Credit Card

RacinReaver
Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:11:32 +0000

I got a American Express Blue card when I went away for college, and been using it for the past few years for nearly all of my purchases. AMEX has buyer’s protection, where they’ll double any warranty up to a year, have limited liability on theft (I think it’s $20-$50 or something small), and have fantastic customer service. After just a years of having the card, my limit was increased to $2000, and after another year or two my maximum went up to $8000. The trick is to only buy what you know you can afford, and pay your full balance as soon as you get your bill. I know my billing period ends on the 5th of the month, so I’ll usually pay it off before the 10th, even though it’s not actually due until the 23rd.

I also have a WaMu Mastercard which is linked to my debit account, for the handful of places that still don’t accept American Express.