I agree you lose interest but I know where I stand every second of every day. I couldn't stand having to pay each bill when its due, its just me. I know people and business owners that do it that way, the wonderful differences in people! And my grandpa who would drive 8 mile to town to pay his electric bill the day it was due because that was the only monthly bill they had. Amazing stuff 1920-70 after he got out of WWI and then went through the depression.
Credit Cards
- Thread starter AgronAlum
- Start date
Debit cards do not have the fraud protection of a credit card. I have 2, one pays 5% cash back on 2 areas, for me gas and groceries. Other card pays 2% cash back on everything. No annual fees on either. Payoff once a month.
That’s true, but even with a healthy CC bill of $8,000 a month, the interest return is about $150 or so which is not trivial; however, if that’s the cost for the relative peace of mind that I will never pay a $0.01 of interest, I’ll pay it.
Also, for the last decade anywhere near that level of interest was basically a unicorn.
You bring up a great point but to each their financial own.
Can't you get the same peace of mind by putting the account on autopay? If you're paying that close of attention anyway, you could still keep an eye on the account but just not have the payments go out until they're due
I have cap one quick silver and like it. No annual fee, 1.5% cash back on everything. There are probably better rewards, but this one keeps it simple.
We use the Southwest Visa card for personal and business expenses. Pay it off every month. My wife travels for free with me on my companion pass that we’ve earned and we rack up a couple free trips every year for our entire family.
Only downside is that Southwest doesn’t do much traveling internationally and they don’t have too many options into DM.
As other wise posters have pointed out: Pay it off every month no matter what card you use. If you can’t, shred it and don’t ever use it again- the interest will crush your budget.
Only downside is that Southwest doesn’t do much traveling internationally and they don’t have too many options into DM.
As other wise posters have pointed out: Pay it off every month no matter what card you use. If you can’t, shred it and don’t ever use it again- the interest will crush your budget.
Our older daughter just graduated ISU last May, she used our Citi card while in school for emergencies, but now that she's graduated and has an actual income she got the Chase Sapphire with the $95 annual fee. Looks to be a very good card, 5X the points for every $1 spent on travel.
In terms of building credit, one thing we did is when we got her a new(ish) car for her last two years at ISU we put her name on it as a co-buyer. We took care of the monthly payments, but having her name on it was a good way to build her credit. She showed me her FICO score a few weeks ago and I was actually pretty surprised it was as high as it is. Will do the same for daughter #2.
Capital One Venture X is undoubtedly the best value for a premium card. I've had the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum in the past, but they never made it to year two because without a signup bonus they're way too expensive. Venture X is basically free if you remember to book one flight/hotel through their portal.
If you travel at all the points are well worth it.
I just managed to fly both my wife and I to Thailand in business class with a stopover in Tokyo for 92,500 venture points each (points transferred to air Canada). We also have a southwest companion pass which is by far the best deal for domestic travel.
To the OP, the best site for general credit card info is doctorofcredit.com because the guy who runs the site is actually focused on the value to users and doesn't just shill whatever cards have the biggest kickback (the points guy is a complete sellout). This page is the gold standard when comparing signup bonuses.
Best Current Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses & Offers For May, 2026
View all of the best credit card sign up bonuses. We list all of the best bonuses, unlike other sites that only list cards that pay them a commission!www.doctorofcredit.com
Similar here. Wife has a hobby of travel and churning through cards for the points. We've worked our way through those three including referral to each other and used point to book Q suites on Qatar Airline for a flight to Thailand.
Certainly, the originator of this thread is moving from debit to CC. I think they, like me, just appreciate the mental accounting of being closer to cash than build up of debit and pay it off monthly.
The other small thing it does is keep your utilization of your total credit down (percentage used of available credit) which helps your credit rating.
I’m not advocating it for everyone or anyone. It works for me, so that’s what I do.
Starting out, you're probably best served by getting one from your credit union. If you're not banking at a credit union, fix that first.
Doctor of Credit - Yes
Points Guy - Not so much. He's so insanely biased by his sponsors it's obvious.
This was actually a very good choice. The nice thing about CapitalOne's cards is that you can use it as cash back only if it suits you -- then, down the road (if interested in travel rewards) you can later pair it with something like a Venture or Venture X card and convert those cash back rewards to travel rewards ($1 becomes 100 points) optionally.
Plus, CapitalOne sometimes becomes harder to get approved for the better you get at the credit game. They like "riskier" customers.
Yeah, I want him learning how to pay a bill regularly. He uses a debit card out of his checking account now, but I think seeing a monthly bill with itemized purchases is a better way to do it. Plus he can earn rewards and build his own credit
We used to use Omaha for more options. Now DSM has a few more, so tend to try that first.
Yea for sure. Still some good general info on churning, sign up bonuses, etc if you go in knowing he's shilling sponsors.
I do sometimes…KC usually works best. Every now then we’ll fly into Omaha.
I remember someone posting a similar thread in the past. Here is what I (roughly) said then.
You must have the discipline to pay the entire balance of all cards every month. If you cannot, you shouldn't get any credit cards. You will pay the rewards you earned in interest (and much more) back to the credit card companies.
After that, here are the cards I personally carry in my wallet (or in rotation based on the rotating categories):
1) Amex Blue Cash- 6% cash back at Grocery Stores, 3% cash back on gas ($95 annual fee, the rewards net more than the free version but can vary by family)
2) Citi Double cash card- 2% cash back on all purchases
3) Discover cash back card- 5% rotating cash back categories such as warehouse clubs, gas, mobile wallet purchases. This is one of my rotating cards. It depends on what the category is for that quarter.
4) Chase Freedom cash back card- 5% rotating cash back categories such as warehouse clubs, gas, mobile wallet purchases. This is one of my rotating cards. It depends on what the category is for that quarter.
You must have the discipline to pay the entire balance of all cards every month. If you cannot, you shouldn't get any credit cards. You will pay the rewards you earned in interest (and much more) back to the credit card companies.
After that, here are the cards I personally carry in my wallet (or in rotation based on the rotating categories):
1) Amex Blue Cash- 6% cash back at Grocery Stores, 3% cash back on gas ($95 annual fee, the rewards net more than the free version but can vary by family)
2) Citi Double cash card- 2% cash back on all purchases
3) Discover cash back card- 5% rotating cash back categories such as warehouse clubs, gas, mobile wallet purchases. This is one of my rotating cards. It depends on what the category is for that quarter.
4) Chase Freedom cash back card- 5% rotating cash back categories such as warehouse clubs, gas, mobile wallet purchases. This is one of my rotating cards. It depends on what the category is for that quarter.
I recently opened one through my CU. ( community choice) 1.9% on purchases and transfers for the 1st year. Basically using it to get out of debt.