What's bugging you? (2016)

[Patrick425]

Yes, TPlush, aware of that and that is part of the discussion. However, I prefer not to have to type in my phone number every time. Also, I prefer not to wait for people who often type in the number incorrectly and have to re-type or they type the wrong number (account is under their spouses phone number, or it's an old number etc).

 

Ok, yes, I realize I'm an impatient person and that typing a phone number (when done correctly the first time) is really not a whole lot slower than scanning a card. What I guess gets me is how oblivious some people are regarding their surrounding and anyone who is around them (or they just don't care....either way it bothers me). General "obliviousness" is probably what bugs me the most. Whether I'm driving, walking, waiting in line, eating at a restaurant, etc. Just one example...I'm in the left lane behind a car that is not keeping up with traffic and does not really belong in the left lane. In reality, this person will probably cause me to get to my destination no more than 2 or 3 minutes later (at most) than I normally would and in the whole scheme of things, that's not a huge inconvenience. But that's not what is really bothering me. What's bothering me is how someone could be so oblivious (or so stubborn) to the fact that there is a line of cars stacked up behind them and other cars weaving in and out of traffic in an attempt to get ahead of them. If they just move over one lane into a lane that is traveling at a speed more appropriate to their driving style, everyone would be happy. It's the act itself, not the result of the act that really annoys me. In fact, there have been times when I've been able to get around the person and I put my hand out the window, not the finger gesture - but a wth type gesture. After that, they almost always move over to the right. So, really? You didn't notice all the cars behind you while you had a quarter mile of open road in front of you? You are that unaware of your surroundings?

[logan82]

Woodmans does accept debit cards. Dedit/credit no real difference if you have the money. I use a credit card exclusively for paying parking, which I get reimbursed every month.

[Invader3K]

I do not have any personal credit cards. I do have a debit card I use regularly. One nice thing is that our local credit union has a program where if you run your debit card as "credit" locally, you accumulate rewards points. I've gotten many gift certificates to a local eating establishment this way.

[Patrick425]

Woodmans does accept debit cards. Dedit/credit no real difference if you have the money. I use a credit card exclusively for paying parking, which I get reimbursed every month.

 

Well, again, there is a difference since my debit card does not give me any rewards and I like to accumulate miles/rewards on one credit card. Read some of the posts above including #881. Unless you are getting decent rewards from your debit card, I'm not sure why you would use it over a credit card.

[RobDeer 45]

I think some people are hesitant to use a credit card because of past debt issues or just the fear of getting in to debt. I'm one that uses a credit card for everything and we have it automatically setup to pay the balance each month. As long as you are paying attention to what you are spending, like you would with a debit card, you will be fine. I understand why people might be hesitant to go this route, but if you are paying attention, there is no difference.

[1992casey]

I think people are hesitant to use credit cards because they're afraid that they'll lack self-control. They'll use cards to buy things they can't pay for otherwise. Ideally, "can't pay for otherwise" should only mean that the cash isn't in one's pocket. People should be able to pay somewhere between immediately and the deadline for avoiding interest.

 

Patrick brings up a good point about debit cards not offering rewards. I don't want one because checking accounts have a finite amount of money, while credit cards are more flexible. Also, the debit card doesn't lend itself to easily keeping track of one's purchases. The old-fashioned equivalent would be writing a check and failing to record it in the register. That said, I should probably get one as an emergency means to get cash.

 

I don't want my rewards to be too complicated. I say no when stores offer their cards at the checkout. But I buckled recently when I was offered a full Visa card rather than a store card. The problem with that card is that the rewards aren't that useful. They have to be built up in $10 increments, don't become available until the time of the statement, and expire after a year. Also, they can only be redeemed at that store, which I don't patronize all that often. The only real upsides are that I get 3% on all purchases at that store and that I got an extra $50 in rewards for charging $250 in the card's first 90 days. Other rewards are only 1%. So I charged a car repair to get the $50. In the future, that card will be used for that store only or if I encounter an emergency.

 

My preference is cash rewards that I can simply apply toward my balance. After looking around at a few websites, it appears that the going rate for cash is 1.5% unless you pay an annual fee. I have three cards from the same company that offer that. I'm not sure how I got three cards because it was so long ago. But since it's cash that can be redeemed immediately, I don't think it matters if my rewards are divided up between those cards.

 

I did pick up an Amazon Visa recently on the recommendation of a friend. The rewards have the "complications" of only being available at statement time and only being redeemable on Amazon. But I get 3% on all Amazon purchases. And I get 2% at gas stations, restaurants, office supply stores, and drug stores. Rewards are 1% everywhere else, which isn't enough. I spend enough money on Amazon that it's easy to redeem the points. Limiting the use of the card to Amazon and the places with 2% rewards gives me enough points to be useful while not giving me more than I can realistically redeem.

