Tips & News

Don't Fall for the Retail Credit Card Discounts
Retail stores attract new customers by offering 10-20% off your purchase if you open a new card. The catch is that you must make a purchase on your credit card to get this discount. Even when they send you coupons in the mail offering $25 off, the fine print says that you must use the credit card in order to redeem the coupons. Here's how to enjoy those benefits without increasing your debt: make your purchase, redeem your coupon, pay off the same purchase on the credit card while at the register. This means that you shouldn't be making purchases you can't immediately pay off at the register just to redeem coupons.