You know the funny thing is, that in most situations it is actually quicker to pay with cash than credit card...sure maybe at Starbucks it is about equal, but just about any other place. Case in point. I was in a gas station today picking up a drink. I happened to choose the wrong line where everyone was using credit. Seriously the other line was cranking out customers 3:1. And what made it worse was that I was paying in cash. The commercials are misleading if you use cash more power to you.

Now to comment on the last part of the post. I purchase almost everything on credit...I very rarely have cash. But I pay everything off, in full, at the end of the month. I don't have 20% apr, but even if I did I don't have to worry about it. Best part is getting the cash back that I do. Many purchases at the Gap have been made with my Discover card rewards, and I don't have to feel bad since I haven't paid interest on that card but once. If you are careful with your purchases using the credit card can be beneficial.

I won't lie, I despise that commercial.

Not only do you Not Want To Be That Guy, but if you're him, You're Hurting America. At least if the commercials are to be believed. Anyone up for punching some ad executives in the face?

Aren't those chips in those credit cards fairly easy to siphon?

Man, those commercials make feel all stabby. My wife and i teach Dave Ramsey's Financial peace courses, and one of the first you learn is "NO MORE CREDIT CARDS!" Use cash. Life is better that way.

From Hell's heart, I stab at thee, Visa!

Credit Cards aren't so bad. . Cash is best for speed, clearly cheques are the worst .. but I really really can't stand debit cards, mostly becuase no one carries cash anymore.

Especially when someone uses them to pay for their coffee EVERY DAY. Just go get some cash, 'em kay? Or when you go to the grocery store and those retarded couples insist on splitting the bill between 2 debit cards! Takes like 5 minutes to process. Or when you go to the pub with a bunch of people, and everyone has to pay separately and line up at the bar with there fricken cards, one buy one punching the pin pad. . . don't people carry cash anymore? Ughh... Man, I'm bitter today. Sorry.

These commercials are annoying, but I have no idea, Ben, where you get the idea that this has anything to do with promoting debt unless you're part of the "oh no all credit / debit cards are evil" paranoids. They're promoting use of visa debit and credit cards, for which Visa gets paid per transaction. Visa makes no money off the interest on your credit card, your bank does - and this ad is by Visa, not a bank. Consumerist off-base editorializing again FTW!

They're promoting paying with visa debit instead of cash. Their portrayal of it is inaccurate.

If anything, a debit card lets you keep track of each purchase so you know what you spend. That's financially more prudent for some.

These commercials are obnoxious and they annoy me to no end, but only because they're unrealistic and tacky - not because I think the promotion of electronic payments are a bad thing.

@heathermylove: Not really. The RFID works by public/private key exchange, usually 256-bit AES encrypted on the actual account data. You'd need a reader with current software (an active key - which is controlled by the issuing bank) which means you'd have to be an insider or stealing from a bank or merchant processor anyways.. Once you're there, there are much easier ways to steal said data than going to the RFID at the point-of-sale.

I'm also someone who uses a credit card for almost every transaction instead of cash. I detest cash. It's dirtier, requires on the fly wallet filing, leaves more opportunity for mistakes, and you're not covered if your wallet is stolen. Plus I'm missing out my personal favourite reasons for using a credit card for most transactions: the cashback rewards I get plus the fact that I can keep my money in my savings account longer thus generating more interest. (Buy item on the 3rd, statement on the 20th, credit card payment due the 15th of next month, pay in full on the 13th, you just made a couple bucks in interest).

Now people who carry balances on their credit cards - that's just silly but don't forget debit cards do exist.

Credit cards can make your money work harder for you if you know how to do it and you're responsible about it.

Meh. I don't watch commercials let alone go watch them on youtube. Mute/change channel/dvr all means no commercials.

Credit Cards don't put people in debt, people put people in debt. just like Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

Take some responsibility. Just cause its there doesn't mean you have to max it out. I hate people whining about how they bought a bunch of stuff they didn't need and now are in debt, and then people blame credit cards. boo hoo. they are a tool and give me more back than cash.

Self. Control. AND Personal. Responsibility.

