The holiday shopping season is in full swing! All over the country, consumers are finding ways to check off all of the items on their holiday wish lists. To do just that, the majority of Canadians choose to pay for purchases with their credit cards. John Shmuel reports that a 2018 LowestRates.ca survey of 1,378 Canadians found that 63% of respondents expected to buy presents with their credit cards.
Why do Canadians use credit cards for their holiday shopping?
They protect their purchases.
When a purchase is paid for with cash, there is no guarantee of protection against loss, theft or damage. Whatever happens to the purchased item is a situation that can only be handled with the merchant the purchase is made from. When a purchase is made with a credit card, however, a consumer is often offered extended warranties, purchase protection or price protection as part of their cardholder perks.
“Extended warranties lengthen the manufacturer’s warranty, meaning your products are covered for a longer period of time,” explains Christy Bieber on Fool.com, “Purchase protection can cover you if your product breaks or is stolen within a limited time period after you buy it, and price protection reimburses you if a product you buy drops in cost shortly thereafter.”
They offer additional discounts.
Cash back cards offer cardholders money back on their purchases. By using these types of credit cards, consumers literally receive discounts with every purchase. Naturally, the holiday shopping season is one when most people spend more money than normal. Having a card that offers immediate savings is a highly favourable situation.
“Using a cash-back credit card is like getting an extra discount on everything you buy,” notes Nora Dunn on NerdWallet.com, “In exchange for making eligible purchases, you get a certain percentage of what you’ve spent back in cash. These cash-back rewards are often provided in the form of a statement credit, but in some cases they can even be transferred to a bank account.”
They can send you on a trip.
Travel rewards credit cards are highly popular. If you’re looking to book a free vacation, a travel rewards credit card is for you. During the holiday shopping season, a user of such a card is able to rack up a lot of points. This can help with the planning of a vacation in the near future.
“With a well-chosen travel credit card and a specific vacation in your sights, your holiday shopping may result in points that will subsidize (or upgrade) your next trip,” says Dunn, “You can earn airline miles, hotel points, or broader rewards that are convertible to multiple programs or redeemable through specific travel sites.”
Do you accept credit cards at your business?
At Unity Payments, we proudly offer Canadian merchants a variety of high-quality POS terminals to choose from. Easily accept credit and debit payments with the Newland 910, the Ingenico Desk 5000 or the Ingenico Move 5000. To learn all about your options, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761. You may also email us at info@unitypayments.ca.
