This is the first Saturday in awhile that my husband and I have been home. The morning found us in front of our computers reading our favorite news sources and columns, but then we took advantage of our down time … and then we started cleaning.
While going through papers that I was intending to shred for the compost bin, I found a letter from my bank. And while I usually just give this mail a cursory glance before filing or shredding, this one caught my attention – my bank has set up a program for debit card users to acquire reward points when using your card for purchases. Considering that I use my debit card for everything, I was all set to register for the program until my mind whispered “what’s the catch?” And sure enough, if you go down to the teeny, tiny fine print – there it is. A non-refundable, annual $12 fee to be part of the program.
I have to be honest – the idea of getting reward points for using my debit card is still pretty attractive, however, I think this is one deal that I’ll be content to let go.
I almost fell victim to a fine print “deal” the other day too – of similar circumstances. My credit cards don’t give me any sort of rewards or anything either, and I always think I should switch to one that at least gives me something back (even if it’s like a discount on gas or something). I get one every couple months from Delta about how I can get bunches of extra FF miles. Now I’m not a big flyer, but if I added my small amount of miles I accrue myself to what I can get with their card, it would probably be enough for a free trip every couple years.
However…upon reading the fine print, I found out that, after the first year, it’s $95/year to stay in the program. Now, if you were someone who flies all the time for work or whatever, it might still be a good deal…but not for me.