Angela, Thanks for letting us know about a card working even if you haven't activated it. That's important because of identity theft. Normally you would have to activate a card by calling from the phone number on file. I didn't know it would work online without activation. That's something the card companies should change...after all, they lose too when someone gets away with fraud. Cheri

Kathy, I agree with your practice of using the debit card so you can track your spending. I do the same thing with my credit card, which is why I was using it for such a small purchase. There are times when I go weeks without any cash in my wallet at all. Sometimes inconvenient, but at least I know where every dollar went. The program I use to see the expenditures and allocate them to a budget line as they are made helps with that. It's also nice to keep my money in my interest-bearing checking account until time to pay the credit card bill, and simultaneously earn a rebate from the card for virtually everything I buy. Each earns only a few dollars, but it adds up. Cheri

Lawton, Marilyn, you're welcome. Donna, you are so right. I think I've posted this before, but it won't hurt to do it again. There's a movie you can watch online that was researched and produced by Frontline for PBS, called Secret History of the Credit Card. The link also gives you access to several other resources and articles about credit cards that are very interesting. Here's the link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/credit/ If you're like me, I predict that it will make you mad. Still, if you use credit cards you need to know this information in order to protect yourself. I use it to get back some of what credit cards have cost me over the years. It's very satisfying to get rebates but never pay any interest. Cheri