4 ms·

I don't get how you can end up with so many cards, it's seems like a very american problem. I have 5 cards in my wallet: * Debit card and a Visa credit card: bo

by staz 12y ago

I don't get how you can end up with so many cards, it's seems like a very american problem. I have 5 cards in my wallet: * Debit card and a Visa credit card: both with chip&pin and allowing me to do secure transaction on the internet * A public transport card: RFC, also allow me to rent bikes * An ID card, also with a chip&pin, allow me to sign documents and fill my taxes * An insurance card which is not even a magnetic or electronic card, it's just a piece of plastic with my client number printed on it And I don't really see why I should need or want more cards

crazygringo 12y ago
I'm in your boat, BUT... You could also easily have 5 store credit cards (J. Crew, Banana Republic, etc.) for extra discounts, a few gift cards you haven't spent yet (Starbucks, Best Buy, etc.), an extra 3 credit cards (they have different promotions), a handful of loyalty cards for discounts (a couple supermarkets, three or four coffee shops, a couple of restaurants), various forms of ID and access cards (company, school, gym, apartment complex front door)... You can see how it adds up. The reasons for almost all of them are discounts or extra value. Keeping track of all these cards and carrying them around could easily save you several hundred dollars a year if you're willing to do it.
- Vespasian 12y ago
  I've never seen one of those gift cards in plastic forms. This seems indeed to be very american ;) Every gift card I ever got or bought was just a piece of paper. And my only store loyalty cards are actually from the US (although they exist here as well).
  - mattmaroon 12y ago
    Here they are much more commonly plastic. They look like a credit card and are on display at stores. It is just a much nicer presentation for a gift than a piece of paper you printed. It's also more convenient to hang onto. It doesn't have to be folded and get beaten up in your wallet when you don't use it for 2 months. The only time you have something printed on paper is if you got it off a credit card rewards site for the most part.
baddox 12y ago
I'm an American, and I have no idea how someone ends up with that many cards. I carry two: my credit card and by debit (ATM) card. I could easily leave the latter behind, since I very rarely use, but it feels prudent to keep it with me in case I need cash in an emergency. Beyond that, I could understand having a single company credit card if it makes sense for your job (it doesn't for mine). For gift cards, I suppose it would be nice to have those all aggregated, but I do very little brick and mortar shopping, and virtually no impromptu brick and mortar shopping where having a library of loyalty cards with me at all times would be useful. The same applies to loyalty cards. I do have a Macy's card, but they can just look that up for you at the store, so I don't carry it. I've probably lost the physical card.
- jldugger 12y ago
  I'm am American. Lets talk about cards for a bit, then? I have a debit card, a credit card, a student ID that doubles as a payment card and rfid to get me into work. I also have a second rfid card for another building on campus that isn't part of the network, because apparently doors aren't on the internet yet, and a car insurance card that's basically a small slip of paper. That's my everyday wallet carry. I also carry some keys: 3 for work, one for my car, and one for the apartment. I also have some loyalty cards on the keyring, for grocery shopping, and for the public library. I also have several cards I leave at home: a debit card that's only for medical expenses paid out of my HSA, a visa gift card from the grandparents, a debit card from the local credit union (I signed up for because my online bank didn't accept checks at the time and I needed to deposit my first paycheck), a different credit card I don't use often because the cashback is crap outside a narrow set of rotating categories (but can't close because it's also my oldest credit account).
- jldugger 12y ago
  I'm am American. Lets talk about cards for a bit, then? I have a debit card, a credit card, a student ID that doubles as a payment card and rfid to get me into work. I also have a second rfid card for another building on campus that isn't part of the network, because apparently doors aren't on the internet yet, and a car insurance card that's basically a small slip of paper. That's my everyday wallet carry. I also carry some keys: 3 for work, one for my car, and one for the apartment. I also have some loyalty cards on the keyring, for grocery shopping, and for the public library. I also have several cards I leave at home: a debit card that's only for medical expenses paid out of my HSA, a visa gift card from the grandparents, a debit card from the local credit union (which I signed up for because my online bank didn't accept checks at the time and I needed to deposit my first paycheck), a different credit card I don't use often because the cashback is crap outside a narrow set of rotating categories (but can't close because it's also my oldest credit account).
koliber 12y ago
Add in a driver's license, three more credit cards to take advantage of various bonus point offers which depend on what and where you buy things, a corporate credit card, corporate access key car, and three loyalty cards for the supermarkets where you shop most often. Now imagine you have a birthday party and your six of your friends give you gift cards to various stores and restaurants. I've been minimizing my wallet, but still plenty of cardboard buy-5-get-1-free coffee cards somehow make their way into it. It really depends on the individual. In any case, I think that the idea of this one-card-to-rule-them all is wonderful. I realize it is wishful thinking, but I want to see them pull this off.
- staz 12y ago
  Gift card for restaurants? It's that seriously a thing? What message are you supposed to get when you receive one, "I would like to offer you dinner but can't spare one hour to eat it with you"?
  - larvaetron 12y ago
    You've never heard of a raffle prize or a grab gift?
    - staz 12y ago
      Never before today no
- dzhiurgis 12y ago
  Drivers licence replaces ID and transport card. The only extra I can think of is gym card. I carry 4 cards. Gym, ID, credit and transport card. Don't see why you need credit and debit card? What's the difference? If you add corporate access & credit cards you can still fit all into this http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1114436895_1/BMW-M-Slim-Wallet-100-Genuine-Cow-Leather-Mini-Credit-Card-Case-Men-Holder-Car-Cowhide.jpg http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1114436895_1/BMW-M-Slim-W... together with some cash.
syncsynchalt 12y ago
Yes, it's an American thing. In the US every retail entity that you interact with will offer you discounts to scan a plastic card in addition to your credit card (it allows them to trend you as a consistent customer for their data modeling, send you targeted advertising, and so on). If you want to take advantage of these discounts, you build a significant stack of plastic.
- jeeva 12y ago
  As a question, what kind of percentage discount are you getting for this data exchange?
  - syncsynchalt 12y ago
    I'd guess on the order of 10%. At a grocery store, selected items are discounted (usually to half off). At a restaurant, you might get every tenth meal free.
mattmaroon 12y ago
In America, almost every store has its own loyalty card. Some places (God bless 'em) just let you use your phone number but most require you to have the card. There's 10 right there, easy. Everyone shops at a couple different grocery stores, a drug store, home good store, etc. Clothing, restaurants, gym. It adds up. Then there's your driver's license. Health insurance. Car insurance. On top of that credit cards. You're a fool if you don't have a few different ones, because they have rotating reward categories that give you bonuses. I bet a get a few grand a year that most people don't. But even still, I only have 3. And 1 ATM card on the off chance I ever need cash. Plus gift cards. On the one hand, you don't want to carry those on you all the time. On the other, you'd often use them impulsively so you can't just leave them at home. It adds up quite easily. It isn't that I want to carry all those cards. It's that I get substantial rewards for doing so.

