in less dollars
[speaker002:] right  right right
[speaker001:] and it it's worked out most of the times I'm I'm usually pretty good on calling the the currency market
[speaker002:] uh-huh yeah a lot of people do that for a living I guess
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] trade trade money
[speaker001:] yeah I I did it when I lived over there I did it quite often
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] um and I really I really had a racket going because uh my paycheck was being uh electronically deposited here in the states and the bank that I banked with I could write them a check on an American bank and they would give me instant credit for it so
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and and I and over and over the course of a year I I figured out how long it took them to clear that check and the and the shortest period of time was eight days so generally about eight days before payday depending on what the currency markets were doing I would go up and start buying I'd I'd start cashing in my checks for pounds
[speaker002:] hum right
[speaker001:] and then by the time
[speaker002:] the other check went through
[speaker001:] it the it the rate was either down or up depending on what I was doing and it it was great I mean I I could
[speaker002:] made a little extra money there huh
[speaker001:] yeah and I mean one day you know I might be able to get