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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Debit Cards Meet the Wizard of Oz

Last week on my Facebook page, I started a discussion about whether I was the only one left in the entire free world who had never used a debit card (I had heard somewhere-- maybe via the very reliable left/right wing media - that I was).

The consensus was mixed -- many of my friends had never used one either, while others thrust a dagger through my heart, confirming that yes, I WAS the sole debit-less being left on the planet.  But there were enough hold-outs for me to feel confident that there were some cool, successful, sexy people who weren't using debit cards - like me.

But still, I wanted to be cooler.  Way cooler.

So yesterday morning, attempting to "up" my coolness quotient, I dressed in the new non-Mom jeans (the waist hits me at the navel, rather than right under the chin) purchased at the thrift  vintage store Unique -- A Vintage Thrift Shop - very cool! with my hair tousled  just so (after an hour's worth of grooming),  and a confused insouciant look on my face.  I sauntered into Wachovia and approached my "personal banker."

"How can I help you today?" he chirped.

The words just rushed out, like a dam had been unleashed.

"I heard I'm the only one in the world who doesn't have a debit card.  Can you help me? 

And he did.  He punched in a few figures on his computer, looked serious, inquired about the name of my first pet, squinted at the computer screen and announced that I was already set up for debit greatness - I always HAD been.

Apparently I had the potential for coolness all along, just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz always had the power within herself to get home to Kansas.  I just didn't know it.

9 comments:

  1. You're WAY cooler than you know, Joan.

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  2. Now, tap your heels together three times, and say: "There's no place like the Mall".

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  3. This is a really cute post, Joan! Funny :)

    Yes, you might be the last person to use a debit card, but like you said , you had the power all along... nice!

    I am currently part of the resistance (no more cell phone) and everyone thinks I'm crazy... but I relish being different!

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  4. Hilarious. Yes I have a debit card but use the credit card mostly because we get cash back on that. And I have an iphone etc etc. I have decided that going with all this new fangledness is keeping me young - each to their own :)
    Louise Edington
    International Aupair Finder
    Facing Fears and Frontiers over Fifty
    http://louisedington.com

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  5. Hi Joan,

    I have been using a debit card for longer than I can remember. I bank online, I shop online, I am very careful about how I use all this technology but for me it is just how I do things.

    However my mom, age 77, is still in the non-tech world. Writes checks, uses cash, and has just one credit card. She is computer phobic I think. So now maybe she is the only one left not using a debit card. ;-)

    -Ron-

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  6. My mother has never used a debit card, or an ATM machine!

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  7. I hate to write checks to I use my debit card to pay all of my bills. My sister does not have a debit card. She says it keeps her from spending money. If she uses cash it is harder for her to part with the money. So good for you if you dont use one.

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  8. I used to use a debit card more but didn't like how easy it was to forget to mark it in my checkbook. Now I just use the charge card--I get rewards points and a good summary at the end of the month. Do banking on-line so write as few checks as possible.


    Judy Stone-Goldman
    The Reflective Writer

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  9. A debit card loan is so called because your card is used as a kind of guarantee to show the lender that you have a bank account and paid regularly into your account. The debit card is also the method used to repay the loan, the refund will be based on your card and is paid directly to the lender.

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