4 ms·

Exactly. As long as you have a SSN and other identification out there, you are a potential target...

• mieseratte 8y ago
  Well, you can't go fully off-the-grid but it makes things a little easier if you're monitoring: * Lack of history makes successful applications less likely * Lack of history makes fraud stand out, any activity is fraud * Since fraud has been identity theft, meaning I have to bitch-and-moan, lack of utilization of credit lends to a stronger story which can help convince folks whereas a serial debtor makes for a less sympathetic and less convincing victim. Additionally, you have less risk of compromise: * That website can't leak my CC details * That skimmer can't capture my CC details * That waiter[0] can't clone my card I went full-cash, even paying for a utilities-included apartment. It also seems to cause me to keep a bit better track of my spending. Easier to overspend when your balance is a number in the cloud somewhere. [0] - Depends on country, e.g. the US frequently has waitstaff take your card to a terminal
  • astrange 8y ago
    Why do you care if someone steals your CC? You don’t have to pay for any of it.
    • mieseratte 8y ago
      You still have to catch, verify, and dispute those charges... and let's hope you don't have an auto-draft payment setup. Additionally, it's possible for cards to get locked and that's a PITA to deal with, and god forbid it takes more than a moment to unlock. Hope you have backup cash. Personally, I'd rather deal with the known hassle (cash) vs. the unknown future hassle (card).
    • 2RTZZSro 8y ago
      > You don’t have to pay for any of it. In Europe you have a 24hr window to catch the fraud. Afterwards you assume all liability.
  • soared 8y ago
    Lack of history kills your credit score and will cost you potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime if you buy a house/car/education/etc
    • rhufdu 8y ago
      Not if you use cash