I signed up for an American Express preferred Blue card and got approved for a limit of $25,000. I have a 830 credit score. I realized that the places I shop don’t accept that card and you have to pay for it yearly so I canceled it.
Then I decided I was going to get a Costco Visa. Once I signed up the credit limit was only $5,000. So I canceled that one. So I stupidly signed up for a Wells Fargo Visa and that was $4,000.
Don’t leave yet and please don’t make fun of me but I’m not done being stupid. I decided I wanted a different American Express card and when I signed up for it the credit limit was $2,000 so I canceled that one.
Again I know I’m fucking stupid but how bad did I just fuck up my credit?
I don’t know what I’m reading.
Here people mostly use debit cards, and we don’t worry about things like credit scores or whatever. Also these cards tend to be free. At the end, they just give you a convenient way of paying with money you actually own.
Why would anyone buy normal stuff using credit? I get it for big purchases as a house or a car. But why go into debt for groceries or a new laptop?
In the US and Canada, a person’s credit score is used to figure out how safe it is to lend them money. Big ticket items such as cars and houses are often bought on credit with a payment plan that includes interest - so the entity lending the money makes money off the loan. Good credit score = Less risk to the lender = Lower interest rate for the borrower = Less money spent in the long run.
Credit cards are an easy way to build a good credit score. I use mine for almost every purchase I make: groceries, gas, bills, subscriptions, donations. The things is, I pay it off in full each month (so I don’t pay interest fees to the credit card company) AND my card gives me 2% money back on my purchases. So if I use it for $20,000 worth of purchases, I automatically get $400 back. Free money!
Also, my bank limits the amount of transactions I can make in a month to 12. They charge a small fee from the 13th transaction onward. If I had to pay for everything directly by debit, I’d probably end up paying tens of dollars just in fees, each month!
Edited to add: By using my credit card and paying it in full, I demonstrate I’m trustworthy when it comes to credit, because I pay it back. That’s what a lender wants! This makes my credit score go up, which in turn helps me when I want to buy a car or get a mortgage on a house. I got my first credit card when I was 18, following the advice of my parents, and that has served me extremely well 15 years later! Who would you rather lend $20,000 to: someone who makes $50,000 and reliably pays back their credit card in full each month for 10 years and has zero debt, or someone who makes $500,000 but carries a $100,000 debt on their credit card?
So people who are savvy about credit do not buy everything “on credit” just because they pay for it with a credit card. It is legitimately a good way to save (or even make) money, at least in the US and Canada.
How is this kind of discrimination even legal there?
Credit cards offer protection over debit cards. After all, it’s the banks money if something fraudulent happens on a transaction, not yours. I always use my credit card over my debit card mainly for this reason.
Some credit cards offer cash back or rewards which build up when you spend.
I have a direct debit set up to pay off the balance at the end of the month so it just automatically pays itself off.
Credit cards have good protections against fraudulent webshops and often provide free insurance against damage and theft. This makes it worthwhile for buying a new laptop.
My card is automatically fully paid off at the end of the month, so mhe debt is very temporary
But you still pay interest for basically nothing.
Interest is only charged on the outstanding amount going into the next month’s cycle. Paying it off every month means all purchases are interest free.
Fair enough then, never used this kind of service.
If you’re fortunate enough to live in a country without credit scores, I’m jealous!
Ppl downvoting you is wild. Let’s not bring in toxic reddit traits. Not everyone is from BurgerCredit land. Perfectly valid question. SO to Stelor for explaining in a reply.