On the top of my most hated THINGS list, apart from maggots, loud-mouthed bitchy girls, kurang ajar young people are those handsome guys and pretty girls trying to push credit cards to you.
I abhor them because:
1. They are bloody discriminating
On days when I trudge into the hypermarket to grab a dozen eggs with my batik nightdress without a bra (just kidding, I am not so teruk ok?), no one bothers to give me a second look. On days when I dressed up, they chased me like a pack of dogs on heat after a bitch.
2. They are so damn ‘no big no small’
They think they can bowl me over with ‘Miss ah, Miss lu ai kedit kad boh?’. Choy…I am old enough to be your grandma, you must at least call me ‘Auntie’ mah…. or Datin or Puan Sri…..
3. They have no PR skills
Can’t you see all these 99.9% gold, platinum, Rolex and diamonds dribbling on my necks, wrists, ankles, ears, nose? How can you offer me a ciplak ordinary card? When I got my gold card, you aren’t even born yet, little boy.
OK, the main news, on the front page of the paper is the Government finally come to their senses and is going to tighten the issuance of credit cards. Ahhhh….finally, those pesky promoters are put to sleep, I hope.
I had long been very much against this idea of young people/people who don’t have the discipline owning credit cards. Out of a hundred, probably a handful has the discipline to use it correctly. The rest are signing their lives away without a care for tomorrow. This is plain stupid because if you do not have the money, don’t spend. You are going to be deeply in debts and suffer later. The debts will snowball and pressed you down till you can’t breathe.
I still remember when I first got my ordinary card. It was an achievement. It was not easy to apply for a credit card last time. I also remembered the moment when my young husband surprised me with a supplementary gold card on one of my birthdays. Dang, I can’t even remember how old I was then!
*We had make it a point never to buy anything on credit.
*All debts are paid by the end of the month.
*Credit card is to save us from carrying cash and earning some bonus points which get us free toaster, dildo, toys etc.
*The interests charged by the credit card company is blood sucking so never, ever owe them any money.
I am glad that as a couple, both of us are pretty discipline where money is concerned. We had been to cities like Paris, Milan, Melbourne etc and we had never return from a holiday burdened with debts. We make it a point never to sign our life, pride, dignity, peace of mind away. If we know we can’t afford it, we just let it pass.
I hope I have the discipline to bring up my kids with this same kind of thrift. However, I guess it is going to be a challenge. Both our parents are poor and never feed us with any money. Every sen we have are our own hard-earned cash. But our kids know they can always run to papa to rescue them when they get into deep shit.
So, do you sign your life away or spend within your means? Do you ever feel like giving the promoters a punch in the face when they chase you?
**Note : I have nothing against the hard-working young people who works for the banks/credit companies. I respect them for their guts and drive. Whoever you are, you are going to be a great sales and marketing person in future. I am only against the idea of banks pushing empty promises to people whom may get into trouble later on. All they care is earning the interests when you screwed up in payment.
We share the same hatred towards idiot credit card officers.
Ah….I typed something but realised it was too long…will blog about this cc topic in my site yeah…do drop by =)
Dont fancy c/card though, but got pursuaded by a cun pretty girl. Swipe like nobody business. Petrol la, gift for gf la, RM10 purchase la, all in the name of collecting points. When the bill arrived, woah lau! Said to myself, “Dont have big head, dont wear such big hat!”
While I agree with some of the things you wrote not all young people swipe their card like nobody’s business š I only have 2 cards -a Visa & Mastercard which I hardly ever use unless its for expensive stuff like medical bill at SJMC. My policy is to use cash (& cash only) for anything below RM500, while on holiday, I carry more travelers cheque and try not to use my card if possible. Like yourself I usually return with guilt-free and debt-free feeling.
“*Credit card is to save us from carrying cash and earning some bonus points which get us free toaster, dildo, toys etc.” – extract from your post.
Err, got dildo issit? Aisay, now I better go get a free card then. I bought a dildo for gf but customs confiscated it lah. LoL!
Wink2x š
LOL! I would’ve thought they’d be more professional and speak in English rather than such a profound slang. š
Well, my dad let me have a supplementary card when I was..20 I think. But of course, to have your own credit card qualifies you as a working adult who’s earning an average salary and able to live the rest of his life no more eating from his parents hands.
It’s the level I’d feel that I’m now the one who should be feeding my parents and providing for them. š
I have a credit card – a student one. The limit is 500pounds so I can’t really sign my life away with it. However, I’ve only used it twice. Once because my debit card went missing and I needed to get that Kookai beg š Second time when I used it to pay for my Haloscan subscription.
I guess having a credit card has its pros and cons. Its safer in a sense because you don’t have to bring cash with u all the time. But then again, it is also dangerous if you don’t know how to control your spending. One swipe is defintely easier than taking out that stack of cash to buy a Prada bag.
thankfully, my credit limit isn’t very high, so the ‘lesson’ I learned when I maxed out my card wasn’t TOO bad.