Cash is really only useful when buying illegal things.

You do realize that those ads are for their CHECK CARDS, aka DEBIT CARDS, right? No debt involved here.

I classify these ads in the genre of "Ads made by isolated midtown marketing firms that are out of touch with the rest of America" because believe it or not, in other places people do not care so much about the efficiency of their daily choose-your-own-ingredient salad purchases. Also in this catagory I'd put the Skittles commercial where there is a Skittles leak in an apartment and the Super says "thats how we fix it".

Paying INTEREST on credit cards is evil.

Using "check cards" are almost as evil.

Paying your credit card bill, in full, every month, and you are a nice happy person.

20% interest is pure evil.

I gotta say that I had that cash/change snob commercial a ton. On the other hand I like the debit card/check writing commercial a ton (the one at the home improvement store with flowers and sunshine and then it gets dark when the woman pulls out her check book).

In my humble opinion, credit cards suck but debit cards rule! And with Visa Extras (depending on your bank) you can get points for using your debit card just like you do with the credit card with no chance of going into debt.

Ok that commercial is stupid, but I agree with the one they have where the person uses a check.

Also, your atm card from most major banks doubles as a visa debit card, so no debt involved there.

@roothorick: C'mon, man, if that were admitted, there'd be no big faceless corporation to skewer in defense of the little guy, absolving said average joe of all personal responsibility. This is the Consumerist. Reality is often only a quaint, cute idea here. I hear they're working on it, though.

@DJANES1: Very, very true. That's one of the first things I thought about this ad; it's skewed to a certain audience where an extra 3 seconds can get you eye rolls from 25 people in a line.

Also, the second one is a generic add for Visa, NOT the debit cards, but the credit cards as well.

Actually, these ads are for debit cards rather than credit cards so you don't borrow from anyone.

On the other hand, you have to tap in your PIN, wait for validation, and all that crap. In fact, when using any plastic, you spend a lot of time until the store gets validation anyway. A lot of trays would be crashing in that time.

It takes nothing to copy someone's creditcard numbers so the only real security you have on the blasted things are your signature and the CCV number. These purchases don't require either of those things so this spells disaster.

And yeah, what a f**king annoying commercial.

These commericals piss me off because 90% of the time, waving your card by the reader is no different than simply swiping your card. Let's take 7-11 for example. When I use my mastercard paypass there, the POS pad processes it simply as a regular debit card. It procedes to ask me CREDIT/DEBIT. If I select DEBIT, i must wait for it to process, enter my PIN, say no to cash back, and then finally check to see if the amount is correct! To me, this is 10 times slower than cash in any case. Though If for some reason I select CREDIT, that is the only step required.

In other cases, such as most movie theatres, when the clerk asks for payment, I wave my paypass by the reader and that is all. That, and the NYC subway Lexington Ave line are really the only 2 places where it works as shown in the commericals.

@nweaver: Not sure why you say "check cards" are evil? Any basis on this?
Check cards let you track expenses. Check cards get you rewards. Check cards let you dispute purchases. What's the problem there?

Again, Visa is not the one making money off your interest; the bank that uses the Visa network on their cards does. Visa makes a fixed amount per transaction; there interest is to have you make more transactions - not rack up debt. Visa could care less how much interest you rack up. The consumerist should do an article on how credit cards actually work..

Visa and Mastercard are credit processing networks. Many third party banks (BOA, Wells Fargo, Citibank) use Visa and MC for their credit cards. Discover, and up until recently, American Express are both processing networks AND banks. American Express recently started allowing other banks to use their processing networks (hence the MBNA, now BOA Amex cards that recently became available.)

When you make a credit card purchase, a portion goes to the merchant's bank (to process the deposit), a portion (2-5%) goes to Visa to process the transaction to your bank, and the bank then makes money off the interest or fees of the charge or withdrawal.

Usually, it's the merchant who bears the cost of these transaction fees; a tradeoff many merchants take, as accepting credit/debit cards increase traffic and the amount spent in stores.

