Don't Put These Items On Your Credit Card If You Can Help It
A few months ago, we reminded you that your credit card company is building a psychological profile of you. But what about a short, convenient list of things that get credit card companies' notice? Marketplace has you covered.
Here's a summary of the items:
1. Traffic tickets
2. Retreading your tires
3. Bargain binges
4. Adult Playthings
5. Marriage Counseling and Therapy
6. Lottery Tickets
7. Cash Advances
8. Personal pampering
9. Income Taxes
10. Booze
So, pay cash for porn, booze, gambling, and pedicures. Got it!
10 purchases not to put on credit cards [Marketplace]
(Thanks to Giselle Benetar!)
RELATED:
Your Credit Card Company Is Building A Psychological Profile Of You
(Photo: mod*betty)
Post a comment
Comments:
eh, thanks for the tip, laura?
!
@cunninglinguine: Most likely there's a problem with the page coding or something got borked when Laura uploaded her article. If you don't have anything constructive to comment then why don't you just go play and comment over on YouTube?? I'm sure your quick wit and useful commentary will be appreciated by the vast amount of Facebookers and boobtube heads that can be found vege-ing out on the site.
People are hella dicks around here sometimes. OH GOD your blog software malfuncioned HOW DARE YOU CONTINUE TO WRITE
It's straightforward and to the point, I'll give it that much. Maybe that whistle blew and she just slid away from her desk a la Fred Flintstone.
@cunninglinguine:
Looking at your comment history, I also noticed that you accused someone of "smug asshattery" on another thread.
Pot to kettle: You are black.
so what exactly am I not supposed to put on a credit card?
Honestly, you know how hard we are on each other for proofreading before posting; you should know you're going to get reamed for posting a single sentence without a period and zero content. Did you leave something out?
Well, all right, if you insist, I won't put Laura Northrup on my credit card. Does she take cash? :)
Guns, Ammo, Liquor, and Porn. Also books about serial killers or communism.
Feel free to charge all your meth lab supplies on one card though, as at least they figure you can get rich and pay off your credit card then, in this "new economy."
this is the funniest consumerist post ever.
BTW I must know the three things!
For those of you not smart enough to follow the link on the front page: [marketplace.publicradio.org]
Interestingly, the title that shows up in the title bar (-.--) is the letter 'Y' in Morse Code.
Anything, rember the mantra Credit Cards are BADDDDDDD! Unlesss you charge a Pop, and only pay a penny each month, then its Good...for the CC Issuer
This sucks I just paid a bunch of bills for my mom....even have the cash to cover the purchase.
And this, kids, is why software malfunctions are bad.
@Laura Northrup: Oddly, although it shows up all right on the main page, clicking through to the article leaves me with the one-liner.
@Laura Northrup: Although this can be definitely be chocked up as anecdotal evidence or a fluke, I shop at Neighborhood Wal-Mart weekly and hit up bars regularly (at least twice a month, but, much more frequently when vacationing[like say, Independence Day weekend]) with my American Express. I haven't had any problems with my credit limit changing, and, per my request, it has only increased in the past few years. In case you're wondering, I am a graduate student with little income, but I do pay my balance in full every month.
I'm scratching my head over the "don't use your card at Wal-Mart or 99-Cents-Only" thing.
The same Scotch brand shipping tape found at 99-Cents-Only is three bucks at Office Depot. The $19 Savine slacks I recently purchased at Sam's Club look and fit just like the ones at Dillard's that were "on sale" for twice the price.
The only sure way I've found to have a credit card cancelled is not to use it. American Express recently sent me a letter stating my Optima Card (which I had not used once in the past three years) had been closed. Strangely, this letter arrived in the same week as two pre-approved offers for other AMEX cards.
Shopping for deals shows financial responsibility, not despairation. If my credit card company thinks otherwise, fuck them: My FICO score is 780 and I still fill my shredder every two weeks with unsolocited "pre-approved" card offers from their competitors.
Still no actual article visible here, and I looked into the page source to see if it was hosed formatting. Nothing there either.
My limit has been lowered and my card cancelled? I'M FREAKING OUT!!!
Frankly, I'll use my card where I want. That's what it's for right? It's a convenience...or that's the lie they've been feeding us for decades.
Screw the companies and what they can "profile" from my purchases!
So what if they think I wear expensive women's lingerie while shooting up the countryside, drinking PBR I bought at wal-mart in plastic tiki cups from Dollar Tree with money that I saved by having my tires re-treaded.
You don't get rich by spending all your money; anyone who has made a few million "by hand" will tell you that.
...and in what state can you buy lotto tickets with anything other than CASH?
Clearly something went wrong when posting this article, but didn't anyone notice that she offered thanks to Giselle Benetar for the information? Google Giselle Benetar and you'll find her Tweet that points to NPR's 10 purchases not to put on credit cards: [bit.ly]
@Laura Northrup: Well, at least it didn't disemvowel you. That would have been awkward to explain to the kids.
@gman863: The story does note you shouldn't suddenly shift a chunk of your spending to Wal-Mart and dollar stores. That could be a red flag you're in financial trouble. If you ALREADY shop there and it's not a significant change in habits, the story makes it sound like that isn't significant.
@silver-bolt: The idea that only poor people shop at dollar stores is a stereotype. Many low-price stores (99-Cents-Only, Big Lots, even Goodwill) are popping up in middle-income areas - often filling retail space vacated by more expensive stores that tanked at the beginning of the recession.
@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): This is flawed logic on the part of credit card companies. If the same TV sells at Wal-Mart for $200 less than at Sears, would you pay the difference just to impress your credit card issuer?
My argument is consumers should not be discriminated against if they become savvier shoppers. While I agree certain things such as charging an excessive amount of lottery tickets or a sudden jump in cash advances are legitimate red flags, as a banker I would be far more alarmed if someone's credit card balance kept growing each month and only minimum payments were being made; regardless of where the purchases were made at.
hmm...I use my credit card at bars all the time. It's so much easier than cash, plus I get cash back for drinking :-D Maybe they mean for people outside of the 20-25 age range?
E-mail Roz at moderator@consumerist.com or send her an IM on AIM at consumeristroz and give her the link to the post (click on the time/date and you'll get the direct link in your address bar).
Yeah, you have a problem if you don't pay in full every month and are buying lottery tickets w/ credit card.
So does this data get compiled somewhere if you put these things on a debt card or use a debt card as a credit card when you pay? Are they getting the individual items or just the store names?
Regarding numbers 4 and 10, credit card companies are hardly in the position for making moral judgments.
I have this one credit card that, for some reason, I rarely use except at the liquor store and the cheap haircut place. Last year, I paid some extensive vet bills with it, too.
It has occurred to me before that this probably looks pretty bad, but I just don't care enough to stop doing it. If they want to think I'm just some beer swilling dog lady with a dumb haircut, well, let's just say I probably couldn't make a case for libel or anything.
uhh