Before we talk about Jenius, what exactly is a credit card? Well a credit card by definition is a physical payment card that allows you to get credit from a financial institution.

A credit card allows the user to do a payment transaction easily, whether online or offline. The user can pay to a foreign company the bank trusts, and some credit cards offer protection against a wrong payment or a stolen credit card. What I like the most about using a credit card is that the user will acquire a point after purchase or a specific discount when buying a product. Lastly, there is also a credit report that will help the user build a credit score to help them get a loan in the future.

BTPN is one of the banks in Indonesia that can provide credit cards through their digital banking division, Jenius. The reason I chose Jenius was solely because I have worked with their design team, and I was intrigued to try using a credit card from Jenius.

What I like

I use my credit card mainly for daily purposes, such as buying a meal online or going to a place by an online taxi/bike. But sometimes, I use it for purchases such as clothes, shoes, and filling petrol. The credit card allows me to receive a point called “Yay Points” that converts into 1 point for every IDR 10.000 I spend.

During 6 months of using the credit card, I’ve obtained nearly about 5000 yay points, but that doesn’t mean I’ve spent about IDR 50.000.000 to get those points, no. Jenius does offer a double point earning in a selected categorization such as the one I chose right now, groceries and gasoline.

Still, please remember that the money you spend on a credit card is the bank’s money, not yours.

When you’re spending with a credit card, you’re technically using the bank money. But after you’re done paying with it, you must repay it to the bank or else you’re dealing with an issue with the bank + the debt collectors.

What I Don’t Like

Sometimes, it scares me when the credit card wants to play hide and seek. I immediately temporary blocked the card to prevent someone from using my card because the card can be used without entering the PIN.

Also, I think that with the amount that I spent and the potential to convert yay points into the rewards is too much for me. However, I do still use it because of how easy it is to use it.

The last thing is when you own a credit card, you forget that you also own a debit card, and because I mainly use my credit card, I sometimes overspend on both cards, making me panic. But it can be handled by tracking my spending with a money manager app.

In the end, using a credit card has its own strengths and weaknesses. You should always remember to use a credit card correctly. A credit card has many perks, but sometimes it’s dangerous if you don’t use it correctly.

Maybe next time, I’ll try a different credit card from another bank.

Thank you for reading 💙