Back to survival mode.

[Re-Raise]

Yep...I make money/miles etc. off of my cards also. practically everything put on the cards and paid off every month. A card used responsibly will help your credit score also.

I have to admit I have had an addiction to the reward card offers for the last couple of years. My wife and I have had no debt , mortgage or otherwise, for about 15 years. Our high credit scores get us a lot of card offers that give you bonus cash after you open an account. We have gotten over $2k in reward cash over the last 2 years. It takes some work, but I manage them all online. We have over 20 cards now but I always pay them off before we incur any interest.

 

[Jackburton]

Booked two RT tickets using UR points transferred to Southwest today. Credit cards, used as a method of payment, are very useful. Dave Ramsey takes a hammer to everything approach when it comes to credit cards. I prefer Clark Howard's style for people who have their finances in order and have the willpower to stay debt free.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I have to admit I have had an addiction to the reward card offers for the last couple of years. My wife and I have had no debt , mortgage or otherwise, for about 15 years. Our high credit scores get us a lot of card offers that give you bonus cash after you open an account. We have gotten over $2k in reward cash over the last 2 years. It takes some work, but I manage them all online. We have over 20 cards now but I always pay them off before we incur any interest.

I would think having 20 open credit cards would negatively impact your credit score.

 

[Re-Raise]

I would think having 20 open credit cards would negatively impact your credit score.

Opening new accounts isn't good for your score because it shows a hard inquiry and recently opened accounts are both negatives.
However, using a small percentage of your available credit is a positive so multiple open cards is a good thing.
Our FICO's are both over 866 and we don't borrow money so at this point any negative effect is not a factor.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

...and here I thought my 804 was impressive...kudos.

 

[brownmonster]

I just put 2800 on my card Sunday. How do you book a vacation online without a card?

 

[bottomups]

Where we going?

 

[brownmonster]

Where we going?

Florida.

 

[Insaneasylum]

I'm trying to look at the positives in this time..I'm going back to the gym now, & feeling a whole lot better about myself physically, which actually means more to me then some extra cash. Take advantage of this down time, while I can.

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Why pay for a gym membership. Get paid to work out, been doing the night sort and preload for 2 weeks now

 

[HEFFERNAN]

Florida.

Looking for skunk apes down there ? lol

 

[ChrisTheBrown]

Why pay for a gym membership. Get paid to work out, been doing the night sort and preload for 2 weeks now

Just lifting & lowering packages for 3-4 hours can't give my body all of the exercise that it needs. I also like to do leg presses, curls..Upper & lower body workouts for that matter, treadmills. I need another place to unwind, besides UPS & my apartment.

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[Corralz]

Why pay for a gym membership. Get paid to work out, been doing the night sort and preload for 2 weeks now

lol i lose weight when i stop going to the gym and treat it as a workout. its cardio. i dont want to be a stick figure

 

[TooTechie]

His free podcasts on iTunes went from 1 hour a day to his full 3 hour radio program (commercial-free basically) daily.
I have a 3-4 hour window of residentials which I listen to my iPod.
This new podcast format is a radio listeners dream and between Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard, makes delivering residentials the highlight of my day.

If you're a Stern fan, Artie Lange has a new podcast but it's a pay thing of like $7 a month. I have all the mp3s saved since it started 1/5. Let me know if you want them.

 

[TooTechie]

I would think having 20 open credit cards would negatively impact your credit score.

Believe it or not you can have as many as you want without hurting your score as long as the %used vs available is around 10% and they've been open for a while. When they're paid in full and you have too many it can take some points off. 10-12% use is a creditor's wet dream.

 

[TooTechie]

Opening new accounts isn't good for your score because it shows a hard inquiry and recently opened accounts are both negatives.
However, using a small percentage of your available credit is a positive so multiple open cards is a good thing.
Our FICO's are both over 866 and we don't borrow money so at this point any negative effect is not a factor.

...and here I thought my 804 was impressive...kudos.

The max cap on FICO is 850. There is no 866. There is however a new score called a Vantage Score that caps at 950, but not many creditors use it. FICO is still king.

 

[oldngray]

The max cap on FICO is 850. There is no 866. There is however a new score called a Vantage Score that caps at 950, but not many creditors use it. FICO is still king.

I was wondering where that 866 number came from. A perfect 850 is almost impossible. I have been in the low 800's the last times I checked.

 

[Re-Raise]

I was wondering where that 866 number came from. A perfect 850 is almost impossible. I have been in the low 800's the last times I checked.

A lot of my cards give me a free FICO score each month. The e-mail from one of my Citi Cards that I got 2 days ago says 866 with any score over 800 being in the top 20% of consumers. They may use different scales but this one clearly calls it FICO score.

I have never lied on here about anything, and I am sorry if it comes off like bragging. I am not very computer literate but I am sure I could get my wife to put it on here without my name shown if you don't believe me.

I was just making a point about credit card rewards. We have recently opened accounts with American Express, Citi, Capital One, PNC Bank, Bank of America and Us Bank because they have all offered bonus cash for new accounts.

 

[TooTechie]

A lot of my cards give me a free FICO score each month. The e-mail from one of my Citi Cards that I got 2 days ago says 866 with any score over 800 being in the top 20% of consumers. They may use different scales but this one clearly calls it FICO score.

I have never lied on here about anything, and I am sorry if it comes off like bragging. I am not very computer literate but I am sure I could get my wife to put it on here without my name shown if you don't believe me.

I was just making a point about credit card rewards. We have recently opened accounts with American Express, Citi, Capital One, PNC Bank, Bank of America and Us Bank because they have all offered bonus cash for new accounts.

I'm certainly not calling you a liar. I'm just saying Citi is misinforming you and calling the Vantage Score a FICO. FICO caps at 850.

 

[sortaisle]

Those of you with tools, experience, and a stable mindset will have security in Automotive.

Stable mindset? Auto mechanics? In the NW? I hear we're going to be getting California's 137's and 138's soon. That is going to be nightmarish.

 

[sortaisle]

I refuse to ever be a part of the credit card game again. The best emergency backup you can have is a savings account. I never use card benefits because I don't travel much yet, but most of the side benefits you get from credit cards you have with your VISA or MASTERCARD debit cards. If I travel in the future I'll get a prepaid card that has travel benefits. There's too much that can go wrong with playing the credit card game for me. More power to everyone else though.