Cut Up Your Credit Cards

by B. Dear

Maybe you have noticed that credit card commercials are always happy. The people in the commercials are smiling, puppies are frolicking and families are hugging. There is always some type of pleasant music playing during the happy fest further reinforcing the mood. . It may seem slightly odd to you that they never really try to sell you the credit card itself at all. Hmmm. Interesting.

Let me explain the marketing behind this commercial a bit. The intent of the commercial isn’t to get you to apply for a credit card. The purpose of the commercial is to convince that they are good people that you can trust and that you shouldn’t hate them. Why would they need to do this? What are they so worried about?

The reason for this, is that if you already have a card with them, you already hate them. If you use a competitor they are trying to convince you that they are different. When you use credit cards, you won’t be happy and they know it. They know that they are going to screw you over. They will do his again and again. They know that you will eventually misuse the card and you will be helpless to get yourself out of this situation. They know that you will be frustrated and angry. 

Credit card companies are not friends. They are not here to help you get all those things you “need”. They are not concerned about your life or who you are. What they want is your money, and they want all of it. To them, you are a number with a bank account.

They have planned and positioned using thousands of people to get you in debt and keep you there. They market to you when you are young. They teach you to spend on things you don’t need from an early age. You are a just battery powering their huge machine.

They are not going to cut you slack unless they have to. They know that you will eventually violate the terms of service and they will increase the rates as much as hey can. They are not going to lower your APR unless they have to. Why would they do this when forcing you to pay more on what you owe makes them money. What they want is to make you owe and keep you owing for as long as they can.

When you start to financially choke out and can’t pay them anymore, they will do everything they can to make your life increasingly difficult. They will harass you with collection agencies and destroy your credit, blacklisting you from obtaining future loans to buy a house or to car.

You will only be able to make headway when you stop paying. When they think that the money train is falling off the tracks, they will do the minimal amount necessary to keep you paying longer. Their objective of the credit card companies is to keep you paying for the rest of your life.

In short, my point is that you will be much better off not using credit cards at all. Save yourself some grief and pay in cash. That way, if you don’t have the money to pay for it, you'll know you probably don’t “need” it. If you decide that you need it, plan for it so that you can pay for it using cash. Save the borrowing for when you buy a house or a car.