If you have a credit card, what do you find it useful for? And what do you to do manage yours successfully?
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Itās a question Iāve been asking myself for a while! 
I look forward to reading this 
I tend to use my Barclaycard for big purchases, but Iām very twitchy about debt (having been in some serious debt in my youth) so immediately pay it off in full. Itās more for the payment protection than anything else.
This is where having the balance available in-app is incredibly useful, as I can then see what I need to have available to pay off the bill. I mean, I can use the app to check this, but Iām in Monzo constantly, so itās much more handy there.
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Payment protection on large purchases.
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I guess the question here isā¦ is monzo thinking of offering credit cards?
This field of finance doesnāt see the love I think monzo could give, so I think itād be awesome if monzo offered that!
Maybe a transparent, flexible credit card thatās available for people with big credit history as well as people with no credit history. As a foreigner to the UK, I can say that getting a credit card here (I found myself needing it to be able to rent a car) is a nightmare if you donāt have decent credit history
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All these benefits and yet Monzo donāt offer one 
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Exactly this. Just booked flights for our holiday on my Barclaycard.
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A few reasons
- Section 75 protection on larger purchases (> Ā£100).
- Hotel and car rental bookings even if less than Ā£100 (so I am not inconvenienced by pre-authorisations).
- Spreading annual expenses (e.g. car insurance, home insurance, car servicing) over 12 months at 0% interest.
Purchases relating to #1 & #2 are done on my regular credit card and paid off immediately, so I never pay interest. I use a separate long-term (multi-month) 0% credit card for #3. This card gets replaced every 2-3 years when the interest free period ends.
I donāt spend anything on my credit cards that I couldnāt pay for with other means (income or savings) but use them for the benefits mentioned above. Credit cards are very useful tools as long as you are disciplined in your use of money. If you are not, they are dangerous.
Iāve recently been trying the whole rewards thing using Amex where you put all the spending you would do anyway on the card to accumulate as many reward points as possible. However, I donāt think Iām going to stick with this for the following reasons:
- I find it frustrating that Amex is not universally accepted and acceptance is particularly bad at independent stores.
- I miss the spending tracking and rich transaction information that I get when using Monzo for most of my spending.
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I usually put things I can expense at work on my credit card for two reasons -
A. Cashback, which is nice
B. Because it could be a little while until my expense goes through and I donāt want to / canāt pay for the thing myself that instant (like a work-trip that includes a hotel).
Always pay the card in full.
For personal payments I use my Monzo card, because that make managing my money easier (left to spend in summery is amazing).
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Hi guys, the following credit card is bangin, itās very much the monzo experience but as a credit card, I already had the card and love itā¦ Itās now my main credit card.
Iām one of the first to use Jaja, the next generation credit card. Discover more and get early access here https://www.jaja.co.uk
I thought JAJA was having serious issues on-boarding people
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Worth pointing out that Jaja is still in beta (?) and theyāre still working through the waiting list seemingly.
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I had a sub 500 credit rating this time last year so decided to get two or three credit cards, max them out and pay in full every month. I then managed to get an Amex and have managed to build my score to 900+ so for credit building Iād definitely recommend credit cards.
I still put my day to day spending on my credit cards too so that I can continue to build a good history.
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I guess there is also the tymit card that has yet to be launched .
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I do exactly this. I have no credit history and Iām now in the process of just using credit cards every day and then paying them off in full
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Use mine only for credit history now.
Previously used for stoozing, when there were enough accounts out there to make it worth while!
Apart from my BA branded Amex card which is useful for booking flights and getting Avios points, I only ever use interest free cards. Currently using a Virgin Money card with 28 months interest free and when the period ends Iāll dump it and get another, assuming that providers are still knocking out long interest free period cards. Never paid a penny in interest.
As for new āfintechā credit cards, well if none of them at present are going to offer lengthy interest free periods, then Iām not personally interested. I absolutely love instant notifications and Amex offer me that. Sadly Virgin credit card doesnāt, but I live with it because the interest free period is what I wanted the card for in the first place.
The biggest thing for me is the protection that a credit card provides. I managed to recover Ā£1200 through section 75 after the airline (Primera) went bust last year, if Iād made the same transaction on my debit card Iād still be chasing administrators for refund.
The other thing is the improvements I made on my credit score by using a credit card. My parents advised me never to use a credit card and at 25 I struggled to get basic credit (for phone contracts, 0% on furniture purchase). Now my credit score is great.
Other than large purchases my credit card goes unused.
I use my credit card for fuel purchases and items that are going to be expensed!
I find it easier to track what I need to claim for when I only have to look at the credit card statement.
Itās also a safety net for emergencies such as large car repair bills etc.