HOWEVER, nowadays, I don’t even bring my credit card out anymore. only for emergencies and overseas only…
credit cards scare me to death. ditto with their promoters š anyway, although i agree that it makes sense to have a credit card if you have to pay for hotel bills and what-nots while outstation for work, i’m still shying away from getting one. i hate the feeling of owing someone something… and i guess i just want to break my brother’s record of getting his first credit card at the age of… 31.
š Luckily I am also disciplined enough to do the same like you. I never owe them money. Only once when my payment was late (by just 2 days!!) (late because I was travelling, didn’t get the statement on time)- the interest was extremely high. So, never want to try out. My sis is different, she could revolve her money with banks, I can’t…
I think we are the type of customers the banks don’t want. They’d prefer customers who revolve. š
i thot of asking the same q as hustler..he’s a bit faster in picking up these sort of things..
which bank eh? i know my bank don’t. š
use AMEX which is a charge card. cannot have credit wan, then better discipline lor.
AGREE !!! NO TO CREDIT CARDS !!! I wont even bother to get a credit card, I dont see a reason to get one lol. why need an extra expense ? Rationally a credit card is not a necessity… but … about the dildo… sounds enticing.. .. NOOOOO !! No to Credit cards !! š
Just had a row with my credit card company , they keep adding more and more credit.. and if anyone ever steal it, they can go buy a car or house!!I dont want more credit. And a bad habit with my husband is he never checks what he signs.( nor does he ever check his credit card bills) ***gRRRRR **** ( okok I do the same but at least I check more often than he does)
I think the credit card cos are trying get us to sign more cards, then they charge interests when people cannot pay on time. I might be wrong, but that’s what I think.
I got my first supplementary card when I came abroad. Dad’s worried if anything happens, that can save me. When I opened my bank acc, i was also given a credit card. I hardly use them because debit card is better- no credit at all. Dad’s very strict with my mom and I when it comes to credit cards because their cards were fraud before, so now, he checks every bill and we must give him the receipts.
hehe I almost became one of those credit card promoters too, most you see are working part-time, with the banks offering one of the best rates. About your 2nd point, while working (and I’ve worked LOADS of part-time jobs), sometimes we see ladies whom we’d probably call “Auntie”, but then many of them get offended, especially those still single. So to be safe, usually we’ll call “Miss”. If wrong also not so “pai-seh”..
Diana – Hahaha, actually hor, I love being called Miss leh. Almost on the verge of running to hug whoever still call me Miss. LOL! Perasan betul!
Eileen – I suppose you haven’t encountered the scene here lately. There will be like 3-4 banks competing, such as RHB, EON, Am and whateverlah. (Hey, how come I never heard of all these banks before?) Imagine a hypermarket, crowded and these people practically swarmed on you, left, right and centre. And they followed you and refused to let go until you got saved by escalators or death. The marketing is that aggresive lately.
Romantic – Ya, exactly! We don’t need and yet, they give and give. Yet when we were desperate, they turned their nose upon us.
Chu Chai – I made up that part and testing who really read every word. Hahaha, good, good, I know you read.
Belacan – Amex? We have only Mastercard. Amex sometimes not acceptable everywhere.
Atiza – Hahaha, sharp eye.
lzbone – Yes lor, one time, we missed paying on time and they charged so much interest. Wah…my hubby so sakit hati leh and he grumbled and grumbled for months after that.
Din – I don’t feel comfortable with the society having the mentality ‘bayar bulan/tanpa bunga’. In the end, the rich get richer and the poor remains poor. The Government should step in on all these licensed money-lender, tanpa cengkeram on almost every purchase, motorbikes, electrical items etc.
S-Kay – Ok, will check your thoughts. The wise one, inspite of your age.
Hustler – You naughty fler, you notice that!
Danny – Actually, they just take one look and speak Hokkien to me lor. Felt so insulted. Hahaha.
Angelic Grace – When we are in overseas, the temptation is greater. No need to make conversion, just sign away.
Eyeris – The interest is really killing. Imagine I max out our card, I may need to sell one or two kids of mine to pay the debts. LOL!
Zyrin – Actually if we have the discipline and the income, it is good and very convenient. But what is worrying is these banks just grab every passer-bys and tell them to sign up. I notice that it is harder to pay stuffs by credit card whenever there is a sale because almost everyone has a card.
You want the truth? Can you handle the truth……(aiyar, just joking).
Credit card promoter is the LAST life line for the “tranferred” bank stuff. The bank credit card promoter are not threated as ordinary bank employee, rather, they are SALESPERSON and dispensable if they can’t meet the signup quota.
My suggestion? If you really kaypochi, you can take your trouble and sign up for X-years free subscription, get the free gift, and REMEMBER TO CANCEL the card BEFORE the free annual fee end.