Coss Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Hi all, I'm thinking of writing a piece on a guy who decamps from life in the west by running away to Thailand or Cambo etc on his credit cards. Obviously he could go for a few years on what credit, they give you these days, but I'd like to ask if anyone here has any experience or has heard of anyone who has done this. PT me if you do, I want to flesh out the character of this guy and any real experiences of this kind of life would be helpful. I'm particularly intrigued by the concept of suicide by bargirl. Thanks and Cheers Coss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 When video games became the fad in the mid 1980s - and when PCs were fairly basic and the internet almost non-existent, there were reports in the Bangkok papers of kids who did a credit card runaway. They'd steal daddy's credit cards and spend all of their time in the video arcades, until the cops managed to track them down for dear old dad. Sometimes it took weeks to catch the kids and get back the credit cards. The municipal government finally banned video arcades to try and stop it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Haven't the credit card people tightened up on who they issue to? I opened a couple of new bank accounts in Australia this year and there was no suggestion of any credit being offered. My original card has a $2000 limit but it goes back to the mid 90s and I doubt anyone could walk off the street and get this these days. This, of course is different to a loan application, where security would have to be shown. Also anyone doing this, maxing out his cards and doing a runner, would have to consider the future financial consequences. He'd be unlikely to be able to ever borrow money again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 I have met a few who emptied their credit cards and then disappeared in Thailand. The problem with that is if the creditors ever get wind that the character had left the US, it stops the Statute of Limitations on the debt. But if the creditors don't find out, after 3-6 or how many years it takes for the Statute of Limitations to run its course, the debts become uncollectable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJ_Blackowitz Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 My Diners has a €10.000 limit , Visa €1500 and Mastercar €2500 that is a total of €14.000 not much to live on .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbaron Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 I'm thinking of writing a piece on a guy who decamps from life in the west by running away to Thailand or Cambo etc on his credit cards. Obviously he could go for a few years on what credit, they give you these days, but I'd like to ask if anyone here has any experience or has heard of anyone who has done this. Sounds very familiar.... Don't have a cc myself, had a little one when I travelled but never ever used it. Still get the odd mail about "You've been pre approved..." crap.. embarrassing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Munchmaster Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 My original card has a $2000 limit but it goes back to the mid 90s and I doubt anyone could walk off the street and get this these days. Even in these difficult times $2000 (Oz or US) is a very low credit limit and wouldn't be of much use to anyone. I'm pretty sure a CC with such a limit would be easily obtained. A lady from Barclays Bank called me the other day and said that as I was a premium account holder they'd like to offer me a credit card free for one year (not sure what free means? No annual fee? No interest?). Anyway I explained to her that I didn't have an account with Barclays, to which she replied, would I still like to have the credit card! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 My first credit card had a limit of US$3000 - and that was around 1988. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 that is a total of €14.000 not much to live on .... Actually that is a lot to live on..... albeit for a very short time..... BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Hi all, I'm thinking of writing a piece on a guy who decamps from life in the west by running away to Thailand or Cambo etc on his credit cards. Obviously he could go for a few years on what credit, they give you these days, but I'd like to ask if anyone here has any experience or has heard of anyone who has done this. PT me if you do, I want to flesh out the character of this guy and any real experiences of this kind of life would be helpful. I'm particularly intrigued by the concept of suicide by bargirl. Thanks and Cheers Coss I believe there was a guy here who did more less exactly this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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