A visual history of the credit card. [The Big Money]
]]>Dude.
Its 2009. I bet some not only take credit cards, but paypal too. Then probably want you to join their facebook, or leave comments on their linkedin or whatever.
Shit is too high tech!
]]>a href="#c13420488">Trai_Dep: There's blurry bits? I think that's hair......
]]>@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: Funny, I have one from 1987/88 though I cannot remember if the card # was changed over the years due to security issues.
I wonder who has the oldest account still open?
Anyone remember the guy with like 500 credit active credit cards which he had in a huge wallet foldout?
]]>@Cliff_Donner: Nothing better than managing a line of (inter)nationally sold heavy duty tractor/trailer truck parts line in which a certain customer had generated the part number 10099-K1T (K-one-T) for our company's part number 10099-KIT (K-eye-T) when we were selling a replacement hardware kit for the application. That one always got us...
]]>My parents never went, crap my dad never graduated high school the dead beat.
I think that's why they did not actually have cards (though my mom might have i know she had a Macy's card but I'm not sure when that happened maybe the 90's)
The did buy a townhouse so I'm not sure exactly how they couldn't get a credit card..
@CaptainSemantics: It's cool i end up sounding more like my stepfather who's 67 everyday and it scares me.
]]>@Don't take anything aaron8301 says seriously: Tar w/feathers? OMG! Working for MBNA made me like abbreviations.
]]>@ngoandy: Yes, yes I could. But, that card # was cancelled and re-issued due to a "possible security breach", so it wouldn't do much good. Plus, neither of us look like that anymore. After the break up, I lost weight, and she put it on. :) But I'm not bitter.
]]>I still have my original credit card account open....from all the way back in 1999. Ancient!
]]>@CFinWV:
You want freaky? You should show up to that address and ask for Samuel A. Jeffries - I bet you'd get a pretty freaky/confused look in return.
]]>@catastrophegirl - manic first time home buyer:
Ha, that's great. When merchants ask her for her credit card number, she could simply say "42."
]]>It would help me appreciate the design of the card.
:P
]]>Also, love the third slide of the AmEx card for John J. Smith of the Acme Company at "I23 Main Street" (the letter "I" being typed for the number "1"). I remember back in the late '80s working in an office where the where a secretary had been entering data into the computer for months, consistently typing "I" instead of "1." I think some older typewriters didn't have a key for the number "1" so using the letter "I" instead was pretty common. For computer data entry, doesn't work so well.
]]>And does anyone remember the original Sears cards which were a weird rectangular size, much longer & narrower than today's cards?
]]>Probably wasn't necessary back then because people actually paid their bills.
]]>Here puss puss?
]]>The hell you say. I've been documenting their atrocities for years.
]]>"As the story goes, 60 years ago, Frank McNamara, the founder of what's considered the first credit card, was eating out at a restaurant, and when the check arrived, he realized that he had not brought along his wallet. The embarrassing situation led him to eventually create the Diners Club card"
...which also would have done no good if he forgot his wallet.
]]>I still recall my dad's story on how he got his first credit card in the late '80's. For his troubles, he ended up with a Citibank Visa Classic with a $300 credit limit. He still has the original card too.
]]>@Munchie: The binding arbitration was some thugs showing up at your door to hit you in the knees with a bat.
]]>I also remember the first ATMs in the late 70's. They were like magic but they ate your cards all the time.
Everthing seemed to change at some point in the 80's with cards. That was about the time South Dakota purged all of their usury laws, consumer laws and all the banks moved in. That was also about the time they started giving cards to college kids.
]]>Why am I starting to sound like my grandparents?
]]>It's okay, their duties are mostly ceremonial.
]]>Either way great article find.
And the only thing I care about is my APR and praying it doesn't go up on my citi card.
]]>Because people are stupid and cats are the handmaidens of satan
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