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I have read that consumers spend 30% more with a credit card than cash on average.  This is not news, but I wonder if everyone thinks the statement applies to them?  I have been a saver all my life, and it takes me considerable effort to take my wallet out to buy something when I am outside my house.  Therefore, I always thought that I can put a big N/A sign on this extra spending with a credit card statement.  Recently however, I noticed that I’m losing a bit of focus with the online shopping.

I’m on many business trips (please refer to this post about the number of miles I flew last month).  This means I am constantly reserving hotel rooms, car rentals and plane tickets.  I do this so often that I have my 16-digit Master Card number and expiration date memorized.  It makes everything so convenient when you remember the number because I can just fire up the website, start typing out the number and reserve or buy everything I need without moving anything but my fingers.

Other than the fitness problem I have potentially created for myself, I have created a “too convenient” problem.  Yesterday, I changed web hosting company because I was fed up with my old hosting service.  Although I still believe it was the right thing to do (the site is many times faster now, especially in the morning when traffic are the highest), I acted on impulse.  Deciding to switch, finding a hosting company, and finally paying for it took 14 minutes.  Less than 14 minutes!!!  This is all because of how convenient it is to buy something online, especially when I can remember all the credit card numbers!

I even was able to do all this while I was supposed to be working!  There would have been no way to do this with cash.  In the old days, this would force me to give myself time to think over the purchase decision, compared a few different hosting companies, and finally making the purchase (if in fact I still wanted to).  I have become a victim, a victim of not being responsible enough with my new power, my new convenient spending power.