Today I walked into my local bank to make a deposit. The teller asked me a question that I knew I would inevitably hear one day.
“Do you have or use credit cards?”
Okay, now how am I supposed to respond to that? Avid readers of The Christian Dollar will know that I don’t use credit cards, and really quite loathe them. I’ve always imagined myself asking bank management to not offer me credit cards if any employee were to do so. I’d make a big deal out of it, and show them exactly what I thought of those pesky cards!
“No thank you, I’m on Dave Ramsey’s plan. Do you know who he is?”
I wasn’t as harsh as I thought I’d be. Thankfully so, I think it would have been rather unchristian-like if I were to make a fuss.
“Oh, yes! I do. Keep going strong!”
Wow. She knew who he was and was encouraging me to stay on track! How unexpected! I’m sure that there are people in the banking industry that don’t really like the idea that they are selling debt.
As I walked out of the bank, I felt an exhilaration from the notion that I was free from incurring more debt. I no longer bought into the lie that people NEED credit.
What are you to do when you are asked at the bank if you have or use credit cards? Well, that’s up to you. But I know one thing for sure . . . I’ve never heard anyone claiming they became wealthy from their reward points. Have you?
! John wrote two articles for the book: "Budgeting for Groceries" and "How Grocery Stores Work."
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
My Wife and I have *ONE* credit card. We pay it off every month, so it carries a $0 balance. No interest. No fees.
As for “not needing” a credit card, how does one rent a car or a hotel room, without one? Credit cards are not the problem. Credit cards are not evil. A knife is not evil. A can of spray paint is not evil. They are tools. How we *USE* them is what matters.
RESPONSIBLE use of credit, just like RESPONSIBLE use of tools, accomplishes helpful and useful things. It is the IRRESPONSIBLE use thereof, where people get into trouble. That’s my 5c worth.
You can reserve a hotel room and a rental car on a debit card, Willie. No one is saying that credit cards are evil, just that they’re not necessary (no, they’re really not) and are dangerous if you are one who doesn’t know how or when to stop.