TSIB

Credit Card Crap: Statements ‘n’ all.

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Credit card statements came in, two of them. Yes, that’s right. I’m the proud owner of 2 credit cards, soon to be three.

Why? When I usually espouse having only one credit card. The first credit card is the TSIB card. Initially the limit was approaching NT$300K, but I cut that right down by 50%. I was unhappy having such a large credit limit on my card.

#1 – TSIB Card

This month’s spending will be paid off in full, as usual. The expenses are quite minimal: Hosting for my school’s Flickr account (NT$773), the usual NT$2000 life insurance premium, and hosting for BlueHost (for InvestorBlogger) which is for 12 months at NT$1,355. Though this account is less powerful than the one I had, it seems a lot more stable.

#2 – SCSBCC Card

The limit on this card is VERY small, and when I first got the card, I saved up a lot of points that EXPIRED, hence I downgraded this card to online and emergency purchases ONLY. Then I forgot to reactivate the card for ages, its limit is only NT$50K. In the first month, I charged only 2 items: the US$1.95 paypal activation fee, which is credited to PayPal; and the last month’s hosting fees for Dreamhost. The total was about NT$1841.

#3 – Carrefour Card

In Taiwan, Carrefour have their own branded card, that doubles as a membership card, allows cashback, and bonus points. The membership function is the reason we were particularly interested as we shop there regularly. I can’t see too many reasons for having this card, except earning some cashback/bonus points on spending we already do. Also, the card is able to use VisaWave technology, making spending at convenience stores, and other places more convenient. We also get points for regular spending. It’s UNLIKELY we’ll ever use this card for paying off larger amounts. But it will come in handy. We usually spend NT$4~5K there each month on groceries and items for home as well as school. In fact, we managed to get lots of points for replacing one of our school’s airconditioners.

That’s it on the personal credit card front for June. How many cards do you have? Is three too few or too many?