Life without credit...

While Nee Shen's post describes the danger those credit card might give to a person, if improperly managed, I would like to give a different point of view for not owning a credit card.

Recently, I have been trying to do some of stuff using the internet service, buying books and booking an air ticket online. For books, I am trying to use the Japan's Amazon to purchase some books. Everything seems fine for the procedure from selecting my books until the registeration of the address to send these books to. When I proceed to payment section, I was near to hopeless in making this a successful transaction. The reason, as you might have figured out, it the use of credit card as payment. Well, I did mention that my transaction is near to fail, and luckily they, the amazon, have a COD (Cash On Delivery) service, only valid for local delivery - Japan, which helps me to complete the transaction.

Besides this, if I were to walk my way to the bookstores to purchase books, I will need to add extra transportation expenses to my gross payment for these books. Credits good??

Next experience will be the online air ticket booking, just two days ago I visited the JAL's website for that purpose. This website offers discount, for my case, mileage point discount, if I book the ticket online. Online services rules, don't they? Again, the process of booking the ticket goes well until I was asked for my credit card number. Without the number, I couldn't proceed further to confirm my reservation and complete the transaction. How sad when I know that I failed. Yes failed, JAL is not offering that COD service!Fine with that, I am going to do it by phone this time. I called their toll free number and was greeted by a "sweet" operator. I completed the reservation and the operator told me that I will be able to get my e-ticket in one week time starting from today. Great, I thanked her and disconnect the line. At that time, I was so happy that I have finally reserved my ticket. Later, I received a call from the centre asking me to recall them regarding my reservation. They actually need my credit card number to make the tax payment. Damn it, as expected, they still need credit card anyway.Then, I told the operator that I don't have a credit card and I would like to pay the tax with cash. She later told me to go to one of their ticketing office to get the ticket and make the tax payment. Ok, settled. Now, I need to add extra expenses to it - transportation. Besides that, I need to find some time to get to their office, which is not near, to get my ticket.From these two cases, it is obvious that credit card does have its good besides the bad. Sometimes, credit payment will ease the pain you will have to face when doing a cash payment. Furthermore, we are now in the age of networks. Most of the transaction will/might be carried out in terms of credit rather than cash.Therefore, my conclusion is owning a credit card does not always give harm to you. It will only do harm when you failed to control your usage with it. Like a sentence that I would like to repeat from time to time - A knife could harm or help you, depending on the way you use it. This goes the same for credit card. Manage well and you will find that it is indeed helpful. Our transaction has been evolving from the barter to the monetary and now the credit system. The system is to help ease the transaction.