Citi Double Cash here. 1% on purchase 1% when bill is paid. Never carry a balance. I will take the $1000+ a year they give me for paying for and making purchases that I was going to make anyway. Basically I pay for my yearly airplane ticket and some pocket money for my Alaska trip with the reward every year.

I converted to the Double cash from Cabelas several years ago. I kicked the idea around of getting an airline credit card, but I like the idea of getting the cash from the double cash and spending it where ever I want vs being tied to a specific airline or store like Cabelas.

You can get a debit visa or M/C from most banks and use it just like a regular cc. Just set it up as checking account and transfer the money you need into it. The Bank is responsible for any money that crooks might swipe.

There are teams and teams of people in tall buildings trying to figure out how to screw you with a CC. You really need to stay on your toes if you dance with them iMO.

I bought a truck in Indiana awhile back and figured I would rent a car one way (which I found out is much more expensive then round trip) I get to the rental place and he said I needed a major credit card to put on file. I told him fella I don’t even have a minor credit card but I am paying cash. Still wouldn’t do it, so plan B was fly out there and my wife found a one way plane ticket for only about 20 or 30 bucks more than the rental place. I know you hear about the cash bonuses people get by using them and that’s fine but I’ve also seen people get themselves in bad debt from them. I steer clear of them. There might have been other times a credit card was needed but I can’t remember, either way I don’t like them.

If you have self discipline issues a cc is a bad idea. I pay mine as soon as the debt posts online. No depending on USPS to get the bill to me ontime. If I want to carry a debt over time I borrow from the bank. Let that bill get very big you wont do it again.

Everyone who uses a credit card spends way more money than they would if they didn't have one. The credit card companies know that; the 2-4% they give you back is a gold mine for them. You can use a debit card for almost anything you can use a credit card for, very few exceptions.

Same here. I use a couple of credit cards to my advantage. I haven't paid any credit card interest in over 40 years. Capital One and Chase Freedom. Used to have Cabelas but I find cash back more flexible.

Citi - Double Cash here. I make 2% on everything that you pay off. 1% on the spend and 1% of the pay.

It really works out well when you have to make purchases for someone else to be reimbursed for. i.e. work i.e. school.

I like to think its an easy way to get 2% off of large purchases but they (the dealership) normally don't let you say buy a car with it.

To get it I just click rewards and turn say 1000 points into $100. They just apply it to the balance or deposit it into my account whichever I click.

Something new its doing now is the points show up on the screen when you swipe it and you can just use the points for that purchase if you want.

I let it build up and use it to pay for Christmas or to buy a shotgun or something.

If you know how to manage money, a credit card is great. I am retired and use mine for everything I can. I get 2% rewards on all purchases. I get my statement at the beginning of the month and have until the end of the month to pay it off. When I get my statement, I pay the balance due and get my 2%. Better than savings account interest. I cashed in my rewards for 2023 the first of this month and got almost $1500 back and used that to buy another gun. Pretty good free money. However, if a person is one that cannot manage finances or does not have the means to pay their credit card balance monthly, stay away from them. The interest will eat you alive.