So, if you're going to blame, learn what you're talking about, and blame the right people. Still, regardless of how 'cool' anyone does make it sound, debt is the responsibility of the consumer - and even at 20%, there are times when it can be a life saver. (Say, when you're out of work for an extended time and need car repair or must pay a heat bill.)

@Thrust: Nope. No-signature no-pin transactions on Visa and MC are currently limited to $25, and without a signature, the merchant bears all the risk of fraud. They would be defenseless in the face of a dispute or chargeback, and the consumer has full recourse. ... Whereas if someone takes your cash, you're screwed, eh?

Paying 20% interest on ANYTHING is pretty stupid, but I must reiterate the fact that credit is NOT evil. Using cash will not turn someone into a responsible spender overnight. There is nothing wrong with using a credit card for everyday purchases. Pay your statement in full every month and reap cash-back rewards from the "evil" credit card company. I, for instance, refuse to carry cash. I just don't like to do it. If an establishment does not accept plastic I simply go somewhere else. Cash is easily lost and earns no value sitting in my pocket. I also refuse to believe that a commercial such as that encourages irresponsible consumer behavior.

Now that everyone has gotten the "it's a DEBIT card, not a CREDIT card" observation out of the way...I have to ask, who out there is able to make such quick debit card transactions? In my experience, I have to swipe my card, enter my PIN (and cover up the keypad so no one else sees or no surreptitious camera captures it), then agree to the amount, then indicate if I want cash back, and then verify the sale again. Still quicker than writing a check, but I think cash is the fastest. And not all places take debit cards - I was actually at a parking garage where the attendant demanded cash or CHECK. I almost fell out of my car laughing when she suggested writing a check.

The only one I agree with is the one where everyone is zooming through the garden store and then some woman pays with a check. I work at a retail store, let me tell you, checks are just annoying. Half the time, people who pay with checks are running some sort of scam too.

THANK YOU for calling this commercial out. It's pissed me off for far too long. As I'm sure the NYers here know, delis DESPISE when people use a credit card, to the point where they set charge limits (though I hate having to go to an ATM to buy a gyro). In a perfect world, debit tags would work like the commercial, but in reality they just piss off cashiers as they wait for validation.

These commercials annoy me to no end. I usually want to scream when I see them. As for "it's quicker" I have worked retail and the only time a credit card was faster was when someone was paying with change or something similar. With a credit card, it takes easily 2 times as long...

I too despise these commercials however I despise the visa/mc (I cant remember who) elephant pay pass card commercials more. The only thing that those elephant commercials teach you is that ANYONE including a freaking elephant can use your card without a signature! what was visa/mc thinking making those ones

The assumption that if you use credit cards, you must be in debt somehow is infuriating and ridiculous. I know many people who use credit cards as budgeting tools (and pay off their balances in full every month--OMG, I know that this is just UNHEARD OF), happily earn rewards, and treat credit cards simply as a financial tool--not as the path to financial ruin or a nefarious credit-card-company trick.

I am terribly sick of consumers blaming credit cards for their problems. The consumer has complete and utter control over his finances! This lack of accountability as soon as "credit" is mentioned is just mind-boggling and inane. Take some responsibility!

@ldt: "I am terribly sick of consumers blaming credit cards for their problems. The consumer has complete and utter control over his finances! This lack of accountability as soon as "credit" is mentioned is just mind-boggling and inane. Take some responsibility!"

THANK YOU! This sums it up so nicely. It's always easier to blame someone else, though. Very few things in life are done without any choice. If an ad convinces someone to do something detrimental and they don't take the responsibility to find out more about it, it doesn't say very much about that person, does it?

Anyone who pays with cash or a debit card when a credit card is accepted is, frankly, financially irresponsible. A responsible person would get a no-fee card with cash back (I have the Fidelity Visa, get 1.5% cash back, no minimum, no maximum), and pay for everything with that.

I never pay a dime of interest, since I always pay my bill on time.

I get the benefit of the interest since the money sits in MY account until the credit card bill is due.

Since my CC bill averages $3k/month, I save 3000*12*.015=$540/year in cash back, plus I get about 3000*.05=$150/year in extra interest because of the interest-free loan my credit card company is supplying me.

