[indianstory]

That's not going to help you if the company you're buying from goes bust, or starts screwing you around. With a credit card (on purchases over £100) you're protected, with a debit card you're not.

incorrect i recently had a bogus company run off with 100 pounds of my money however i was able to contest the issue with my bank and get the money refunded back onto my debit card, true the fraud protection is not as good but it still exist for debit cards.

little known fact.

[kSmica]

Earrings for 4500$? ....

Seconded.

I wonder what he was thinking (if was any thinking at all) [thumbdown]

Feelings to the mother should be show trough respect and love, not by overpriced worthless jewelry.

[gopsbousperie]

Where's the link / obligatory picture of the earring's. For $4500 I would've thought they would be picture worthy?

[invest7manager]

That better be one hell of a set of earrings. The wife's engagement ring only set me back $3000, and it was a 3/4 carat set in platinum. Its always cheaper to buy smaller stones in quantity than a single large stone. I shoulda gone for one of those 3 X 1/3 diamond rings. :P

[oB8LI2kP]

People who mismanage their credit give credit a bad name. Everybody here who claims to never use credit cards is foolishly wasting the opportunity to capitalize on the tremendous benefits that most credit card issuers offer:

1. Points/cash back. If you pay your credit card off in full every month, which you should absolutely always do, your credit card company pays YOU to use the card. I get 1.5% cash back at the end of every year on my card - it pays for most of my modest holiday gift shopping. Thanks, CIBC, for buying my friends and family holiday presents.

2. Purchase and travel protection. When I pay for something on my credit card, the manufacturer's warranty is automatically doubled to a maximum of 2 years. If I buy a trip on my card, I have basic travel insurance included and discounts on better insurance.

3. Bill consolidation. I put many of my monthly bills on my credit card. I get paid cash back for paying for the services I would buy anyway and I only end up paying one bill for all of those that I can put on my card. Less to forget and keep track of, plus it's easier to ensure I am being correctly billed because all of the information is in one place.

4. Fraud protection. Granted, this comes on many debit cards now too, but it doesn't come on cash. Advantage plastic, whatever form it may be.

5. 30-day free loan. Using a revolving line of credit like a credit card takes the noose off your cashflow. Why do you think all manufacturers have revolving lines of credit? Instead of using cash to buy components, from which they do not see profits until the resulting product they manufacture is sold, they use credit. This allows them to manufacture more goods up front and not have to wait on the income from sales, which may come months down the line. This allows them to grow much more rapidly.

You can do the same. You can purchase things you need or want now and not have to wait on your pay check to come. You can reduce the size of your checking account and invest the "cash buffer" you'd otherwise keep there by making use of free 30-day loans that the credit card company is happy to give you. A little elementary cash management and self control and you will never pay a penny of interest, andyou'll be able to orchestrate faster growth of your savings/investments.

Get out of debt and start using those credit cards to YOUR advantage.