What credit cards do you use?

What?!?! You think they are really giving you free money? ;-) Most likely they are charging you in fees and then giving a small rebate to make you feel good about spending money you don't have. :-)

I'm not saying the debit card is a replacement for a cc, or vice-versa. All I'm saying is keep watching your card statements for new fees. If it works for you, and I can certainly understand from the POV of running a business, then that's great. People have been ripped off on both sided of cc transactions, so I myself don't place too much credence in the protection offered and do my own due diligence.

I've had various AMEX cards for at least 20 years. First a Gold, until I got tired of the $100 yearly fee. Then a (free) Blue card. I got points on both that I cashed in on Home Depot gift cards; I must have gotten at least $1200 over the years in both Home Depot, & Crate & Barrel, gift cards. Obviously, this is much better with a (free) Blue card.

There's also an AMEX card that pays 2% cash back, if you have a specific brokerage or IRA account.

Recently I've had a Visa card with 2% cash back. Like getting a 2% discount on everything you buy. There's also an Amazon Visa that gives triple points on everything you buy on Amazon, great for Amazon junkies.

From a few of the comments here tho, I think I might go back to using Amex for some expensive purchases.....

"Most likely they are charging you in fees and then giving a small rebate to make you feel good about spending money you don't have"

What do you mean by "most likely"? I know EXACTLY that they don't charge me a penny for many years while I'm getting almost $1k back every year. I addition I'm getting protection and a lot of other benefits. It would be silly for me to use debit card or cash instead.

From the responses I've received so far, it seems that overall American Express is the way to go if you anticipate some major purchases. Different people have advocated for different AmEx cards, from the Blue with no monthly fee to the Gold. Does anyone have the Platinum who could comment on whether the annual fee is worth it?

Thanks,

Michael

Enjoy your CC, Kijanki. You obviously put more across yours than I ever would. I'll say it again, nothing is free. If the cc company is giving you something it is being paid for somewhere. You can bet your ass on it.