Who wouldn’t love to take a vacation with a family member that they enjoy spending time with? Unfortunately, as the cost of everything rises, including vacations, it is not always the most feasible option for many families. One woman in New York thought that she would take matters into her own hands and plan a vacation not only for herself but also for her older sister. The catch? She used her older sister’s credit card to do so — without permission.
On Reddit’s r/AmIOverreacting, OP asked if she was overreacting about a delicate financial situation. Apparently, her 25-year-old sister used her credit card without her permission to book an expensive vacation. OP claims her younger sister was always bad at handling her own money. It was so bad that her sister moved back in with her parents on several occasions due to credit card debt and job drama.
When her younger sister recently fell on more hard times, she asked OP if she could borrow her credit card for groceries. That’s what good sisters do, right? Being a loving sister, OP handed her credit card over, but explicitly told her no more than $100. Little sister promised her she would pay her back and that was seemingly the end of it.
Fast forward to this week, and OP received an overwhelming credit card statement: A $3,127 charge she didn’t make! She quickly discovered the charge was for a travel site. She called her sister asking for an explanation and was hit with, “Oh yeah! I booked up a trip to Cancun! We leave Friday. You should be thanking me – I included you and got us a really good deal on a resort. Most sisters would be grateful.” Except, being realistic, OP was not ecstatic about the trip.
OP told her sister she couldn’t afford the trip and definitely wouldn’t be able to take off a few days from work on such short notice. Her sister responded by saying, “You’re so uptight. It’s already booked and non-refundable so we have to go now or the money’s wasted.” OP told her she would be disputing the charge, which made her little sister break down, crying, and telling her that she was “ruining her life.”
To make matters worse, OP’s parents told her she should go and that she was being “petty” by being upset. On top of this, her little sister keeps on ignoring the fact the vacation won’t be happening and continues to talk about it like it’s still in the cards. It definitely feels like a situation out of a fever dream itself.
Redditors in the comments all shared the same consensus: There was no other way to react except with anger over this one. One person asked, “Your parents said, ‘it’s already paid for’? Do they know how credit cards work? If they’re willing to write you a check for the full cost right now, then let your sister go. Otherwise, dispute every penny and shrug off the criticism.” Not only has her sister committed a fraudulent act involving someone else’s card, but she can’t take responsibility for it—and that’s important.
Some commenters believe this should be the final straw when it comes to the sisterly relationship. One commented, “Disputing it is the bare minimum. This is relationship ending grounds with your sister she tried to steal from you.” That may be taking it too far, but I certainly wouldn’t be trusting her with money ever again.
