Credit Card Mania

A couple of weeks ago I was strolling (virtually) through some Parisian travel sites, obsessing about not being in Paris, and I came across an ad for a United Airlines Mileage Plus credit card.  It offered a "no fee for a year" Visa card with some sort of sign-up bonus.  Years ago I had a United Mileage Plus Visa card and it was my main credit card.  Because of a purchase dispute with United, (they were wrong, I was right) I cancelled the card.  But this free offer was intriguing, so in the spirit of the Credit Card Nation, I signed up for a new card.

However, I was not totally honest when I filled out the on-line application.  I did not list a job other than "self employed" and I put my yearly income at something around $12,000 a year.  Poverty level, yes, but I was curious to see how easy or difficult it was nowadays to obtain a credit card.  We have read about the crack-down on letting people have way too much credit card debt so I erroneously assumed that getting a card might be a bit tricky.

Not so.  Today in the mail I received my brand-new, shiny Visa card from United's Mileage Plus program.  With my $12,000 stated income, I now have a credit limit of $7,300.  In other words, they issued a card to me and the limit is almost three quarters of what I ostensibly make every year!  This is so amazingly irresponsible that I want to go out right now and buy something on credit!  Or perhaps I will finally buy that first class ticket to Paris I have been jonesing for.

Or maybe I will just send the card back to Chase Bank with a little note explaining how insane their card-issuing policies are.  But then, they won't care, will they?  There will always be another sucker coming down the road that they can scam into debt.  Let me be clear here, I truly believe it is up to each individual to monitor their own credit card purchases and it is each person's responsibility to not get into credit card debt.  But when access to such a card is so damn easy, and when so many people right now are struggling with bills and loss of jobs and mounting monetary pressures, getting a card like this might seem to some to be the answer to their prayers. 

Unfortunately, it's more likely that it is the answer to Chase's prayers:  another candidate for late fees and interest charges.  Ah, the good old American way.