Fun Stuff > CHATTER

What seemed weird when I visited your country

<< < (37/111) > >>

Barmymoo:

--- Quote from: 94ssd on 18 Dec 2013, 13:25 ---If you don't build up and maintain good credit, you may find yourself unable to buy a car or home, or take out any sort of loan.

--- End quote ---

Surely this is only true if you are intending to buy the car or house on credit?

pwhodges:
In some circumstances and places it could harm your credit rating for a check for renting, for instance; sad but true.

Barmymoo:
Weird. Surely you can build up a good credit check by simply having a small overdraft though? I don't understand how USA bank accounts work to be honest - I kept being asked whether I wanted to use credit or debit when I was there. Here, you have either a credit card or a debit card, at least as far as I know.

pwhodges:
In Britain we have separate cards for each account; in many other countries, a bank will issue one card that can be used for multiple accounts of different kinds - hence the question.


--- Quote from: Barmymoo on 18 Dec 2013, 14:22 ---Surely you can build up a good credit check by simply having a small overdraft though?
--- End quote ---

Depends on your viewpoint; an overdraft may be seen as irresponsible, whereas using (and paying up to date) a credit card shows responsibility - of a kind. (Not saying I agree with the logic; but I can see what's in their minds.)

Skewbrow:

--- Quote from: 94ssd on 18 Dec 2013, 13:25 ---
--- Quote from: Skewbrow on 18 Dec 2013, 10:58 ---Are you really saying that a bookstore (or clothing store) in the US has no say in how much they charge for a book or an item of clothing? That's not how I thought the free market works,
--- End quote ---

Welcome to corporate America. If it's a chain store, it receives the item in bulk and is told what price to sell it for. There is very little room for variation. Price setting is generally done by regional managers rather than by the managers of individual stores, who, by the way, are given lengthy instructions on how to deal with every situation and would be fired if they deviated from them.


--- Quote ---You couldn't buy stationery at a mall bookstore (they would advertise marital aids on yellow pages though)
--- End quote ---
Generally a bookstore means what it says, it sells books. Print shops are considered a separate entity.
 

--- Quote ---You could buy stationery, items of personal hygiene and candy at a pharmacy (aka a drug store)
--- End quote ---
I've always thought having food, drinks, etc. at pharmacies was weird, but I thought it was normal to have hygiene stuff there.


--- Quote ---These people actually use bank cheques for paying utility bills and for shopping? Is this like the 70s or something?
--- End quote ---
I do most transactions through debit/credit card, but that's not always a possibility, especially if paying rent or at a lot of local shops. I loathe carrying around large amounts of money, it makes me nervous.


--- Quote ---Why would anyone want to use a credit card? Why run up a debt? Can't you like afford to pay for it right away?
--- End quote ---
Two reasons. First is that people are tricked by too-good-to-be-true "free" cards and low rates, but fail to consider hidden fees. Second is because credit is king. If you don't build up and maintain good credit, you may find yourself unable to buy a car or home, or take out any sort of loan. I use my credit card for things I know I can pay for so that I can establish good credit.


--- End quote ---
Well. I later learned that all this is how things are done in the US. Fine. That was exactly the culture shock part.

I later got one "preapproved" credit card application turned down, basically because I had paid for my car by a bank cheque (not sure what it was called), i.e. in cash. I was mildly miffed because the campaign letter was specifically targeting graduate students soon getting their PhDs. And I was brought up believing (and still believe) that it is more fiscally responsible to pay for something like a car then and there as opposed to going into debt. If the credit company disagrees, I look elsewhere. I only had a credit card for my last 4 months in the US. At that time I held a postdoc position at MSRI (Berkeley, CA), and was paid enough to satisfy the credit company without any credit history.

So how are things run here:

* utility bills and such: I make a deal with the power company/phone company/newspaper/whatnot and the bank. They can charge my bank account directly. To cater for the eventuality that I want to challenge the bill, they need to mail me a copy of the bill in advance. That has recently been replaced by a messenging system with the websystem of the bank.
* Shopping, groceries, gas, whatever. I use my charge card for everything (it is actually a combination charge/credit card). Most of the stores have on-line connection to a server verifying that my account has sufficient funds. EU recently forced some changes to the system (for the worse as usual), and a charge card is now called a debit card. If stores don't have on-line connection you need to sign an invoice slip, and they need to wait for their money a day or two.And I'm not saying that the US would not have had the technology to do the same in the 80s. There must have been powerful reasons, why that was not done. Inertia - probably. My pet theory is that a big part was played by the fact that banking sector in the US is/was very splintered. Comes with the size of the country, really. Finland is small. We had four nationwide chains of banks. So it was easier for them to agree on a standard interface for all the needed transactions, and it gained momentum. But EU managed to do the same 20 years later, so size is no longer an explanation. Do you guys still pay for phone bills by mailing checks?

Oh. One thing. In last century you couldn't buy liquor or drinks with a credit card at all here. The eagle eye of we the people was trying (in vain) to guide us to responsible consumption of alcohol, and running up a debt while drinking was a no-no :-D. The EU changed that, too (for the better?)


--- Quote from: Barmymoo on 18 Dec 2013, 14:22 --- Here, you have either a credit card or a debit card, at least as far as I know.

--- End quote ---
Strange. I have always held a combocard. But I only use the credit side, when buying things from the internet or travelling. Actually I think I might be able to use it as a debit card in Sweden also, because my bank is a Swe/Fin-merger.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page