Buying things with your own money appears to be considered 'suspicious activity' now.
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It's sensible? No, what's sensible is not using your credit to spend money that you don't have on things in the first place. If you need to use cash as a safeguard against yourself and spending what you don't have, sensible you are not.FalloutJack said:
if you're sensible enough to take that preventative measure, you're sensible enough not to need it in the first place.
You will, in interest, but, you're actually touching on a somewhat serious mental disconnect that credit cards, by function of existence, exploit. Your brain has a hard time dealing with money as an abstraction, if you can hold the bills it's tangible, but something like a credit card, it ceases to be your money (psychologically) and makes budgeting with one actually much harder. I'm not sure if that makes sense completely.Vault101 said:
No offense, but, honestly the situation you're describing sounds like it's kind of sketchy as well. Given that some of that paperwork is necessary for tax purposes and the like. I mean, if you're reporting it, then you're doing your part, but if the business isn't reporting it, that's a serious issue.thedeathscythe said:
I wonder if it's not about counterfeiting? I hear it's becoming more common these days.
If you're paranoid about someone paying with cash, just break out the old detector pen. Just about every cash register I've ever been to has those, and uses them when you try to pay with anything larger than a $20.
However... having watched the video, I think it's more that the person wants to stay at a big hotel for weeks, and wants to pay up-front, combined with the fact that he wants to use cash, is kind of suspicious. I mean, that could easily be over $2000 worth of room fees. Even among people who prefer to use cash, who the heck would prefer to walk around with thousands of dollars in their pocket that could be lost or stolen rather than carry a credit card?
That and using a credit card is the same as cash if you pay your balance off month-to-month.
And I would argue that the best time to reconsider your purchase is before you even go to the store. If you've gotten all the way to the checkout counter, and there's a line of people behind you, you're also going to be feeling some pressure to just buy the item and get it over with.
If you're paranoid about someone paying with cash, just break out the old detector pen. Just about every cash register I've ever been to has those, and uses them when you try to pay with anything larger than a $20.
However... having watched the video, I think it's more that the person wants to stay at a big hotel for weeks, and wants to pay up-front, combined with the fact that he wants to use cash, is kind of suspicious. I mean, that could easily be over $2000 worth of room fees. Even among people who prefer to use cash, who the heck would prefer to walk around with thousands of dollars in their pocket that could be lost or stolen rather than carry a credit card?
Granted, this is true. However, I find that using a debit card instead (and getting slapped with overdraft fees a few times) is enough to cure the little humanity quirk you're referring to. I don't know about the rest of you, but the availability of online banking and the fact that I've had my CC digits stolen at least five times (damn keyloggers) has brought me to the point that I start freaking out if don't check my account balances at least once every two days.BiH-Kira said:
That and using a credit card is the same as cash if you pay your balance off month-to-month.
And I would argue that the best time to reconsider your purchase is before you even go to the store. If you've gotten all the way to the checkout counter, and there's a line of people behind you, you're also going to be feeling some pressure to just buy the item and get it over with.
To all the people who are saying... "wow thats a lot of cash to be carrying around, thats suspicious on its own."
It's not like the guy was walking past the hotel and suddenly decided to check in for a few weeks he went to the hotel with the intention of checking in so any amount of cash that he has on him is a planned amount and as such not suspicious in and of itself. My girlfriend bought a car a few weeks back for just over 3k. We went out with the intention of purchasing a car for a certain price so we had the adequate amount of money in order to do so. Suspicious? No!
And I too am a person who believes that society trades too much in credit cards and that using debit or cash payments for things is a solid and reliable way of conducting business
It's not like the guy was walking past the hotel and suddenly decided to check in for a few weeks he went to the hotel with the intention of checking in so any amount of cash that he has on him is a planned amount and as such not suspicious in and of itself. My girlfriend bought a car a few weeks back for just over 3k. We went out with the intention of purchasing a car for a certain price so we had the adequate amount of money in order to do so. Suspicious? No!
And I too am a person who believes that society trades too much in credit cards and that using debit or cash payments for things is a solid and reliable way of conducting business
All I'm going to add, as someone who's been thru debt, is, especially while so many sales are either on, or about to start...
