I confess that I am a debit card freak. Rare is the day that cash is in my wallet. The debit card is my currency of choice as it helps me track my purchases online and is a little more secure than a pile of cash. At any rate, the other day I walked in to a convenience store to purchase a candy bar. “No good, not enough.” the man said to me. “Excuse me?” I said. “Minimum of $10 to use debit card.” He says. “Well I am only buying this.” I said. “Must spend $10.” is all he would say. I was amazed. Now, not only do some of these stores discourage people from paying with 50s and 20s, now they make you buy at least $10 to use your debit card. It’s madness! The reason they make a minimum it is because of the per transaction fees they get charged, but still, it makes things difficult if you don’t carry cash and you just want to get a small thing at the store.
Preposterous….please reveal the name of this “convenience” store so I may start my boycott immediately!
I hear you. Boy oh boy it stinks! I hate when that happens. Maybe you should keep some change in the car for those sorts of days. Hope you are doing well friend. 🙂
well josh i am a advocate of carrying cash only i hate the visa card commercial because it seems that its making cash meaningless or not worth anything. our business is almost 90% cash, we have a credit card machine but more people want to pay with cash because of the taxes.
My gut tells me that a nicer attendant might have made the difference for you, even if you do not agree with the $10 minimum.
As an alternative, I for one am a fan of the additional charge for purchases under $10; seems like win-win to me. I get only what I want, you don’t lose money on the sale. That’s not nickel-and-diming, that’s providing the customer convenience of using their card for candy without getting had in the process.
So the real question is, would you have gladly paid $0.50 extra for the convenience of using your card to buy candy?
Anyway, I can’t believe you tried to buy a candy bar on debit. *Sigh* Remind me to smack you in the head next time I see you. 🙂
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Also, not to be a know-it-all, but you should really use a bona fide credit card from Visa or Mastercard for your purchases. Although a debit transaction is completed by Visa/MC, you’re doing business with your bank, not Visa. A stolen card means that someone is spending the money in your bank account. It’s a royal pain to get the money back (if you even can), and you’re at a loss in the meantime.
If you want zero fraud liability, use your credit card so you’re doing business with Visa, and Visa with the merchant as a middleman. In the event of a fraudulent charge, they just remove it from your account (chargeback to whoever charged you) and send you a new card, while the money you have in the bank remains untouched. Maybe you’ve experienced this before.
So it’s just a suggestion. I’ve dealt with fraudulent charges on a checking account before. Different situation entirely, but still not fun. The resolution process is much more complicated than with a credit card.
josh,
if you need some cash for a candy bar, man, i have your back. or i could simply kill the clerk and take whatever i wanted… whatever you would like.
-jesse
eric – it is a little gas station about 45 miles away from here so i don’t imagine it will cross your path.
sara – i think we had this discussion once. you are honestly probably wiser than i to do so as long as you can keep it from slipping away! rumor has it they might start putting those rfid chips in the cards… big brother?
brad – i would definitely not pay .50 extra for a candy bar, especially when it is already much higher at a convenience store than you could get it at the grocery.but the deal is this… i use debit card as a way of life. i don’t believe in or use credit cards, and i don’t like carrying cash. so if i choose to use a debit card, i should not be penalized. i think the whole fee thing is getting out of hand. both to the consumer and to those who are providing the goods.
jesse – you know i’m a pacifist at heart man… no killing please. but anytime you wish to give me candy, i will not object.
Ha, okay. Now you have me confused. 🙂
At any rate, I think you need to understand the economics of the idealist world you’ve just created versus the real world today. Swiping a card, any card, is not free. So for small purchases, there will always be a minimum purchase or fee.
If you really want free transactions, the only choices are cash and check. Anything else involves a middleman; in the case of a debit card, it’s instant electronic verification. And that didn’t just create itself one morning.
I would just love to hear your thoughts on credit cards. You used to have some, did you not? What made up your mind?
