Who doesn't use a credit card?

**Shell** · 09-19-2003, 12:06 AM

I have been checking out the credit card poll and thought it was very interesting. I was wondering how many of you don't have a credit card at all? Did you go cold turkey? What do you do when booking a hotel or renting a car etc.?

**Missy** · 09-19-2003, 12:08 AM

I don't use a credit card at all...I got into big trouble. So I was forced to go cold turkey. If I don't have cash, I don't do anything. I haven't ever had the need for hotel or car rental...

**mylittle4** · 09-19-2003, 12:15 AM

Cold turkey here too. The only card we had just was not worht the high yearly fees so we paid it and cut it. My atm card works on the mastercard system so I use that and it comes directly out of my account. Most hotels will hold your room with out a card until a certain time. We have not had the need to rent a car but i know that some car dealerships will rent them with a deposit if you do not have a cc. I have never been in credit card debt but they do scare me I know if I had too many of them i would get into trouble.

**dz_blonde_girl** · 09-19-2003, 06:57 AM

I have a debit card. No CCs here.

**homesteadmamma** · 09-19-2003, 10:08 AM

We went cold turkey as well. I cut up every cc, wrote to all the companies telling them to close our accounts (I had all the cc numbers memorized) and explained our payment plan to each company.

We went without when we didn't have cash.

How do you rent cars, hotels, etc.

Hotels ~ In every hotel we've used, not one has wanted a cc UNLESS we wanted our room confirmed. As long as we were there 6 p.m., we had no problem. In every instance, we were there long before 6 p.m. and we were fine. Dh travelled with work for 3 years without a cc, so it can be done!!

Car ~ we went without a car for a year. Didn't have money to make a car payment. When we rented a car, we had to pay up front for the day. We never rented it for longer , so I don't know what would be expected when renting it for more than a day.

Three years ago, when we rented a motorhome to go on our dream trip, we had to pay the rental upfront, $3,000 plus a damage deposit of $500.00. Two days after we returned, we recieved the deposit along with a few $$ from the $3,000. They wanted a cc. When we told them we didn't have one and begin to walk out of their office, they quickly told us we could get a bank draft and do it as we did!!! They wanted our business.

There are ways to live without cc. Its only the cc companies that make you feel like you can't do it. We've lived without them now for 7 years and have lived comfortably. There are always companies that will take your $$ instead of cc. We just make sure we deal with reputable companies!!

In the long run, companies are far better off when you pay cash up front, than using cc. Cc costs us money when we use them, but they also charge companies an exorbant price for the use of customers using their cc. Many businesses have told us they'd far rather have cash than debit cards or cc used. In fact a few smaller companies are now giving a certain % off when you pay with cash. Remember, our forefathers never had cc and they lived!!!

**voodidit** · 09-19-2003, 05:09 PM

I got into too much debt with CC's so no more for me either! If I can't pay cash I don't need it!

**Jeanna** · 09-19-2003, 05:21 PM

We got into a lot of CC debt when I was out of work and going to dr's all the time. We are now repaying through Chapter 13. The only thing we have now is a debit card, so if we don't have it we don't get it.