If you're buying 'bargains' on your credit card, and you're not paying em off in full that month, they're not bargains.
You're likely going to be stung for 25% APR interest at least, compounded by every month there's a penny of that charge left unpaid.
Personally, I use my debit card or cash for everything, I get paid, I pay all my bills off, then do my shopping, then leave the rest on my debit account in case it's needed. Most stuff gets paid in cash, so I know how much I have and know I'm not overspending.
In my time I've seen a lot of people who do outdoor work, building, gardening, etc however, with fat wads of banknotes and no use for plastic. They tend to do a job, get paid cash, and then use it, no middle man. (Not saying they dodge tax, just that the actual cash doesn't have to necessarily be filtered thru a bank, so long as it's all accounted correctly.)
If you're buying 'bargains' on your credit card, and you're not paying em off in full that month, they're not bargains.
You're likely going to be stung for 25% APR interest at least, compounded by every month there's a penny of that charge left unpaid.
Personally, I use my debit card or cash for everything, I get paid, I pay all my bills off, then do my shopping, then leave the rest on my debit account in case it's needed. Most stuff gets paid in cash, so I know how much I have and know I'm not overspending.
In my time I've seen a lot of people who do outdoor work, building, gardening, etc however, with fat wads of banknotes and no use for plastic. They tend to do a job, get paid cash, and then use it, no middle man. (Not saying they dodge tax, just that the actual cash doesn't have to necessarily be filtered thru a bank, so long as it's all accounted correctly.)
Most good hotels in the US require a credit card. It is for liability reasons, however, not because cash is suspicious. Some random jerk can easily play for a room, break every window, the TV, and poop on the bed then leave without anyone knowing until it's too late. If they take a credit card scan then they can charge you for it afterwards so they don't get fucked over.
I got a free room once at a casino (have a family friend in the high rollers club) but they still needed to scan my credit card just in case.
I got a free room once at a casino (have a family friend in the high rollers club) but they still needed to scan my credit card just in case.
Oh hey remember that bill? You know.. the one that congress just passed suspending habeus corpus and posse comitatus. Boy do I feel safer now. Hey at least the terrorists can't hate us for our 'freedom' anymore.
While this is a difference of opinion, you are expressing it in an irritating and demeaning fashion, which makes you wrong. How terrible it must be to speak of sensibility and not remember to check yourself before you began. You will stop now.Jadak said:
My credit card has an intentionally small credit limit. I wouldn't be able to pay in any way other than cash. Also, paying in cash can sometimes get you deals, because the credit card fees aren't applied, which means whoever you're paying gets to keep all of the money rather than most of it. I try to pay in cash as much as possible.Zantos said:
How will Jimmy get that tropical island for his 8th birthday! Think of the children!TheIronRuler said:
Sadly, it is not. It's a clip of a longer training video shown to hotel staff as part of security training. There are similar videos by the DHS for people who work at banks and malls.Darknacht said:
Click around Youtube for the others if your really don't want to be able to sleep tonight.
Most of it is common sense stuff, but some of it gets ridiculous. A man was detained for a day for trying to record his experience of the Mall of America and send the video to his wife in South Korea. He sounded off on NPR if you want to hear his side of the story.
Paying in cash, leaving unmarked luggage and packages, acting nervous or scared, keeping more than a weeks worth of food in your house, hanging out near entrances to restricted areas and trying to sneak in, etc. This is all mildly suspicious behavior, and while it shouldn't make you a terror suspect, most of these things should be noticed,(not the food thing, that's just preparedness taken to an unreasonable level) by employees and security.
Most of the time, the suspicious person is just high and scared someone will notice, sometimes they're just eccentric people who don't instinctively follow social norms, and in either case don't deserve to be tackled, tazed, or black-bagged.
Do, however, keep your eyes open. Someone who is always watching the staff or the cameras may not be a 'terrorist" but is probably planning to steal something.
Instead of paying for a long time in a hotel you can pay every, lets say, three days in cash, that wouldn't be as supicious right?
...I don't have a credit card. I guess what I do is "weird". Well, what I do IS "weird", so at least that paranoid lady and I are on the same book.
Slightly different page though.
Slightly different page though.