4 ms·

I'm in UK (so until not that long ago, EU :) ). Don't need credit cards for the "credit" part, but I'm exclusively using them for online (or any) shopping, pure

by rytis 4y ago

I'm in UK (so until not that long ago, EU :) ). Don't need credit cards for the "credit" part, but I'm exclusively using them for online (or any) shopping, purely for the safety reasons mentioned. As far as I can see, there's no downsides as long as you're paying it all off every month.

tomduncalf 4y ago
Exactly, plus I believe paying off a credit card improves your credit score. Some debit cards at least do offer protection (mine is Santander) but it’s not by law so I don’t know if it is as effective as chargebacks, which I’ve had cause to use a couple of times and thought worked great. I also only pay on credit online now and pay off in full, and tell others to do the same.
gambiting 4y ago
So I'm in the UK as well, and have you ever actually tried issuing a chargeback? Because I have - and unlike in US, where I understand that you can just issue a chargeback by just asking your bank to do it, in here I was asked to provide all kinds of proof, then they had to wait 30(!!!) days for a reply from the seller to give them their version of events, then it took another 2 weeks for the bank to reply that yep, looks like you've been scammed alright, here's your money back.
- soco 4y ago
  And after those two months you got your money back, unlike when paying directly when after two months you're just as scammed as before.
  - gambiting 4y ago
    I mean, I can do(and have done) the exact same thing with a Debit card payment, so using a credit card has offered no extra benefit here. But yes, if you just used a direct bank transfer then you're screwed.
    - jjav 4y ago
      > I can do(and have done) the exact same thing with a Debit card payment, so using a credit card has offered no extra benefit here. If you're in the USA (elsewhere I don't know the rules) there is a big difference that isn't immediately obvious. With a credit card, you are not liable by law (regulation) so you always have this benefit. With a debit card, most reasonable banks offer no liability as a customer retention perk, but nothing requires that to be true. They could at any moment decide to leave you hanging, if they decide it's cheaper to lose you as a customer than offer the benefit.
- benj111 4y ago
  I've done it a few times. It isn't exactly onerous. Just proving you've bought the item, tried to resolve the issue etc. How quick do you want it to happen? I know Barclaycard set the debt to one side, so you don't have to pay, aren't charged interest in the interim.
  - gambiting 4y ago
    >>How quick do you want it to happen? It's my understanding that in US you "just" ask the bank to reverse the transaction and they do - if the company still believes you owe them money after that, they can pursue you through collections or other legal means. The bank isn't in charge of "investigating" anything. I'm not saying it's better - just that when Americans mention "just do a chargeback" it doesn't really work this way for people outside of US.
    - lotsofpulp 4y ago
      If it was a chip transaction, the bank may or may not agree to temporarily reverse the transaction for you depending on the transaction and your history with the bank while they contact the merchant and investigate. If it was a non chip transaction, and the merchant has a physical presence, then the chargeback is almost always immediately approved due to the merchant not having updated their machines to accept chip transactions. https://www.merchantmaverick.com/the-emv-liability-shift-now-what/ https://www.merchantmaverick.com/the-emv-liability-shift-now... If it was an online transaction, it gets murkier depending on how secure it was. I have been asked for SMA 2FA confirming charge and amount when buying from BestBuy.com, which I imagine is harder to chargeback than a hotel reservation made without the hotel even verifying the card name/address or requiring CVC. But 99% of the time, if a product/service is blatantly not delivered or the charge was fraudulent (stolen, higher than receipt, etc), the bank will almost always immediately reverse it for you. Although, with chip transactions, I am not sure how it works if you wait a week or month to report it stolen. Presumably, the onus is on the cardholder to report it lost/stolen within a certain period of time. Of course, whether or not a bank reverses a transaction for you, the merchant can always take you to court or collections (not that they would win, but it would be an inconvenience to deal with).

by rytis 4y ago

tomduncalf 4y ago

Exactly, plus I believe paying off a credit card improves your credit score. Some debit cards at least do offer protection (mine is Santander) but it’s not by law so I don’t know if it is as effective as chargebacks, which I’ve had cause to use a couple of times and thought worked great. I also only pay on credit online now and pay off in full, and tell others to do the same.

gambiting 4y ago

So I'm in the UK as well, and have you ever actually tried issuing a chargeback? Because I have - and unlike in US, where I understand that you can just issue a chargeback by just asking your bank to do it, in here I was asked to provide all kinds of proof, then they had to wait 30(!!!) days for a reply from the seller to give them their version of events, then it took another 2 weeks for the bank to reply that yep, looks like you've been scammed alright, here's your money back.

soco 4y ago
And after those two months you got your money back, unlike when paying directly when after two months you're just as scammed as before.
- gambiting 4y ago
  I mean, I can do(and have done) the exact same thing with a Debit card payment, so using a credit card has offered no extra benefit here. But yes, if you just used a direct bank transfer then you're screwed.
  - jjav 4y ago
    > I can do(and have done) the exact same thing with a Debit card payment, so using a credit card has offered no extra benefit here. If you're in the USA (elsewhere I don't know the rules) there is a big difference that isn't immediately obvious. With a credit card, you are not liable by law (regulation) so you always have this benefit. With a debit card, most reasonable banks offer no liability as a customer retention perk, but nothing requires that to be true. They could at any moment decide to leave you hanging, if they decide it's cheaper to lose you as a customer than offer the benefit.
benj111 4y ago
I've done it a few times. It isn't exactly onerous. Just proving you've bought the item, tried to resolve the issue etc. How quick do you want it to happen? I know Barclaycard set the debt to one side, so you don't have to pay, aren't charged interest in the interim.
- gambiting 4y ago
  >>How quick do you want it to happen? It's my understanding that in US you "just" ask the bank to reverse the transaction and they do - if the company still believes you owe them money after that, they can pursue you through collections or other legal means. The bank isn't in charge of "investigating" anything. I'm not saying it's better - just that when Americans mention "just do a chargeback" it doesn't really work this way for people outside of US.
  - lotsofpulp 4y ago
    If it was a chip transaction, the bank may or may not agree to temporarily reverse the transaction for you depending on the transaction and your history with the bank while they contact the merchant and investigate. If it was a non chip transaction, and the merchant has a physical presence, then the chargeback is almost always immediately approved due to the merchant not having updated their machines to accept chip transactions. https://www.merchantmaverick.com/the-emv-liability-shift-now-what/ https://www.merchantmaverick.com/the-emv-liability-shift-now... If it was an online transaction, it gets murkier depending on how secure it was. I have been asked for SMA 2FA confirming charge and amount when buying from BestBuy.com, which I imagine is harder to chargeback than a hotel reservation made without the hotel even verifying the card name/address or requiring CVC. But 99% of the time, if a product/service is blatantly not delivered or the charge was fraudulent (stolen, higher than receipt, etc), the bank will almost always immediately reverse it for you. Although, with chip transactions, I am not sure how it works if you wait a week or month to report it stolen. Presumably, the onus is on the cardholder to report it lost/stolen within a certain period of time. Of course, whether or not a bank reverses a transaction for you, the merchant can always take you to court or collections (not that they would win, but it would be an inconvenience to deal with).