So, if I paid for everything in cash, I'd be throwing away about $700/year.

Credit/debit cards don't get wrinkled or disorganized. You only need 1 card to process a transaction (as opposed to many different bills plus coin) and most wallets/purses have easily accessible credit card slots in them. I can't tell you often people piss me off who have to dig into the bottom of their pockets to find $.13 because they think it's more convenient to give me correct change. Or the ladies that upend their gigantic purses because they keep cash in 15 different places and each bill is wadded up in some sort of post-modern origami orgy. Oh, then instead of handing me the money, they leave it on the counter, as if that's supposed to mean "here, take my wad of currency, you're not worth the effort of straightening this out."
Or there are the ladies that keep their money hidden behind the impenetrable folds of their zippered purse, folded, snapped, zippered, velcro wallet, and clipped change purse. Once they carefully leaf out their precious $20, it takes an ikea furniture designer and half an hour to put it all back together again, and they have to do it right in front of the counter so that nobody else can be rung up.

Even if people have cash ready, that puts the speed of the transaction squarely on the shoulders of the cashier. In some instances that's ok because the cashier knows how to move quickly, but sometimes they are slow, slower than the approval processfor a credit card.

I don't mind the commercials where debit/credit is faster than cash. The commercial I really really loathe is the one where the lady is having a bad day and the people come out of nowhere like in that Bjork video and her day just gets so much better when she starts charging everything in sight. As bad as that is, it's made even worse because she buys all these terrible things that she'll regret buying in 10 days and then try to return.

Oh, and one other thing: you say that cash is good because "you don't have to borrow from anyone, even temporarily, to use it." When someone offers you a loan at 0% interest, only an idiot would refuse to take it.

Funny; I hate these commercials as much as the next guy but not for the reasons everyone else is spouting. I hate them for the face that we're all cogs in the greased machinery of capitalist society. Deep down in my heart I am aware that I'm a mindless automaton slaving away for corporate overlords but I don't want a commercial to remind me of--indeed, glorify it!--that fact.

Now I know, by carrying cash I can briefly derail the whole contraption! Woo hoo!

Who knew VISA check cards carry "20% APRs."

@JustAGuy2: I believe the stronger argument would be don't take the loan, regardless. Just because you can borrow money doesn't mean you should. Good for you that you make money off of your credit card use, if you can use it and abuse the man, so be it. Most people are climbing their way out of debt (which they admittedly put themselves in), thus having another credit card would not be beneficial.

Uh, the first video I liked! They are all running around like bots, and the cash guy slows everyone down, but look at his face as he leaves! You can just see him thinking "what a bunch of debtor freaks!"

NO I WILL NOT USE CASH. I have a debit/credit card, and I LOVE tap and go. I am smart and know how to control my finances. If I want to use my card for a $1.09 purchase at 7/11 every morning, good for me, because now I don't even have to sign, I can just TAP, and GO. I keep $20 on me for times when I can't use my card, and my balance is sent to me daily via email and text, plus I manage my account online. If someone wants to rob me, cool, they get my $20 (which is why I keep it), and if they get the card (and the PIN, heaven forbid), I make a phone call and wait three days for a new one.
As an aside, does anyone from the Detroit area remember those PSAs on Saturday mornings about the "Smart way to watch television?"

@Asherah:

It's very simple: if someone offers to give you money for free, take it. Put it in the back and let it earn interest for YOU, until he wants it back. Saying no to an interest free loan is just throwing money away.

What the cashier has to do when customer pays with card (at my dad's store):
Key in the price, pres [subt], receive the credit card, ask for ID, compare the names, swipe the card, give it back, key in the amount, wait for approval, rip out first receipt, give to customer to sign, rip out second receipt, press [ch] and push back the opening drawer, staple receipts together, give to customer.

What the cashier has to do with cash:
Key in the price, pres [subt], key in payment, press [cash], count out money, push back drawer, rip out receipt, give change and receipt to customer.

Although I admit that these commercials show stores with a really quick to use credit card reader, many places won't have these things. (And they seem to facilitate credit fraud from what I can tell too).

That commercial creeps me the hell out.