 

What percentage is considered a good reward these days? Is 1.5% good enough for most situations, provided that it's cash that can be redeemed almost immediately?

[1992casey]

Since this deviates so far from the current credit card discussion, a separate post is warranted.

 

I've always regarded semi drivers to be good drivers. But I encountered a couple of huge exceptions yesterday.

 

Semi #1 decided to make a right turn on red — while two long lines of cars were going through a green light. We all had to come to a quick stop to accommodate him while he used both lanes to make his turn. And it wasn't as if the light had just turned green. Several cars had gone through the green light when he decided to do this.

 

A mile later, I encountered semi #2. This one turned left on a red light while a number of us were starting to take advantage of a green arrow. It wasn't like he was rolling on a yellow light. He was at a complete stop, and the light for his direction was red.

 

To ice the cake, later in the evening, there was an SUV driver who decided he didn't want to be in the left turn lane. The light was green and traffic was moving. He cut me off as I was moving forward, and he almost hit the vehicle who was in the intersection waiting to turn left from the opposite direction. At least I could stop, and the vehicle behind me didn't rear-end me. The vehicle in the intersection had no option except to sit there.

[Patrick425]

What percentage is considered a good reward these days? Is 1.5% good enough for most situations, provided that it's cash that can be redeemed almost immediately?

 

I found this site to be helpful:

 

https://www.nerdwallet.com/the-best-credit-cards

[Patrick425]

Speaking of traffic....if anyone is familiar with Madison beltway? Is it a big speed trap stretch?

 

Since my son started going to school in IA, I have had to use that stretch several times on my trips back and forth from visiting and taking him to and from school. Seems like 90% of the drivers are very cautious in that area in regards to speed. Most don't venture more than 5 mph above the limit. Completely different that what I experience on the freeways in the Milwaukee area.

[logan82]

Also, the debit card doesn't lend itself to easily keeping track of one's purchases.

 

How so? Mine has any purchase almost immediately available online for viewing.

[wallus]

The rewards cards are a sore subject for my family's business. The fees for those rewards cards are higher than regular cards. The credit card companies make it seem like they are giving you money but a lot of it is the merchants. We have flat out refused to sell customers things under $1 on credit as we would lose/not make anything.

 

We are looking to charge more for credit this year and give a discount for cash.

[Patrick425]

Also, the debit card doesn't lend itself to easily keeping track of one's purchases.

 

How so? Mine has any purchase almost immediately available online for viewing.

 

I think what he is saying is A) You are not going to overdraft your checking account if use a credit card. If you pay it off periodically (daily, weekly, monthly, etc), you can always check your account balance online before making the payment. and B) Many credit cards have an online feature that will break down your expenses for you if you are interested in keeping track of that kind of stuff.

[Patrick425]

We are looking to charge more for credit this year and give a discount for cash.

 

I've seen many companies do this. Especially service oriented companies.

[wallus]

We are looking to charge more for credit this year and give a discount for cash.

 

I've seen many companies do this. Especially service oriented companies.

 

Yeah, we have the chip machines which also really slow everything down. We weren't too happy when they said all businesses had to have chip readers a long time ago and there still is many without them. It was a pretty costly upgrade for us.

[NeedMoreFans]

Speaking of traffic....if anyone is familiar with Madison beltway? Is it a big speed trap stretch?

 

There are two significant traps: The first is when you exit I-90 and get onto the Beltline. A cop likes to catch cars exiting the Interstate that are going 70+ after the speed limit drops to 55. The second is much farther down past where you exit (assuming you exit Verona Rd), where the Beltline curves between Gammon and Mineral Point Rd. I normally don't see many on the Beltline when I'm on the stretch between the Interstate and Verona Rd, but I don't travel that stretch that often. I think traffic goes around 60 because there are stretches where there are a lot of on/off ramps close to each other which makes merging rather difficult.

[logan82]

Also, the debit card doesn't lend itself to easily keeping track of one's purchases.

 

How so? Mine has any purchase almost immediately available online for viewing.

 

I think what he is saying is A) You are not going to overdraft your checking account if use a credit card. If you pay it off periodically (daily, weekly, monthly, etc), you can always check your account balance online before making the payment. and B) Many credit cards have an online feature that will break down your expenses for you if you are interested in keeping track of that kind of stuff.

So does my checking account. I would think that is more useful to track all in one place too instead of more than one card.

[1992casey]

Patrick, thanks for the link in post[space][/space]895. One of the cards I've been looking into is listed. Also, the site confirms that 1.5% is a good rate for straight cash rewards.

 

Logan, I get that it's now easier to monitor one's checking account than it used to be and that my fears about not keeping track are largely unwarranted. I keep thinking back to the olden days when ATMs first became readily available and monitoring wasn't easy. Still, as Patrick says, you can overdraft bank accounts. Also, using a simple example, if you have $10,000 in your checking account and a $10,000 credit line, that's $20,000 that you have to play with. All you really have to know is that you can pay for what you buy when the time comes. But that time can be next week or later in the month rather than today.

