Why do Canadians use credit cards for their holiday purchases? In our last blog, we listed purchase protection, cash back perks and travel rewards as top reasons. How else does credit card use benefit holiday gift shoppers?
They get rewarded for their loyalty.
As we mentioned, among the most popular credit cards on the market are those that offer reward points for spending. For many credit card users, the act of making purchases is one that earns them additional benefits. Travel rewards are especially popular. Depending on the credit card you use, you can earn points for hotel stays, airline tickets and car rentals.
“If you regularly shop at a certain store or family of stores, charging your expenses to branded retail cards can result in a combination of extra discounts, cash back, and rewards points,” informs Nora Dunn on NerdWallet.com, “If you do your holiday shopping at any of these stores, you’ll reap even more benefits.”
They’re able to extend payments over time.
Credit cards offer shoppers mini-loans. During the holiday season, this comes in especially handy as spending is much higher than normal. When a charge is placed on a credit card, it gives a customer extra time to make that payment. He/she can choose to pay the balance in full when his/her billing cycle is over. The alternative, of course, is to extend payment over time. Either way, a credit card purchase means that a consumer doesn’t have to let go of his/her money right away.
“If you can qualify for a credit card offering a 0% promotional APR on purchases, you may be able to avoid the additional costs of borrowing,” points out Christy Bieber on Fool.com, “You could use your 0% card to buy what you need and pay no interest charges at all as long as you pay off the balance before the promotional rate expires. This can buy you months more time to come up with the cash for your holiday spending.”
They help to keep you within a budget.
Credit cards offer free bookkeeping as a perk. No matter the credit card you use, your spending is clearly documented in online statements. As a result, you have live access to the amounts that you are spending. With these calculations being made for you, you can better determine whether or not there is any room left for spending during any billing cycle. With cash payments, you would have to create your own tallies.
“Putting holiday purchases on a credit card allows you to keep an accurate record of how much you’ve spent, so you can ensure everybody on your list is accounted for without going over budget,” writes Dunn, “Admittedly this goes two ways. For some people, the ease of whipping out plastic and charging gifts might not feel real, leading to overspending. It helps to download the app associated with your credit card so you can monitor your spending at a glance.”
Do you accept credit cards as methods of payment in your store?
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.
