The holidays are a time when millions of Americans travel to spend time with family and friends or splurge on a gift for a loved one — and many cash in on the credit card rewards they’ve earned all…
If I pay my credit card off every single month, then I pay no interest and I get ‘rewards’ that works out to money back. Sure, retailers pay 1-2% in fees (assuming they’re a large retailer, and not a Square customer), and the people that don’t pay their card off get hit with 18% APR interest. But I get a check for a few hundred each year. Plus ‘discounts’ at certain merchants, or for specific goods and services.
My rewards are paid for in overall higher prices across the board, and by people that don’t have the financial luxury to pay off their credit card every month. The system rewards me for being lucky–although it claims that it’s ‘hard work’ and ‘smart financial choices’–and punishes other people. Not using the system as it exists doesn’t end up changing the system, because individually I have no leverage. So the best I can do it try to convince my legislators to change the legal structure, which can have unintended consequences.
IMO, credit/debit card payment systems should be handled by the US Treasury, so that there’s no profit involved at all.
Unfortunately, yes.
If I pay my credit card off every single month, then I pay no interest and I get ‘rewards’ that works out to money back. Sure, retailers pay 1-2% in fees (assuming they’re a large retailer, and not a Square customer), and the people that don’t pay their card off get hit with 18% APR interest. But I get a check for a few hundred each year. Plus ‘discounts’ at certain merchants, or for specific goods and services.
My rewards are paid for in overall higher prices across the board, and by people that don’t have the financial luxury to pay off their credit card every month. The system rewards me for being lucky–although it claims that it’s ‘hard work’ and ‘smart financial choices’–and punishes other people. Not using the system as it exists doesn’t end up changing the system, because individually I have no leverage. So the best I can do it try to convince my legislators to change the legal structure, which can have unintended consequences.
IMO, credit/debit card payment systems should be handled by the US Treasury, so that there’s no profit involved at all.
Now that would be a nice change. Companies get a deal: Get regulated and play fair, or the government takes it over and you get nothing.