i am confused. you said the grocery which doesn't accept credit card or check...what do you pay with if not cash?

i have a visa debit. i use that. i don't have to carry a bunch of "cash", but it is the same as cash. (but many times..yep..just use plain ole cash cash) i'm not relying on a line of credit for my purchases and getting a bill in the mail and then having to write a check.

whatever works for each person is great. i just don't buy anything on credit and i don't like spending time paying an extra bill each each month.

My Goodness!!

Now I know more about debit and credit cards than I ever did. Can't thank you guys enough.

Since Alan and I don't drive (I never did). And we aren't planning any hotel trips any time soon, the only time I used a debit card was at the grocery store and to buy a few things at my local drug store.

Now I probably won't even do that.

but, because I read about the pre-paid Visa things you can get at the drug store, I just might put $100 on a pre-paid visa and if I want to buy something online, I can use this, right?? Makes it a bit safer than using your bank account card, right??

Thanks,
Mel

Yes, I used to work at a hotel, and when we took a credit card impression and the "credit card' was a debit card, it would take the money from the person's account and if they were staying a week and therefore didn't expect the charge to be at the beginning of their stay, they would sometimes be overdrawn. That happened even if they were there on a Comp'd stay and weren't going to be asked to pay for anything at the end if there was no damage to their room, sort of thing.

So there are some things you need to be aware of. I just got dinged by my bank for $34, which I could ill afford to lose, because I used my debit card when the advert specifically warned against using a debit card... It's complicated, but it has to do with timing.

Still, I like mine.

Hi Mel,
I think the main problem, at least for me, is remembering exactly where I am with it.

I think they are all very safe.

But, I can still understand why some people prefer to use PayPal.

As they say, "it's all good."



(IMHO)

I use paypal when I sell on ebay.

It's the best way to get paid. No waiting for people to send you money orders. I don't accept personal checks. So paypal (as an ebay seller), is the way to go.

Been doing Ebay on and off for over 10 years. As long as Ebay has been in business, I've been selling. I started with Classic Illustrated magazines. The first one was Alan's old Classic Illustrated from 30 or so years ago. They cost fifteen cents back in those days. I had one sell for $25.00 on ebay. Imagine, some old magazine and I got $25.00 for it. I wish I had more to sell.

So if I have a dress or shirts to sell, they go right up on Ebay. And I've purchased many a good deal on Ebay. I purchased an Ipod skin for $3.00 on ebay that sells for $20 at my local Radio Shack. And it came with an arm band and a lariat for around my neck. And I bought a thing for my cable box that separates the incoming cables that sells for $39.99 in Radio Shack and I paid $3.99 on ebay. The exact same thing.

You gotta love EBAY!!

Mel

I wish I understood selling on eBay. I don't know how I'd pack it and get it sent off though, since I'm housebound.

In terms of the "buys" on eBay, have you caught the news on telly recently talking about the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of things stolen from the National Disease Centers... and auctioned on eBay? Intensely expensive spectrometers and microscopes... and then after that there was a news snippet about huge HUGE losses at Wal*Mart and the things auctioned on eBay.

I'm not enamoured of eBay to the extend that I bought a rug that looked great in the pictures, but when I got it the colors in the rug had been enhanced with magic markers.

And eBay did nothing. The shipping charges had been very high, and I thought, foolishly, that was because the item was worth far more than it might be sold for at auction...

I was taken.

Good Morning World.
Such a lovely sunny sunday morning here.

Hey curious,
My Debit card and my Visa Debit card are two separate cards but work on the same account.

If I don't have cash at the grocery store, then I can use my Debit card. It comes automatically with my savings account. Just key in the right account, (i.e. savings - not cheque or credit) and key in password and bob's your uncle. If I go to hire a car or wanted to buy airline tickets or some such thing (I wish!!!) then I would not be able to use my Debit card. I would need to dig out my Visa Debit Card and that would go through a completely different form of processing but would work in the same manner as a Credit Card.

Most places here will hold the transaction in limbo... meaning if you need to make a deposit to a company such as a Car Rental firm (just example) then you would need to give either Credit or Debit Visa card (both work) and they will then process the paperwork in front of you, but actually hold it rather than put it through to the bank. Then at the end of the car rental period you go back and they just rip up the transaction slip.

Edited to add another couple of thoughts:

Most of the time I don't need actual cash in my wallet. Most of the time I can swipe debit card (not visa debit card) however, some places don't do EFTPOS but they're rare to find these days. Usually very small cafés and juice bars... places like that which either don't take EFTPOS or they do only over a certain quantity of money ... like $20. If I just want a tea or coffee then I need to carry a little cash all the time just in case.

There was something else I was going to say but I've forgotten. lol

OH, I remember now.

I was going to say that a Debit Card (not Visa Debit) works the same basically as a Cheque book in that it withdraws money from your account. Many places won't take Cheques here anymore though.

Debit Card will also work in ATMs. Although the cost of making a withdrawal is getting very expensive. Lots of banks here are getting rid of staff and some banks actually charge you to make transactions at the counter with a "real person". Some banks also have limits on amount of free transactions and I think that all of them charge if you use another bank's ATM. They're all robbers!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debit_card

[Note: of course Visa is only one of the types of cards there is. There are others. I am just using that one as my example because that's the one I know.]

Brian,
Here in the states our economy runs on oil and the plastic credit cards. One great advantage to a cc is you only pay for what you use (no fees ect.) Pay it off within the grace period ( it like having cash). I have been purchasing Jerrows Mythl B-12 from I herb for two years by cc and no problems. I'm one who would like supplements better monitored as there are cases where the public is getting ripped off with doses of flour, cornstarch and who knows what else.

Hi Stagger,
I sure don't want the government in the vitamin business.

So many people die each year from approved pharmaceuticals. Why people aren't more horrified, I have no idea.

I think that the answer to being ripped off is keeping notes, and if something that should help, doesn't, then buy another brand, try it, and if it doesn't help, that may not be a nutrient that body is in need of.

hi lara

silver swan was talking about using credit cards. then the post to me. confusing. lol

stores have to have a credit card terminal to accept any type of card, wether debit or credit. our business only takes credit cards or the debit cards with the visa/mc logo. i haven't heard of a business only taking debit and not credit.

the rates we are charged as a business for taking the cards vary. actualy higher for debit. the reason why chose to get the terminal and account we did.

(ps...most people don't realize how much it costs a business to take credit cards. the fees are outragous.)