Even though we’re only just approaching the midway mark of October, many Canadians are already gearing up for the holiday season. In our last blog, we pointed out that the gearing up process includes using credit cards to pay for holiday shopping purchases. Among the reasons shoppers prefer using credit cards are flexible payments, reward points and the ability to spend with more freedom.
Here are three more reasons credit card use is popular for holiday shopping:
1. Credit cards let consumers track their purchases.
Are you on a budget this year? Who isn’t, right? With a credit card, you are given automatic access to a bookkeeping system. Simply review your purchases online and/or when you receive your bill to keep track of all of your spending. When using cash, a consumer has to take stock of his/her spending independently. Credit cards help make budgeting easy.
“It’s important to stay on budget during the holidays, so you need to be aware of how much you’ve spent on gifts,” writes Christy Bieber on Fool.com, “Tracking spending manually can be an effective way to keep tabs on how much you’re buying, but it can be a pain, and many people won’t bother — or will forget to write down some purchases.”
2. Credit cards allow for easy online shopping experiences.
If you plan on shopping online, you’ll need to use a credit card. It’s just that simple. Especially with the pandemic still burdening our lives, most consumers will do at least some of their holiday shopping online this year. Not only does online shopping help you avoid being in the middle of a busy shopping centre, it gives you the convenience of making purchases from the comfort of your own home.
On RealSimple.com, Kristine Gill points out that a 2020 CreditCards.com survey found that 71 percent of shoppers planned on doing their holiday shopping online. That was a 20 percent jump from 2019. We’d expect a large portion of the population will continue the trend in 2021.
3. Credit cards offer purchase protection.
Purchase protection is an especially beneficial perk during the holiday shopping season. Obviously, it’s a busy time of year when people spend more than usual. Naturally, consumers want to ensure their purchases don’t get lost, stolen or damaged. In the event of such an unfortunate circumstance, a credit card with purchase protection can help with the replacement of the item.
“Your card might provide price protection, and refund you some money if an item’s price goes down a short time after you purchase it,” explains Bieber, “Your card issuer will also go to bat for you if merchandise isn’t delivered, or it arrives defective and the merchant won’t give you a refund. You can dispute the charges and hopefully get your refund.”
Do you accept credit cards as methods of payment?
At Unity Payments, we believe that the easiest and most convenient way for merchants to accept credit cards is with the Poynt Smart Terminal. To learn all about it, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761. You may also email us at info@unitypayments.ca.
