Or you just use a credit card as a debit card?

36 comments

  1. I use both, but mostly a credit card. I pay it off in full every month. If I need credit to buy something, there are much cheaper ways to get it.

  2. >Do you use a credit or debit card?

    Both

    >If you use a credit card how often do you go to the red?

    I’ve never gone in the red.

  3. I use both.

    “In the red”? I charge up whatever I need/want to, sometimes as much as $5000 or more, but then I (nearly always) pay the balance in full by the due date do I avoid interest.

  4. Mostly credit card. I pay it off every month to boost credit score. And credit scores are bullshit. Y switching from debit to credit my score went way up without changing anything else.

  5. Credit card because I get cash back. I never max out my credit card. I pay off my balance every month

  6. Maybe I’m not understanding what you mean by go red. But wouldn’t using a credit card for anything put you into the red. Because as soon as it posts to your account you owe that money.

    Either way, I use a credit card for everything. Points or cash back are really nice.

  9. I put everything on a credit card for the points.

    I don’t know what going to the red means. Do you mean max it out? If so, then never.

  10. By “in the red” do you mean more balance on the credit card than cash in your bank account?

    I use my credit card for all day-to-day purchases and pay it off every month. I only use my debit card if my credit card is being finicky at the cash register or something.

  11. With a credit card, if there’s ever any kind of fraudulent transaction, you can dispute the charge.

    If the dispute fails, you have several levels of recourse: there’s a government agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, that will ensure an actual human looks at your case.

    If that fails, there’s legal arbitration too – you almost certainly signed away your right to sue, but even though you don’t trust the neutrality of the arbitrator, it will also ensure an actual human looks at your case.

    With a debit card, you have all of the same protections *in theory* but you’re out the money in the meantime, and it can take weeks or months to resolve. Whereas with a credit card, you always have the option to just *not pay.* They can send you to collections, and wreck your credit, but they can’t actually get the money from you without taking you to court.

    Unless you’re one of these people who has a super strong ideological stance against debt, or you just can’t trust yourself to control your spending, there is precious little reason to ever use a debit card instead of credit.

    For what it’s worth, I have 6 or 7 cards, and my aggregate limit is comparable to my annual salary. I carry a few of them that I actually use, and I keep the others at home and make occasional token purchases on them to keep the accounts in good standing. That way, if I ever lose my wallet or something, I’ve got access to money in the interim.

  13. Mostly use my debit card for small purchases, groceries and whatnot. Credit for larger stuff and online shopping, also gas cause better points.

    I dont buy anything on credit I cant pay for, haven’t paid interest in like 15 years.

  14. >Do you use a credit or debit card?

    Both, I mostly use the credit card, though.

    >If you use a credit card how often do you go to the red?

    Never.

  15. I use a credit card for all purchases except at one grocery store that doesn’t take credit cards except one I don’t have. I don’t know what you mean by going into the red but I pay my balance in full every month.

  17. I primarily use my credit cards and not my debit card. I have never had an overdraft issue and I haven’t carried a balance on my cards in a number of years. I pay the balances twice a month.

    I’m a big points kind of gal so credit cards are a great way to rack up rewards etc.

  18. I use a credit card for everything. It is a smarter, safer, and better way of spending than a debit card. I only use debit when I can’t use my credit card for some reason.

    With a credit card, you are spending others money while your money stays put and hopefully accrues interest.

    In the event of fraud, your money is never taken with credit.

    Credit cards have rewards, points, discounts and other perks like travel, hotels, lounges etc.

    Credit cards build your credit score. Whether or not you agree with credit scores, they are necessary for many things in this world.

    All of this is negated if you are irresponsible with money and/or don’t pay the card off monthly so as not to pay interest.

  19. Credit 100%. I pay it off every month, so never in the red. The cashback rewards in various categories and sign up bonuses make it worth to put all spending on credit cards.

    I never use my debit card.

  20. I use them interchangeably, mostly depending on points or rewards or whatever. I pay off my credit cards at the end of the month.

  21. I use a credit card to purchase things and pay it all off with my debit account so my credit score builds plus my card has a cash reward system so I get some money back

  22. I use a credit card exclusively, except when I need to take cash out of the ATM which is very rare for me. I’ve never gone in the red on my checking account, nor have I ever hit my CC’s credit limit.

  23. I exclusively use credit cards now mostly because of fraud protection. I had a debit card info stolen and it was my own money stolen not the banks money.

  25. I haven’t used my debit card for anything in years except paying at a dispensary and taking out cash at an ATM.

    Everything I buy is purchased on a credit card and I pay my balances in full by the due date.

  26. I use credit card as befit card and pay it off in full. I get 5% cash back on my largest spending category and 1% cash back on everything else each month.

  27. I use credit for every purchase I make.

    I’ve never gone in the red.

  28. Salaries are deposited into a bank account and you can access your funds through electronic banking, writing a paper check, or by using a debit card. Debit cards work like credit cards except they are limited to the amount of money you have in your checking account.

    A credit card is issued by a bank that may or may not be the same one where you have your checking account. These is a process of application where your credit report is accessed and reviewed. If you get approved, the bank issues a line of credit for some amount based on your credit history and income. You could technically spend all your money from your checking account but still buy things using your credit card. If you spend more than what is in your checking account, you’ll usually be charged an overdraft fee for every charge that exceeds your balance. The fee is around $35 or so on every charge. Most people do well to avoid this, but it can happen, and the fees will stack up.

    If you carry a balance on your credit card to the next month, you get charged a high interest rate on the balance. It can be 20% or even more. This is how banks make profit. They can afford to pay high earning executives and also offer rewards in the form of cash back or points toward airfare or other perks to their cardholders. The smartest way to use a credit card is to pay it off every month because then you get your rewards and your credit reports stay good.

  29. Credit card, because I get cash back and it has better consumer protections. I pay it off every month and always have.

  31. We have three credit cards without balances, a debit card for a personal account, and a debit card for my business account.

    In addition to that, we have a Hilton Honors AMEX, which is awesome. I put everything we possibly can on that and then pay it off every month. The points are phenomenal.

  33. I never use a debit card except at an ATM machine or at the bank. If a credit card is compromised it’s no big deal, you dispte the charge and get it removed. A debit card is plugged into your checking account. If you use it you’re a fool.

  34. These responses make it sound like all people from the US are responsible with their credit. This is not the case. I don’t know the number, but a high percentage of people carry debt that rolls over monthly. They just aren’t going to admit it on a public site.

  36. I use both, but primarily my Debit Card.

    I wish I didn’t have to have a Credit Card, but unfortunately I have to work on my stupid Credit Score. So I just use it to exclusively buy gas, and then I pay it off each month.

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