Maybe I'm wrong, but I find this stinky.

I have several bills that get paid automatically via my credit card, which is a nice convenience. However, I just read today that when I get a new credit card that replaces my old one upon expiration, Visa gives up that new number to companies that I have set up automatic billing with.

Visa thinks this is good, as it helps both Visa and the businesses that accept Visa to ensure that they keep getting their money. Visa also thinks I as a customer appreciate this, because I don't have the hassle of making the switch. My new card just keeps right on paying monthly for whatever I told it to, whether that's my cable bill, my never-ending collection of Time-Life books and Hits of the '70s CDs, whatever.

But I don't like it, for two reasons:

1. I like to make my own decisions. Yes, it can be a hassle to give my new card number to all of the companies that I do business with, but I'm a big boy. I don't need Visa to do it for me.

(On an unrelated tangent, I also don't need Microsoft Word constantly changing my bullet points, my upper- and lowercasing, etc. I can do that myself, too. I'm not completely helpless. I think I know how I want my document to look more than your stupid software program does, OK, big brother?)

2. I am a busy person, and every so often I set up an automatic credit card billing for a service I want at the time but that later on I don't really need. Unfortunately, I sometimes forget to stop the automatic billing, and they just keep on billing me and billing me. Sure, it's my own fault for not taking the time to stop the billing, but at least when my credit card expires I am forced to confront that monthly charge and decide if I want to continue it or not. (It's not personal finance genius, but sometimes we all use strategies that are less-than-optimal. )

In short, if Visa is helpfully telling businesses my new credit card number, these automatic charges may continue even further past the day that they have ceased being any use to me. The businesses like that, Visa likes that, but I don't like that at all.

Do you smell something stinky, too?