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How many carry Christmas debt over on their credit cards and not pay it off?

Do you carry a credit balance over after Christmas without paying it off in full?

  • Yes, Christmas is important to us so it is worth making extra interest payments

    Votes: 1 6.3%
  • No, If i use my card I pay in off in full every statement

    Votes: 10 62.5%
  • Yes, what is the big deal?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I don't charge period

    Votes: 5 31.3%

  • Total voters
    16
  • Poll closed .

Rocketman

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Just curious how many here over spend at Christmas using their credit cards without paying it off on the first statemet afterwards. Private poll so know one will know who you are unless you reply and say why.
 
I normally just pay cash or debit card for everything. I used to use credit cards, but kept the accounts open, and paid them off. I won't go back to using them unless my situation is extreme. I HATE being in debt.
 
I normally just pay cash or debit card for everything. I used to use credit cards, but kept the accounts open, and paid them off. I won't go back to using them unless my situation is extreme. I HATE being in debt.

I use cash and my credit card, I never use my debit except at the ATM. I pay it off in full every statement and reap the miles for our vacation travel. I am covered for false charges on my credit card but I am not sure I would be using the debit card and the hassle of having my bank account drained in the process would be extra stressfull.
 
Just curious how many here over spend at Christmas using their credit cards without paying it off on the first statemet afterwards. Private poll so know one will know who you are unless you reply and say why.

I usually carry over from purchases I make around Thanksgiving time to January. So I pay one month of interest charges and yes, for the deals I get in November it is worth it.
 
Can you wait a sec.

Just sending off some checks marked "Christmas 1988" on them.


I'll get back to you with my answer when I'm finished.
 
I keep a credit card on hand just for Christmas, don't use it for the rest of the year and I pay it off by the end of Jan. Keeps me on budget that way.

Depending when I made the purchases,(usually between the Dec 10-24th) I pay little to no interest.
 
I budgetted $150 for christmas and spent almost exactly that. I never charge on a card for Christmas. Gifts are, by their very nature, nonessentials.
 
Just curious how many here over spend at Christmas using their credit cards without paying it off on the first statemet afterwards. Private poll so know one will know who you are unless you reply and say why.

Well, I just got my first card because I need to build a credit history, and my approach to it is this.

I want to use it for stuff that appears frivolous to them, so they will assume I'm an idiot who doesn't understand budgeting and they can get me for interest. For some reason, people who spend this way seem to have their scores and limits perpetually increased.

So yes, I did buy some Christmas stuff on credit, as well as some formal clothes I need. No groceries or liquor -- that makes me look broke.

I have the money for all of it. I don't buy anything I don't have the money for, right this second. But I do plan to let one of the more expensive items roll over for one extra month -- again, to make me appear stupid with money.

Once I have sufficient credit history, the card goes in a drawer for a Doomsday scenario (I have a lot of savings, so it would have to be something truly catastrophic).
 
Between my husband and I, we only have one credit card, his, and it is a low-limit card. We buy everything with money we actually have except for big items. This limits us to a point, but it also forces us to save money for what we want.
 
I got a $23,000 Christmas bonus.

So I didn't have any reason to go into debt.
 
We use our ATM card for everything, if we don't actually have the money in the bank, we don't spend it, except on major purchases like houses and cars. Otherwise, it's all "cash" for us.
 
I got a $23,000 Christmas bonus.

So I didn't have any reason to go into debt.

I know people who have gotten that kind of bonus. I average about $7-10k per quarter, but my 4th quarter bonus won't show until the middle of February. :(
 
i will pay the full balance. i don't want to give credit card companies another dime if i can help it.
 
i will pay the full balance. i don't want to give credit card companies another dime if i can help it.
That's how I roll too.

Not too long ago it rarely made any sense to have a credit card.

But these days that has changed.

As long as you pay the entire bill every month there is no interest on a lot of cards. Plus they give you cash back. For instance, AE gives me 6% off on all of my grocery store purchases. That's a significant chunk of change.

What they are gambling on is that a lot of people will eventually overspend, not be able to pay it off every month and fall into their debt trap. The banks are just playing a numbers game with the odds stacked in their favor.
 
I put Christmas on a credit card, but I put everything on a credit card. And I pay in full every month.

Wife and I save money throughout the year to pay for Christmas.
 
I got a $23,000 Christmas bonus.

So I didn't have any reason to go into debt.

We started getting 'Christmas' bonuses at work this year (though not to that degree), but we won't actually get them til April.
 
Statistically, 55% to 60% of consumers regularly carry credit card debt. Yet, in this thread and in a similar thread that I started recently virtually NOBODY admits to carrying debt. My, what a wonderfully responsible group of people we have here at DP.
 
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