by staz 12y ago

crazygringo 12y ago

I'm in your boat, BUT... You could also easily have 5 store credit cards (J. Crew, Banana Republic, etc.) for extra discounts, a few gift cards you haven't spent yet (Starbucks, Best Buy, etc.), an extra 3 credit cards (they have different promotions), a handful of loyalty cards for discounts (a couple supermarkets, three or four coffee shops, a couple of restaurants), various forms of ID and access cards (company, school, gym, apartment complex front door)... You can see how it adds up. The reasons for almost all of them are discounts or extra value. Keeping track of all these cards and carrying them around could easily save you several hundred dollars a year if you're willing to do it.

Vespasian 12y ago
I've never seen one of those gift cards in plastic forms. This seems indeed to be very american ;) Every gift card I ever got or bought was just a piece of paper. And my only store loyalty cards are actually from the US (although they exist here as well).
- mattmaroon 12y ago
  Here they are much more commonly plastic. They look like a credit card and are on display at stores. It is just a much nicer presentation for a gift than a piece of paper you printed. It's also more convenient to hang onto. It doesn't have to be folded and get beaten up in your wallet when you don't use it for 2 months. The only time you have something printed on paper is if you got it off a credit card rewards site for the most part.

baddox 12y ago

I'm an American, and I have no idea how someone ends up with that many cards. I carry two: my credit card and by debit (ATM) card. I could easily leave the latter behind, since I very rarely use, but it feels prudent to keep it with me in case I need cash in an emergency. Beyond that, I could understand having a single company credit card if it makes sense for your job (it doesn't for mine). For gift cards, I suppose it would be nice to have those all aggregated, but I do very little brick and mortar shopping, and virtually no impromptu brick and mortar shopping where having a library of loyalty cards with me at all times would be useful. The same applies to loyalty cards. I do have a Macy's card, but they can just look that up for you at the store, so I don't carry it. I've probably lost the physical card.

