AOPA credit card --- WARNING.

In article Fuspd.85361$V41.50473@attbi_s52,
Here's another credit card mystery: Why the hell does ANYONE use any card
but Discover? Everyone else charges to use their cards, while Discover
actually PAYS you to use their card -- yet they are a distant third or
fourth in the industry.

Marketing is everything to American consumers, I guess...

Well in my case I don't have a 'real' credit card. I have a debit visa
(work just the same). I keep most of my spendable money in checking then
use the Visa the same as cash. If I can't afford something then I don't
buy it.
I've thought about getting a real credit card (just in case) and if I
did so it would most likely be through my credit union (because it's just
easier). _IF_ I was forced to use a real credit card I would pay it off
in less than 60 days (to avoid the interest).
I had a real credit card for about 7yrs, but always paid it off. When
debit visa came out I cancelled it.
The thing about Discover is that it's not accepted everywhere I go, so
I can't use it the same as cash as I can a debit visa.

In article ,
they tried to charge us 5% for each transaction. (The other cards -- Visa,
Mastercard & Discover -- charge us "only" 4% for the privilege of "working"
with them.)

Given this, why don't people like yourself offer discounts for cash any
longer? Seems like less use of credit cards would be to your advantage.

Probably a violation of their agreement with the credit card company if
they did.

Can't speak for Jay but that's a common clause. I've dealth with two
small busniess that gave cash discounts, and they got letters from Visa
(have no idea how anyone found out) saying they had to stop that. Visa
also has rules about what kind of fees you can charge too, my University
is in voliation of that agreement and last time I checked 2 students were
suing the University over it

On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 01:18:22 +0000 (UTC),
('Vejita' S. Cousin) wrote:

Well in my case I don't have a 'real' credit card. I have a debit visa
(work just the same). I keep most of my spendable money in checking then
use the Visa the same as cash

As you say a debit card is just like cash (which is not the
same as a credit card). When I use a credit card I get to keep my
money for an additional 40 days (average of 15 days until the end of
the billing period and another 25 days until the credit card company
takes the payment). More importantly if I have a problem with the
product purchased with a credit card, the credit card company will
intervene on my behalf with the debit card I am on my own.

in article , Paul Tomblin at
wrote on 11/25/04 10:02 AM:


Anybody who carries a balance on any credit card is an idiot or a sucker.

Or they know perfectly well what they're doing and accept the consequences,
distasteful as they may be. I made a conscious decision to carry some credit
card debt in order to get my pilot's license. I had no other immediate
options, and I don't regret doing it.

Just asking. Is that stated anywhere? Usually things like that are. If not,
they should be. It's not all that difficult. I don't do hotels all that
often and I would want to be told that specifically. It would certainly have
cured this problem.

mike regish

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
In a previous article, "mike regish" said:
Did you tell them that if they didn't show they would be responsible for
one night's payment.

Mike, that's why they call it "guaranteeing" the reservation. You risk
having to pay for a night you wont be there in return for the guarantee
that they won't give the room away if you're a little bit late arriving.
I don't know of a hotel in North America that doesn't operate that way.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"Wonder what diamonds do to lusers though."
"When attached to the teeth of a blade turning at 7000rpm, a darn fine
job."
-- Peter N. M. Hansteen and D. Joseph Creighton

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 16:50:26 GMT, "RS" wrote:

If you have an AOPA/MBNA credit card then you should check the APR on your
last statements. MBNA has been raising the APR on AOPA cardholders, even if
you pay on time.

So check your credit card statements and call AOPA credit card services to
complain.
And also call MBNA to drop the rate back down.


The APR is only an issue if you carry a balance.
Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
In a previous article, "Chuck" said:

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
Anybody who carries a balance on any credit card is an idiot or a
sucker.

Or isn't as wealthy or well off financially as you are...

Nobody is *forcing* you to buy what you can't currently afford, you know.
Back before credit cards existed, people actually saved up money ahead of
time for major purchases, instead of all this "buy now and pay later"
instant gratification stuff.



Ya know... I didn't say that paying the balance off was a bad thing. I guess
what kinda ticked me off about your post was you said that people were
idiots or suckers for not paying the balance. I merely pointed out that some
people can't do that.

If I get a new job and have to go to Sears and buy $2,000 worth of tools, I
will not be able to pay the balance off in one month. But I gotta have the
tools if I want the job.




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.801 / Virus Database: 544 - Release Date: 11/24/2004

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Chuck wrote:

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...

In a previous article, "RS" said:

If you have an AOPA/MBNA credit card then you should check the APR on

your

last statements. MBNA has been raising the APR on AOPA cardholders,
even

if

you pay on time.

Anybody who carries a balance on any credit card is an idiot or a
sucker.


snip

Or isn't as wealthy or well off financially as you are...

Just the opposite. Someone who is wealthy could afford to carry a
balance, it is folks who aren't who shouldn't be. I'm with Paul, I've
never paid a cent of interest on a credit card in nearly 20 years now.
People who carry credit card balances, for anything other than a real
emergency, are suckers as he said. And people who are smart, will save
up an emergency fund so that even emergencies don't require carrying a
credit card balance.



Maybe I am in the wrong newsgroup to be discussing this. I would imagine
that most people in this newsgroup make damn good money and can afford to
have a nice chunk of change in the bank.

Unfortunately, I am not in that situation.

Luckily, we don't use credit cards other than Sears, so we don't worry much
about interest on credit cards.




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.801 / Virus Database: 544 - Release Date: 11/24/2004

In a previous article, "Chuck" said:
"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
Nobody is *forcing* you to buy what you can't currently afford, you know.
Back before credit cards existed, people actually saved up money ahead of
time for major purchases, instead of all this "buy now and pay later"
instant gratification stuff.
If I get a new job and have to go to Sears and buy $2,000 worth of tools, I
will not be able to pay the balance off in one month. But I gotta have the
tools if I want the job.

And if you get a bank loan instead of carrying it on your credit card, the
interest rates will be *much* lower and won't go up on a banker's whim.

That's what I did when I needed a $5000 computer to set up my computer
consulting business right out of college. Ok, initially I was stupid and
used a credit card, but I changed to a bank loan as soon as I could get
one.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
I think I'd like to see a Simpsons episode starting up with Bart Simpson
writing 'I will not attempt to undermine the Usenet Cabal'.
-- J. D. Falk

Jay Honeck wrote:

One lesser known fact about credit card companies is that they will
screw the VENDOR far more readily than they will their customers.

has American Express or Diners Club done the same to you?
(just curious)

We'll never know -- I threw BOTH of them out right after we opened, after
they tried to charge us 5% for each transaction. (The other cards --
Visa, Mastercard & Discover -- charge us "only" 4% for the privilege of
"working" with them.)

Interesting. I wonder if the 5% plus following their own rules (if they
do!) might end up costing you less in the long run.

Personally, I'm a big believer in not trusting parties that don't follow
even their own rules. I always worry that the next "failure" will be
bigger than any before.

- Andrew