I was discussing the subject of credit cards with my mom tonight when she told me that there is this letter from a bank addressed for me. She handed me an envelope and all the while I thought that it just contained supplementary information. I had been receiving SMS messages about the bank offering credit cards as additional service to their clients but I had always shrugged it off.
So imagine my disbelief when I tore open the envelope to find this:
At first I was like, okay,these are just forms to fill out. Nothing to worry about. But there was this disquiet within that tells me I am in for a surprise. And it's a surprise indeed because I found this:
Holy Cow! A credit card from American Express. I am supposed to be ecstatic because this is the first time I'd have one in my own name. But I didn't. Rather than ecstatic, I was discreetly freaking out in my head; especially when I read that the card is already active, ready to use and I would be receiving my account statement every 27th of the month. Fear immediately started creeping my nerves. The next thing I knew was I was calling the bank to immediately ask what this was all about since I was 100% sure I did not apply for a credit card.
I was about to push the panic button because I knew that while I have my own bank account, I don't want a credit card. I always tell people I'll be losing financial discipline if I do get one and I just don't want that to happen. My reasons for not wanting a credit card are plain simple: I don't earn such hefty salary and I know that I can live even without such kind of luxury (okay, aside from I hate the stress of dealing with having to pay penalties if ever I exceed the credit limit).
I spoke to one of their customer service agents named Kyle and apparently, I was endorsed by the bank's branch manager as I have an account with the bank. When I explained that I did not apply for it and I wanted to have the card cancelled ASAP, he obliged to process my request. And in all fairness, the process was quick. I was just placed on hold for three minutes (but not in consecutive order). I was given a reference number and was told to just destroy the card.
Call me crazy but I did not hesitate to do a decision at that instance. It's just that I knew what choice to make -- and it was to keep my life simple and not have a credit card at all.
So imagine my disbelief when I tore open the envelope to find this:
At first I was like, okay,these are just forms to fill out. Nothing to worry about. But there was this disquiet within that tells me I am in for a surprise. And it's a surprise indeed because I found this:
Holy Cow! A credit card from American Express. I am supposed to be ecstatic because this is the first time I'd have one in my own name. But I didn't. Rather than ecstatic, I was discreetly freaking out in my head; especially when I read that the card is already active, ready to use and I would be receiving my account statement every 27th of the month. Fear immediately started creeping my nerves. The next thing I knew was I was calling the bank to immediately ask what this was all about since I was 100% sure I did not apply for a credit card.
I was about to push the panic button because I knew that while I have my own bank account, I don't want a credit card. I always tell people I'll be losing financial discipline if I do get one and I just don't want that to happen. My reasons for not wanting a credit card are plain simple: I don't earn such hefty salary and I know that I can live even without such kind of luxury (okay, aside from I hate the stress of dealing with having to pay penalties if ever I exceed the credit limit).
I spoke to one of their customer service agents named Kyle and apparently, I was endorsed by the bank's branch manager as I have an account with the bank. When I explained that I did not apply for it and I wanted to have the card cancelled ASAP, he obliged to process my request. And in all fairness, the process was quick. I was just placed on hold for three minutes (but not in consecutive order). I was given a reference number and was told to just destroy the card.
Call me crazy but I did not hesitate to do a decision at that instance. It's just that I knew what choice to make -- and it was to keep my life simple and not have a credit card at all.
