Since at least the 1870s, middle-class Australians had used retail credit to supplement their incomes, take advantage of special offers, deal with unexpected expenses, and indulge impulsive desires. Those with more limited and less regular incomes—working-class families unable to secure credit from banks or department stores—also became enmeshed in credit culture, but through a different route. First introduced in the mid-nineteenth century, the cash-order system provided a bridge between older forms of working-class credit such as ‘the tick’ and ‘the slate’ and the store-run revolving credit accounts that gained popularity after the Second World War. The cash-order system played a crucial role in preparing working-class consumers for the post-war boom in credit culture.