jldugger 12y ago
I'm am American. Lets talk about cards for a bit, then? I have a debit card, a credit card, a student ID that doubles as a payment card and rfid to get me into work. I also have a second rfid card for another building on campus that isn't part of the network, because apparently doors aren't on the internet yet, and a car insurance card that's basically a small slip of paper. That's my everyday wallet carry. I also carry some keys: 3 for work, one for my car, and one for the apartment. I also have some loyalty cards on the keyring, for grocery shopping, and for the public library. I also have several cards I leave at home: a debit card that's only for medical expenses paid out of my HSA, a visa gift card from the grandparents, a debit card from the local credit union (I signed up for because my online bank didn't accept checks at the time and I needed to deposit my first paycheck), a different credit card I don't use often because the cashback is crap outside a narrow set of rotating categories (but can't close because it's also my oldest credit account).
jldugger 12y ago
I'm am American. Lets talk about cards for a bit, then? I have a debit card, a credit card, a student ID that doubles as a payment card and rfid to get me into work. I also have a second rfid card for another building on campus that isn't part of the network, because apparently doors aren't on the internet yet, and a car insurance card that's basically a small slip of paper. That's my everyday wallet carry. I also carry some keys: 3 for work, one for my car, and one for the apartment. I also have some loyalty cards on the keyring, for grocery shopping, and for the public library. I also have several cards I leave at home: a debit card that's only for medical expenses paid out of my HSA, a visa gift card from the grandparents, a debit card from the local credit union (which I signed up for because my online bank didn't accept checks at the time and I needed to deposit my first paycheck), a different credit card I don't use often because the cashback is crap outside a narrow set of rotating categories (but can't close because it's also my oldest credit account).

koliber 12y ago

Add in a driver's license, three more credit cards to take advantage of various bonus point offers which depend on what and where you buy things, a corporate credit card, corporate access key car, and three loyalty cards for the supermarkets where you shop most often. Now imagine you have a birthday party and your six of your friends give you gift cards to various stores and restaurants. I've been minimizing my wallet, but still plenty of cardboard buy-5-get-1-free coffee cards somehow make their way into it. It really depends on the individual. In any case, I think that the idea of this one-card-to-rule-them all is wonderful. I realize it is wishful thinking, but I want to see them pull this off.

staz 12y ago
Gift card for restaurants? It's that seriously a thing? What message are you supposed to get when you receive one, "I would like to offer you dinner but can't spare one hour to eat it with you"?
- larvaetron 12y ago
  You've never heard of a raffle prize or a grab gift?
  - staz 12y ago
    Never before today no
dzhiurgis 12y ago
Drivers licence replaces ID and transport card. The only extra I can think of is gym card. I carry 4 cards. Gym, ID, credit and transport card. Don't see why you need credit and debit card? What's the difference? If you add corporate access & credit cards you can still fit all into this http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1114436895_1/BMW-M-Slim-Wallet-100-Genuine-Cow-Leather-Mini-Credit-Card-Case-Men-Holder-Car-Cowhide.jpg http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1114436895_1/BMW-M-Slim-W... together with some cash.

syncsynchalt 12y ago

Yes, it's an American thing. In the US every retail entity that you interact with will offer you discounts to scan a plastic card in addition to your credit card (it allows them to trend you as a consistent customer for their data modeling, send you targeted advertising, and so on). If you want to take advantage of these discounts, you build a significant stack of plastic.

jeeva 12y ago
As a question, what kind of percentage discount are you getting for this data exchange?
- syncsynchalt 12y ago
  I'd guess on the order of 10%. At a grocery store, selected items are discounted (usually to half off). At a restaurant, you might get every tenth meal free.

mattmaroon 12y ago

In America, almost every store has its own loyalty card. Some places (God bless 'em) just let you use your phone number but most require you to have the card. There's 10 right there, easy. Everyone shops at a couple different grocery stores, a drug store, home good store, etc. Clothing, restaurants, gym. It adds up. Then there's your driver's license. Health insurance. Car insurance. On top of that credit cards. You're a fool if you don't have a few different ones, because they have rotating reward categories that give you bonuses. I bet a get a few grand a year that most people don't. But even still, I only have 3. And 1 ATM card on the off chance I ever need cash. Plus gift cards. On the one hand, you don't want to carry those on you all the time. On the other, you'd often use them impulsively so you can't just leave them at home. It adds up quite easily. It isn't that I want to carry all those cards. It's that I get substantial rewards for doing so.