I am not a credit card person. I mean, I HAVE a credit card but that's it. I don't go for those store credit cards Whenever I'm offered a store credit card I completely ignore the "save 10% on this purchase" pitch because all I can think is, "I'm gonna have something else in my wallet and then another bill to pay. No, thank you! I'll pay 10% more just to NOT have to deal with that." That's a long thing to think about it and then the cashier is like, "Excuse me, ma'am? Why are you staring off into the distance, looking aggravated?" I say, "No, thank you and don't ask me for my phone number or email address either! Can I just buy a freakin' dish towel and a toilet brush anonymously?" Clerks love me.
Okay, back to credit cards. I had to break my rule for one card. One store. The best store ever--Target. And here's why:
1. When you have a Target Red Card (TRC), you get 5% off ALL THE TIME.
2. You get free shipping when you shop online.
3. Consumer advocate and fellow-anti-store-credit-card-activist Clark Howard (whom I have met and interviewed for a story so I feel like he's my buddy too) approves of the TRC.
Here's what he says: "Now, I don't like the idea of telling people to get another extension of credit. However, if you are a dedicated Target shopper, I have to say this is the right thing for you to do. It's a clear exception to my normal rule against store credit. That 5% is a significant enough number to make me rethink my typical advice."
4. You can get a debit card OR a credit card.
5. Where else can you buy groceries, clothes, beauty products, tissues, bath mats, light bulbs, greeting cards and blenders in one clean, classy environment? (Notice Wal-Mart does not fit this description.)
Now, 5% might not sound like much but since Target has an $80 cover charge, that's at least a savings of $4 every visit. Oh, you didn't realize Target had an $80 cover charge? Let me ask you this: Have you ever left a Target without paying $80? Me neither. I am LUCKY if I get out of there for less than $80. I'm talking' Super Target, people. I'm buying lots of groceries with my Red Card.
The free shipping is fantastic because you can ship stuff anywhere, not just to your house, and it's free. And you get 5% off on that stuff too!
I find myself thinking the following while shopping at other stores: "I could get that here OR I could wait and get it at Target and save 5%." And since there is a Super Target six minutes away from my new home in Frisco, I'm kinda there every other day.
I did run into a little embarrassing snafu with my TRC the other day. I tried to use it and it didn't work. I ended up having to use my only credit card and the sweet cashier STILL gave me 5% off. I called Target and apparently, I only had $113 left on my TRC and my purchase was over that. The rep explained that I would have had to tell the cashier, "Put $113 on my TRC and the rest on my other credit card." Okay, got it but what was with this $113 left? Is there like a super small minimum on the TRC? She told me it was $700. "Can I get my credit limit raised?" I asked the TRC expert. "No, you just opened your account a couple of months ago," she said. I could tell she knew she had all the power and that I was an addict. "Well, I just paid my bill so does it show that I have more available now?" She said, "No, we can't see that yet so you just have $113." Then I told her, "I swear I'm not a credit card junkie! I just LOVE the Target Red Card!" She said, "We're glad you like it. Thanks for calling" and I said, "Ooh, ooh, wait...if I use my regular credit card for the balance do I still get the 5% off?" Dial tone. She was gone.
I could still hear myself frantically screaming into the phone, "...do I still get the 5% off?" And that's when I knew that I was, in fact, a Target junkie. I mean, asking to have my credit limit raised? Like I need to spend more than $700 a month at Target? I had to take a step back and reevaluate my priorities. I decided I needed one of those visualization boards to do just that. I figured I could get the supplies for it at Hobby Lobby...or I COULD save 5% and drive six minutes down the road...
5. Where else can you buy groceries, clothes, beauty products, tissues, bath mats, light bulbs, greeting cards and blenders in one clean, classy environment? (Notice Wal-Mart does not fit this description.)
Now, 5% might not sound like much but since Target has an $80 cover charge, that's at least a savings of $4 every visit. Oh, you didn't realize Target had an $80 cover charge? Let me ask you this: Have you ever left a Target without paying $80? Me neither. I am LUCKY if I get out of there for less than $80. I'm talking' Super Target, people. I'm buying lots of groceries with my Red Card.
The free shipping is fantastic because you can ship stuff anywhere, not just to your house, and it's free. And you get 5% off on that stuff too!
I find myself thinking the following while shopping at other stores: "I could get that here OR I could wait and get it at Target and save 5%." And since there is a Super Target six minutes away from my new home in Frisco, I'm kinda there every other day.
I did run into a little embarrassing snafu with my TRC the other day. I tried to use it and it didn't work. I ended up having to use my only credit card and the sweet cashier STILL gave me 5% off. I called Target and apparently, I only had $113 left on my TRC and my purchase was over that. The rep explained that I would have had to tell the cashier, "Put $113 on my TRC and the rest on my other credit card." Okay, got it but what was with this $113 left? Is there like a super small minimum on the TRC? She told me it was $700. "Can I get my credit limit raised?" I asked the TRC expert. "No, you just opened your account a couple of months ago," she said. I could tell she knew she had all the power and that I was an addict. "Well, I just paid my bill so does it show that I have more available now?" She said, "No, we can't see that yet so you just have $113." Then I told her, "I swear I'm not a credit card junkie! I just LOVE the Target Red Card!" She said, "We're glad you like it. Thanks for calling" and I said, "Ooh, ooh, wait...if I use my regular credit card for the balance do I still get the 5% off?" Dial tone. She was gone.
I could still hear myself frantically screaming into the phone, "...do I still get the 5% off?" And that's when I knew that I was, in fact, a Target junkie. I mean, asking to have my credit limit raised? Like I need to spend more than $700 a month at Target? I had to take a step back and reevaluate my priorities. I decided I needed one of those visualization boards to do just that. I figured I could get the supplies for it at Hobby Lobby...or I COULD save 5% and drive six minutes down the road...
5 comments:
Wal-Mart is 5% cheaper than Target. A "classy environment" is overrated.
I still think you need to get a Kohl's card!
I didn't know it was also free shipping!!! That might be totally worth it. Though I have to say... if I got it now, I think I would be really sad about the hundreds of dollars I have NOT saved by not getting it like 8 years ago.
I think The Red Card just came out in 2011 :) I'm such a pioneer.
Also, they are always giving me $5 gift cards every time I check out. I don't know why but I love it!
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