Many of us don't carry cash. Those Visa cards and MasterCards we use aren't credit cards. They're debit cards. It's possible for me to go a whole week without spending cash. And most stores have no penalties for using these cards.
It took me a long time to adjust to saying "Mastercard" rather than "MasterCharge." I recall having several different credit cards, one for each department store where I shopped the most. I remember them being referred to as "charge cards" quite often. They were a method of establishing a credit history, especially for young people. Usually I just waited until I could pay cash because I didn't like seeing that monthly bill arrive in the mail. Nowadays, I have just one credit card.
Credit cards truly changed our society. Until they became popular, loans/credit were only for necessities like one's home, car, education, or major appliances -- not for discretionary/luxury spending. People would pay just what they could afford at the moment for an item and have it put on "layaway". They'd then pay the purchase price in installments, and receive the item only when the full purchase price had been met. Imagine that!
Then again, some department stores (Macy's and JCPenney come to mind) had their own metal "charge plates", and still offer their own cards although they now take the major cards as well.
Posted by Max at 12:01 am (PDT) on Sat September 12, 2009
MasterCharge was Chargex in Canada.
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Then again, some department stores (Macy's and JCPenney come to mind) had their own metal "charge plates", and still offer their own cards although they now take the major cards as well.
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