Stores are starting to have their own debit cards. If you've never heard of them, it's a card that looks similar to a credit card, but you can only use it at the store that issues it & the purchase amt is taken from your checking account. The purpose of this is to get points towards something or a certain percentage off, so it's like getting the benefits of a credit card, but you don't get a bill to pay a month later. I have one w/ Nordstrom & Target. Does anyone know what other stores have this?
I say no to pretty much all store cards. I like cards that reward customer loyalty without getting involved in my bank account. Anthropology, Staples, AC Moore, grocery stores have such 'membership' benefits without being linked to bank accts.
I like my Kohls card because of all the coupons they send. And Home Depot saved us some money on the patio set by using their card. But otherwise, we stick to our Disney Visa card and our bank debit card.
The cashier at Target mentioned this to me the last time I was there, I'd never heard of it and just blew her off. Doesn't the Target card get you an automatic discount?
Yep, it's a 5% discount. Still not enough for me! The only card I've considered is Kohl's since I shop there frequently but I don't want another credit card right now. I used to have an Amazon card a few years back but got rid of it (though I buy everything on Amazon now so I probably should have held onto it!).
I don't like my personal info shared in too many places. I don't need any more credit cards and don't accept loyalty cards for stores that require a lot of personal info.
We buy almost everything on a single credit card ...... groceries, clothes, Amazon stuff, gas, guns, ammo, motel/hotel ...... etc. We get a nice rebate for using the card. But here's the important part .... at the end of the month we pay everything in full. We haven't paid a "finance" charge in years.... Our home is paid for...... we pay cash for cars...... I don't believe in paying "interest." Credit cards/debit cards can be costly to the undisciplined.........
Okay, I haven't heard of this. So it is NOT a credit card, but a debit card that will remove money from your checking account almost immediately when used at the store it's affiliated with? So no interest. I really don't shop anywhere enough to greatly benefit, but it seems like a good idea. Well, I do get quite a bit at Walmart, but the rest of my shopping is more scattered and sporatic.
That's right JustMe. Target's debit card is called REDcard & says the word "debit" in the upper right corner. With ea purchase, a tad is taken off & ea dollar counts! With Nordstrom's debit card, you get a $20 gift certificate for every $2000 you spend. Now although that isn't that great, it's better than nothing. Nordstrom's my fave store, so I like this card. In my wallet right now is an almost $500 gift card for Nordstrom that I plan to keep gradually adding to. Then, one day, when the time's right, I'll go on a little spree!
I have the Nordstroms Mod card. It is exactly like a debit, but you get money back for purchases. When I shop at Nordies I'm usually dropping a bit of money, so the discounts really add up. I trust the franchise because their customer service is phenomenal. I wouldn't trust my personal information with any other company, but the Nordstroms card I feel comfortable with.
I probably wouldn't get one. I really like my Old Navy Visa card. I can use it everywhere and once I accrue 1000 points, I get $10 card. And, since I use it to buy normal things like food and gas, it really helps me out seeing as how I spend a lot at Old Navy.
I have a GAP Visa that is the same way, and I love it! I also have charge/rewards cards at LOFT and JC Penney's. Oh, and Best Buy, but I almost never use that one. It's just still open from when we bought our house and needed appliances.
Is it really for every $2000 or did you mean $200? $2000 seems like a lot of money to just get $20 back right? I know a couple people with that card and I didn't think they shopped that much at nordstrom.
I know that our Disney Visa gives back 1% in Disney rewards. So Ms I's numbers would be about right. We use our Disney Visa whenever we can. As of now, we have something like $400 in Disney Rewards for next year's trip. We're hoping to have enough to cover all our spending money!!
Target's 5% isn't much, but it covers most of the tax. We have Target, Kohl's (which we never use) & Best Buy Visa.
We used to have a Disney Visa, Alice. We saved the rewards and used them towards gift cards. I've closed all my store accounts - we were trying to get down to having just one credit card. I do like the idea of a store debit card, but I think I would reserve it for a store that I actually visit a lot - and I'm not sure what that would be, other than Walmart. Target would be next but since we don't even have one in our town, that seems like a waste.
No, that wasn't a typo...ONLY $20 if you spend $2000. So yeah, not so great, but better than nothing if you shop there or Nordstrom Rack regularly.
You just add money to a gift card? Wouldn't that money serve you better by leaving it in your savings account accruing interest until it is time to spend? Why should they hold that money for free!
PCdiva, this is $ due to points I've earned from spending. That Nordstrom card gives you 2 points for every dollar you spend. 2000 points will get me a $20 gift cert. It has an expiration date, but if you transfer that onto a gift card, there's no expiration date. You can keep adding to it for 50 yrs if you want to. If I'm going to shop, might as well get a little something out of it. I'm not using money to just put on a GC.
Oh! I misunderstood! I thought you were adding actual money to it little by little! That makes total sense, I would do the same! Plus you probably need $500 to go shopping at Nordstrom! The only thing I've bought from Norstrom was Uggs, they seem to have the best selection.
Starbucks has had their own debit card type set up for quite awhile. They used to call it the "black" card, but now it's the "gold" card. It's reloaded every month through my checking account, and I use it when I make a purchase there. I think Walmart does something similar with their gift cards... you can reload them if you want. I LOVE the way Starbucks does it. I get lots of special rewards including free drinks and other merchandise. I just got two free tickets to the Help through them. (Also, when you're a MEGA Starbucks addict like me, you get your own personalized card with your specific favorite drink listed on it. LOL)
The place I'm obsessed w/ the most is Jamba Juice. I wish they'd come out w/ a membership/point type program. I'd clean up!
