Originally Posted by
Saracen
A couple of things about that.
First, on cutting off noses .... for me, I don't see it as that. I know you weren't saying did, and were talking about you, but to address that issue, for me to be cutting off my nose to spite my face would imply some great sacrifice by losing what I lose. But, what do I lose by paying cash? The "rewards" from reward cards are worth some money, sure, but I'm not that cash-strapped that I even give that a thought. My needs aren't compkex, or expensive, these days. And my outgoings are modest. I do tend to buy quality products at supermarkets, for sure, but not in huge quantities. All told, any cash I'm foregoing by rejecting "reward" cards isn't enough for me to hesitate in rejecting it. I do, however, put considerable value on companies leaving me the hell alone. For me, the effort is minimal and the sacrifice .... irrelevant. If the 'reward' were 10x of what it is, I'd still not hesitate to reject it. At 100x, I might be thinking about it, but the answer would almost certainly be the same.
If I were 30 years younger, I might see it differently, and my value judgrments woukd certainly be different, because my circumstances would be. For a start, I'm not looking to build, or even particularly to maintain, a good credit rating. Why? I struggle to see the circumstances under which I'll ever want credit again. I don't need or want a mortgage. There's nothing I want badly enough to be prepared to take out a loan that I can't afford without one. I don't even want a mobile phone on monthly contract. In fact, I'm not that sure I want one at all, never mind on contract.
My situation, my values and judgements, my priorities, my needs from life, are determined by my situation and, Nox, are very likely different to yours. My privacy, and being left in peace and quiet by company marketing departments ARE important to me, but a bit of cashback off my shopping, or discount on what little petrol I buy, let alone vouchers for products I don't want, often at any price, aren't important at all.
If I sold out being left alone in order to get "rewards", or loans, or more/better/cheaper credit cards, THAT would be cutting off my nose to spite my face.