 

I think the bottom line is that there are a lot of approaches that individuals can take. If I want cash and Patrick wants miles, that's fine. Cash rewards can be spread more easily across more than one card while it's probably good to concentrate one's miles in one place. But miles may have a better payoff in the end as long as you can use them. Probably the most important aspect of rewards is that they're useful to the customer and easy to redeem.

 

And if one person prefers debit and another likes credit, that's fine too. The trick is to do what's best for you while avoiding the things that are bad for everyone.

 

wallus brings up an interesting point about the merchant's end of things. I figure that smaller businesses should do what's best for themselves and that I can deal with it accordingly. I'm fine with paying the self-employed handyman in cash. I had an electrician who did things the old fashioned way; he sent me a bill and gave me 30 days to pay. And if someone wanted to offer a cash discount or charge 3% for using a card, I can go with that too.

 

But Woodman's is still a pain. I usually don't think about the fact that they don't take credit cards until I walk in. If I'm prepared, I'll have the extra cash on hand before I leave the house. But 90% of the time, it doesn't happen that way, and I delve into the cash that I like to keep with me for emergencies. Their selection is great, and I'll go there when I know they have something in particular that I want. For occasional times that I need it, their beer and wine selection is extremely impressive. But they'd likely become my main shopping destination if they took credit cards.

[1992casey]

Traffic on Madison's Beltline definitely moves more slowly than on most city freeways, even when traffic is light or moderate. I think the main reason is that local drivers prefer it that way. We're frequently told that the 85th percentile speed is usually a good thing. And in this case, if it happens to be slower than the posted speed limit, I can deal with it. The only thing I consistently have trouble with is that many Madison drivers don't merge well. Many of them enter the highway at 35[space][/space]mph or so when it isn't necessary.

 

Speaking of Verona Road, how's the construction going? I avoid that stretch like the plague and cut around it on McKee Road. I was doing that even before the construction started. That has me entering Hwys 18/151 at the last traffic signal, just before the speed limit increases to 65[space][/space]mph.

[NeedMoreFans]

Speaking of Verona Road, how's the construction going? I avoid that stretch like the plague and cut around it on McKee Road. I was doing that even before the construction started. That has me entering Hwys 18/151 at the last traffic signal, just before the speed limit increases to 65 mph.

 

It's completely done, for now. Phase 2 is slated to start next year, I believe, but may be delayed a year or two.

[nate82]

 

And if one person prefers debit and another likes credit, that's fine too. The trick is to do what's best for you while avoiding the things that are bad for everyone.

 

 

The thing is though the banks are trying to get rid of checks all together. The reason being is that paper checks is the least secure way of making a payment. If you lose your checkbook and someone goes on a shopping spree with your checkbook there is very little to nothing the bank can do for you. For your debit card there is the dispute process but you are going to have to wait between 3-5 business days before you see your money back typically.

 

Credit cards are actually the safest way to protect your money in your bank. Yes I know for some credit cards are dangerous because they buy more than what they can afford. But you are protected more behind a credit card from fraud than you are if you are using your debit card for purchases.

[1992casey]

If you lose your checkbook and someone goes on a shopping spree with your checkbook there is very little to nothing the bank can do for you.

 

The bank will bounce all the fraudulent checks for you. Then you hope the local district attorney notices that the checks were bounced legitimately rather than because you didn't bother to make good.

 

But you make a good point. I'd rather give out my credit card number than my bank account number, especially with all the breaches going around. Except for the hassle of updating auto-payments, credit card numbers are easily changed.

 

Hopefully, with services like ApplePay, we'll be able to limit how often we give out credit card numbers too.

[1992casey]

It's completely done, for now. Phase 2 is slated to start next year, I believe, but may be delayed a year or two.

 

It's annoying when construction is partially done and plans to complete it aren't immediate. We have that situation right now between Milwaukee and Chicago. Southern Milwaukee County and Racine County have become one big fat bottleneck because that stretch has fewer lanes than the roads to the north and the south.

[NeedMoreFans]

The plans are to start constructing interchanges, etc beginning next year with all construction wrapping up by 2020. But the delay may come due to funding. We'll have to wait and see.

[superfly]

What's bugging me? The magnitude of the choke job that went on vs Penn St tonight. Bucky D looks as bad or worse than the Packer D does.

[nate82]

What's bugging me? The magnitude of the choke job that went on vs Penn St tonight. Bucky D looks as bad or worse than the Packer D does.

 

I don't think it was the Defense that let the Badgers down it was the 2nd half dead offense that let them down again. They did this against Ohio State earlier in the year and against Michigan.