Do you also use free checking? I’m not trying to criticize, really, and I do think that banks and credit bureaus take advantage. But it seems like your “way of life” might be a little unreasonable.
brad – I love idealist worldviews! 🙂
In a nutshell, credit cards are just bad. They are predatory and honestly, they are designed to keep you in bondage. In the past i had them. I am still working to be finally free of the chains of debt that has had me bound. The bible speaks quite a bit about debt (especially Solomon), and there is no place it is ever mentioned in a positive light. The borrower, after all, is SLAVE to the lender. I decided one day that i had enough of that. The day i become completely debt free will be such a day of freedom for me. Already I have chopped $30,000 down to less than $7,000 and it is an awesome feeling. No car payments ever again, no credit cards. It is a system that I have no interest in.
Yes, my checking account is free – no fees for ATM, no fees for anything. The only thing I have to pay for is the completely unreasonable bank fee should I have insufficient funds.
My life is lived on $636/month + whatever I make on freelance. So I know that it is possible to live in this world without using credit cards. I also know that a great deal is tied directly to the level of giving. If I am faithful to give out of my nothing, God is SO faithful to continually bless me in uncommon ways… and I have never been in a place where I did not have a roof over my head, food on my plate, or a vehicle to drive.
So that probably doesn’t completely answer the question, but there you go.
Well put. I appreciate your opinion. I’m with you for the most part on credit cards; even the credit companies refer to them as the highest risk loans a bank can offer.
But it may be easier for you to walk away from them now; you have already built up a credit history. If you never had a credit card, Josh, you wouldn’t have a cell phone without putting down a huge deposit. Your interest rates on a car or house would be different from others. Can you imagine not being able to get a lease on an apartment without a cosigner, at your age?
It seems wrong that people who have paid their bills on time, and never taken out debt to cover any expense are penalized. I hated this, because it was me. But unfortunately, this society is built on credit.
Nixing credit cards for so long caused me too many problems overall, and I ended up paying too much for too many things. Doors were shut that should have been open. For me, not having a credit card until I was 24 was the shackles that held me.
Luckily I have always been responsible, and since that time I’ve never had any serious credit card debt. So maybe I cannot emphasize with the bondage many people feel. I do not live in a box, however; it is certainly far too easy to get a credit card, and use it, without thinking first.
It’s safe to say that some debts are okay. After all, the man who buried what he was entrusted was reprimanded, but the man who invested it was rewarded. Investment is a debt in reverse, of course. I guess I believe it’s the personal responsibility of the individual that counts. Credit cards can be a raw deal, and if you decide that they are not for you, then by all means. I totally respect where you’re coming from.
It’s all about getting people into the system; that is why young people receive solicitations the day they turn 18. College is also a perfect way to thrust our young adults into “the system”. Once you’re stuck in school debt, you have to play the game: finish school, get a job, work work work. You can cut out, but the risk is great. I believe that institutionalized education is not the *only* way to do something in this life, and it’s not necessarily the *best* way for everyone. Acting like it is, is contrary to the entrepreneurial spirit that made this country great.
But the real problem with all of these major debts, like credit cards, high-interest car loans, and higher education, is that we’re raising up a generation that will be, perpetually, in debt.
It’s a battle. Here’s to working towards debt-free status in a world drowning in debt.
Uhm…. I must comment on a comment left by Brad… And I quote…
“If you never had a credit card, Josh, you wouldn’t have a cell phone without putting down a huge deposit”
I, for one, have NEVER owned a credit card, never used a credit card nor do I ever plan on doing so AND I have a cell phone and did not have to put down a huge deposit for it!! So… there goes that theory! 🙂
I HATE CREDIT CARDS and DEBT!!! I don’t even drive around the car that is still keeping me in bondage!!! REALLY sucks!!! Anyway.. Have a nice day! 🙂
Sorry, I should assume that some carriers do not work this way. But most of the major ones do, except for prepaid plans.