Originally posted by: OneStepsAhead
"100% Guarantee" can mean different things to different people.
When a credit card is used fraudulently, the only consequence is that you get a bill and you dispute it.
When a VISA or MC Check Card is used fraudulently, the money is GONE from your account, unless you can convince the bank to put it back in. And gone WHILE you convince the bank to put it back. And, policy be damned, they don't HAVE to give it back if they don't want to! They can make you sue them, or force you to "kangaroo court" arbitration.
Besides, if you use a credit card, you can get the 1% rewards back, plus get the other "gold card" protections, and pay NOTHING for the privilege (if you pay your balance in full each month). I charge everything I buy, and write one check each month to pay the balance in full.
Originally posted by: Overzeetop
Oddly enough, low balances are more dangerous than high ones with a check card, especially if you also write checks on the account (for paying bills, etc.) If you have a low balance, a single fraudulent purchase can get your phone/electric/cell bill returned NSF, including all the associated fees.
Exactly why I use my discover card for all my $20+ purchases and cash for the little stuff. There is nothing better than buying something now and paying for it a month later. (I've never liked the idea of money taken out of my bank account instantly-which is why I chopped my card up when I got it)Besides, if you use a credit card, you can get the 1% rewards back, plus get the other "gold card" protections, and pay NOTHING for the privilege (if you pay your balance in full each month). I charge everything I buy, and write one check each month to pay the balance in full.
Originally posted by: c627627
Of course you'll get your money back eventually. That's not the point.
The point is that all your CASH money will be "GONE from your account... and gone WHILE you convince the bank to put it back."
If you rely solely on yourself and your own cash to survive in life, you will be hurting once that cash is gone and you're going through the procedure of getting it back. And if it happens on a Saturday and your fridge is empty... you'll think twice about ever owning a Check Card again.
Of course every bank issues Check cards. That's not the point.
The point is that they are now replacing regular ATM cards that people have specifically requested earlier and that it now requires yet another phone call to switch back to ATM cards WITHOUT the Visa logo.
Read about what's going to happen to you if you fall for the TV advertizing about VISA check cards.
The most relevant info in this thread is from people who actually had to go through the procedure of getting their money back.
Man...get with the 90's will you? ALL banks use Visa or MC check cards now (Unless you're a member of Fred's Bank in Hicksville USA). You still have to sign them and most places now make you show ID when you use any form of CC. Geeze....I don't know anyone that still uses an old ATM card. BTW- You still have Visa and MC's fraud protection, so if your card is used fraudulently, I think you're only liable for $50.
[/i]Of course you'll get your money back eventually. That's not the point.
The point is that all your CASH money will be "GONE from your account... and gone WHILE you convince the bank to put it back."
If you rely solely on yourself and your own cash to survive in life, you will be hurting once that cash is gone and you're going through the procedure of getting it back. And if it happens on a Saturday and your fridge is empty... you'll think twice about ever owning a Check Card again.
The most relevant info in this thread is from people who actually had to go through the procedure of getting their money back.
Originally posted by: sxr7171
Originally posted by: ObiDon
Aww, crap! The only thing I would even use my US Bank card for is the grocery store. I forgot my pin 6+ years ago and the ATM card is in my closet somewhere. I was just planning on getting a new ATM card. My grocery store takes US Bank ATM cards but doesn't accept credit cards...will this new check card still work there?
It is still an ATM card only with additional features.
Originally posted by: cruzer
People, stop keeping your life savings in your checking account. Open a savings account in a different bank.
Originally posted by: JuanTabonia
Just a plea to all those people who write checks at the grocery store and make me wait behind you....please use cash, credit card, or your ATM card instead!!
I think a lot of older people do not know how the Visa Check cards work, and they don't know that you can use your ATM card at the grocery store and get cash back. Very convienent. and no waiting for the mom with 3 kids hanging off of her to write that damn check!!
I'm a database programmer (and sometime database administrator) and I know that giving your CC, ATM number, whatever is risky. The minute you give it, it's in a database. That database is on a disk somewhere and the minute they back it up, it's in more than one location. I don't currently, but I have had jobs where I personally had access to thousands of CC numbers and if I was so inclined I could have used them illegally. However, I'm not so inclined. But I know by virtue of my experience that CC info is vulnerable. Where I have worked people on the inside could get at sensitive information if they know what they were doing. Well, some people could, anyway. There was encryption, but it wasn't terribly secure. Believe me, I know. There used to be a lot more talk about the security on online transactions, and naturally these usually are assocated with a credit card. Fortunately, your CC company usually protects you against fraud, but YMMV, of course. So far, I haven't gotten burned, but I do think about these issues and lots of times I've not done a transaction just because it made me nervous to give a party my information. Still, I've bought a lot of stuff online and nothing bad's happened yet. But when I get my CC statements, I look them over very carefully. It's not a bad idea to do that just from the standpoint of checking yourself out, I think. And, of course, it's necessary to make sure you aren't suffering from "identity theft" or someone using your number. Is that different from IT? Not too different. BTW, I do have a US Bank sponsored CC, and it's my principal use card because I get a 1% rebate on purchases with it (it's through REI). There's no ATM card associated with this - it's just a CC. So far so good. I didn't even know there were B&M US Banks, and I guess there has to be if they issue ATM cards.Originally posted by: djchemistry
I loved my Visa check card when I first got to college. No need to write checks and keep people behind me waiting. However, that all ended when some dude in Belorussia stole my check card number and started making insane purchases online. Needless to say my checking account was drained and I had no money to pay rent.
I didn't think anyone would be able to jack your number especially from secure online transactions, but boy was I wrong. Sophisticated database attacks not only revealed my cc number but hundreds of others as well. I absolutely hate merchants who want to hold onto your damn cc number. Anyway long story short, I was refunded the money without question, but had to put up with a lot of waiting.
Beware, a check card is much easier to steal than physical money. It's like giving away a key to your safe.
Originally posted by: nuonce
Better than that even is the deal I have with my US Bank credit card. They do an auto-pay from my checking account but I have it configured to happen the maximum time after my billing date, which is 19 days. So I keep getting interest on the money in my checking account.Originally posted by: Overzeetop
Oddly enough, low balances are more dangerous than high ones with a check card, especially if you also write checks on the account (for paying bills, etc.) If you have a low balance, a single fraudulent purchase can get your phone/electric/cell bill returned NSF, including all the associated fees.
Exactly why I use my discover card for all my $20+ purchases and cash for the little stuff. There is nothing better than buying something now and paying for it a month later. (I've never liked the idea of money taken out of my bank account instantly-which is why I chopped my card up when I got it)Besides, if you use a credit card, you can get the 1% rewards back, plus get the other "gold card" protections, and pay NOTHING for the privilege (if you pay your balance in full each month). I charge everything I buy, and write one check each month to pay the balance in full.
This is whythey think we're sheep.Originally posted by: Ranulf: ...they seemed all surprised that I didnt want a debit/check card and made it a bitch and a half to get a regular atm card so I dropped the issue.