I think it’s safe to say celebrities have more fun with credit cards than we do. For example: If you went to dinner with a friend and accidentally took each other’s credit cards after paying the bill, you would likely spot the mistake pretty quickly and try to get your card back (and return theirs) ASAP.
When Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers had a such a credit card mixup, that did not happen. They apparently didn’t notice for about a week, and when Poehler realized the error, she decided to have a little fun.
Meyers unwittingly funded a shopping spree for Poehler, who documented her hijinks in photos. At one point, Tina Fey joined Poehler in the scheme, which was dubbed #creditcardgate. Poehler returned the card at LOL With LLS, a benefit for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Before giving Meyers his plastic, she used it to donate $5,000 — in her name. The episode concluded as a friendly joke with a charitable twist.
Such shenanigans wouldn’t go over quite that well in non-celebrity friend circles. Aside from the whole credit card fraud thing, charging things to someone else’s credit card could do serious damage to their credit. People can make enough of a mess on their own, so imagine the harm you could do by not knowing the terms or limit of the card.
The takeaway here is to be careful, because you don’t have Seth Meyers’ salary, and you’re (sadly) not friends with Amy Poehler. Maybe your friend wouldn’t use your card if he or she picked it up by mistake, but negligence on your part could easily lead to bigger consequences. The person who takes your card may be a casual acquaintance, a blind date or a stranger who finds it in a restaurant booth after you paid the bill and left.
We’re human and we make mistakes, but forming good habits tends to make those errors less catastrophic. Perhaps you won’t notice the time someone takes your credit card, but if you regularly check your account activity online, you can quickly spot an unauthorized transaction, cancel the card and prevent further fraud.
More on Credit Cards:
- The Credit.com Credit Card Learning Center
- How to Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rates
- How Secured Cards Can Help Build Credit
Image: Fuse
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