It's a little to "Brave New World" for me.

Yick.

I don't mind using credit cards; it's actually faster in many cases provided: they don't make you sign for it (more places are doing this, hooray!) and they have a real connection to the clearing center, not a modem that makes a POTS call every time you swipe a card. One lunch place around here requires about 4 seconds for a credit card transaction, another, about 30. It's unreal.

I agree with TCP1000. The ads are for the VISA network and not the bank. They have nothing to do with getting deeper into debt. To be honest I never carry cash, because of the risk of losing it. If I lose my card, however, I'm not responsible for any fraudulent charges and can dispute a charge if I'm given a shoddy product.

Also, I think an article on how credit cards actually work would be great. I believe most people would be surprised to learn that the bank never actually puts their own money at risk. They actually "monetize" your signature and "create" the cash that they send to the merchant. Under the consumer fair credit and reporting act, you have the right to stop payment and demand "validation of the debt". You are asking for proof of whose funds were originally put at risk to create this debt. Because of the way the credit card system works, the bank cannot "prove" the debt. You can then sue the bank to prove the debt. They will refuse and simply not show up in court and lose the case by default. Even if you don't show up in court, the bank will not be able to prove the debt and you will not have to pay it back. Sounds like everyone should do it right? WRONG, although you can certainly rack up a huge bill and then not pay it back, legally., the bank can still ruin your credit by reporting it as a charge off. Normally with a charge off the bank can collect the debt at anytime in the future. In this case they cannot, but they are allowed to report it this way anyway. You will have a very tough time getting credit for the next several years until you reestablish a good credit history.

And if you really want to be thrown for a loop, take a look at your credit/debit card and how your name is written and compare that to your birth certificate. Notice a difference? Your birth certificate will spell your name John Smith and your credit card will spell your name JOHN SMITH. When the gold standard was eliminated all money was thus eliminated. A private corporation called the "Federal Reserve Bank", generated a new monetary system based on debt. No actually money is involved. In fact, if every debt that is owed in US currency was repaid there would be absolutely no money in circulation! The rules to set this up created a couple of loopholes. Banks use your name in ALL CAPS to loan and collect money from you. This is called Novation. The ALL CAPS JOHN SMITH is actually a seperate legal entity for the sole purpose of collecting debt and repaying debt. But you are not actually JOHN SMITH you are John Smith. Because of this, you can create a lien on JOHN SMITH from John Smith and thus stop all creditors from collecting from you!! Again, they'll RUIN JOHN SMITH'S credit rating and that's how you get credit through this other entity.

@smallestmills: Welcome to the machine! We love quick learners like you!

I actually dig the commercials and think they're a pretty cool idea. Also, if you're responsible with a credit card, I don't see the big deal. I hate carrying cash and it's not because I don't have any in my checking or savings account. It's just easier to keep track of by using either a debit card or a check card. Also, with Amex Blue or Chase Freedom, getting rewards ain't that bad of a thing. Ouch about the APR. I don't even think I had that kind of APR when I got my first credit card in college. I guess I should also mention that I'm a Quicken junkie who stays on top of his money like white on rice. I'd hate to see what everyone thinks about the awful cell phone ads out there. Talk about something I loathe...

Cash is troublesome. I don't like 30 coins of different denominations jiggling in my pockets, or having to shuffle through 40 pieces of green to find a $5. And you can't play the float if you pay cash. ;)

At least the first ad is for a Visa check card, which is a debit card and not a credit card.

And I agree, even though I pay for practically anything with a CC myself since it's convenient for me. (no cash/change to carry around) Anyways it takes about as long for the terminal to process the credit/debit transaction as it does for the cashier to hand change to a cash customer.

I think the VISA commercial that bothers me the most is the one where the zookeeper is sick and the elephant takes his pass card and goes out to buy the keeper things like soup. How can any of us avoid being ripped off if storekeepers don't even notice a freaking elephant using someone else's card?!

I don't care what you think this says about commercialism...that's some really good filmmaking right there. Tells a great story in an entertaining way, and definitely sells the product without being ridiculous or annoying like a lot of commercials.