Cash Back Credit Cards vs. Store Credit Cards

If you want to make the most out of your shopping adventures, you need to have a credit card that helps you save money. The question is, which option is better for you? Some people automatically think about store credit cards, and others go for cash back credit cards. Before you apply for a card, assess which type of card would be more beneficial for your personal needs.

Cash Back Credit Cards

The main perk to having a cash back credit card is the fact that you can use it anywhere. It still acts as a traditional credit card. The only difference is that you get rewards from the money you spend on it. The average cash back credit card offers 1% cash back on all purchases. Some may also pay an additional 2% to 5% cash back on select purchases made with the card. Example, the Citi ThankYou Preferred Card offers 2 reward points per $1 spent on dining and entertainment. Blue Cash Everyday card from American Express offers 3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% cash back at gas stations and 1% on all other purchases. You could earn a great deal of your money if you choose the right cash back card and use it correctly.

The problem with cash back credit cards is that the rewards structure can sometimes be confusing. The Discover It Card features an attractive rewards program, but its 5% cash back offer changes every three months. It may be on home improvement purchases during one quarter, but during another quarter, it may be applicable on purchases at gas stations and for holiday shopping. You have to keep up with the rewards calendar to get the most out of your credit card. You also have to consider any fees associated with your credit card. Some cash back cards on the market have an annual fee, and many have a slightly higher interest rate than the average card. Review the terms of any card you are considering for so you can pick the perfect one for you.

 Store Credit Cards

Store credit cards are usually easy to apply for and just as easy to obtain. Some of them can be used like regular credit cards, and others have to be used at a specific store. For instance, the traditional Walmart credit card can only be used at Walmart, but the Walmart Discover card can be used anywhere Discover is accepted. You need to know this about your card before applying for it. Many people get a store credit card because they receive some type of introductory offer when they apply for one. You might be able to save 10-15% off your initial purchase, or you might get a certain amount of cash back after making your first purchase. These offers are designed to lure you into getting a card, even though you may never use it again. What you may not realize in the euphoria of the introductory offer is the very high interest rate you typically have on a store credit card.

When you start looking at store credit cards, consider what kind of rewards you can get and how those rewards are accumulated. Do they only come from purchases at that store, or do they come from any transaction? Are you required to use rewards in the store, or can you use them online? Does the card have an annual fee? You must go through this type of analysis before deciding if a store credit card is worth getting.

Are Cash Back Credit Cards Better Than Store Credit Cards?

In our opinion, yes. This isn’t because we’re biased towards cash back cards. We just like the idea that you can earn rewards wherever you make a transaction. You aren’t limited to one store, either in the way you spend money or the way you collect your rewards. In addition, store cards usually have a higher interest rate. With that said, there are people who benefit from store credit cards because they shop at those stores all the time. If you spend thousands of dollars a year at Lowe’s for your construction company, a Lowe’s credit card may provide substantial savings for your business.

Don’t get overly excited when you reach the checkout counter. That one-time savings on a store credit card may not be worth it in the end. Think over your shopping habits and see if a cash back credit card is more suited for your needs. If so, you have plenty of them to choose from.

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Point Of Sale: Mobile CRM’s Next Battleground

Some brands have managed to pull themselves together to mobilize their online sites…that’s design them to be visually friendly to mobile users.

Earlier this month the quick-service restaurant debuted a new item on its menu…the Smoke Brisket Sandwich…with a campaign that involved a number of social media components. Included among those were a game that awards points based on a customer’s tweets, the online challenges he or she wins and the photos uploaded to Instagram.

It starts with a purchase of the sandwich at an Arby’s outlet. When the customers receives her receipt she takes a picture of it and uploads it to  mobile site PunchTab created for the campaign.

What sets this campaign apart from many others is that it is coordinated at the point of sale.

For this campaign, PunchTab created  mobile Web onto which Arby’s customers upload a receipt. When users make a purchase, they can take a picture of their receipt and submit it via the mobile website. From there, points are dispersed, the players advance…and hopefully, return to Arby’s for more purchases, err, points.

Helping Business

There’s definitely been a trend in the POS and payments industry to add value offerings by helping businesses better understand their customers. This trend is built on the wealth of transactional data being collected by POS and payments companies, and the goal is to present simplified consumer behavior analyses that can be used by merchants to generate more revenue.

Looking ahead, more and more retailers will understand the value that capturing this customer data can unlock for this business, and will put the software in place to tap into a customer’s purchase history and thus their preferences.

Now the focus is on salespeople delivering a personalized experience to customers. The next stage, will focus on extending to individual customers the inside track on new products that will appeal to them and complement or replace things they have previously purchased.

Pimping Out The POS    

Engaging with the customer at the point of sale is hardly a new idea. It certainly is an established practice in traditional brick and mortar operations…think credit card solicitations and offers for loyalty points and cards…as we all as e-commerce sites, where a customer is usually presented with several offers before the checkout is complete.

Now CRM is making its way into the mobile POS and customers are finding that there are a number of unique benefits to the model.

In the case of PunchTab, it ties the receipt-scanning functionality that doesn’t require an app…not to mention several other benefits to the system.

For example, Marketers get greater insight into purchasing behavior because a receipt is usually involved. Consumers are right there and thinking about the campaign…which they wouldn’t necessarily be when they got home to go online, and it is relatively easy system to set up.

Arby’s for example, has 40 POS systems and because it is a franchise, it requires coordinating with multiple owners. For them, mobile is the best and easiest way to engage with customers at the point of sale.

Real-Time Offers         

Other companies…such as Groupon with its Breadcrumb mobile app…are adding even more advanced CRM capabilities, such as reporting at the mobile point of sale.

It is a growing trend for all mobile applications and most especially apps in the mobile POS to bring more CRM capabilities into their service platform.

Eventually, some of these CRM-infused mobile POS systems will be able to make offers in real time to customers based on their purchase at the moment and accumulated knowledge about the preferences of other customers that make similar purchases. Example it might be noted that in 20 percent of all purchases of a particular type of coffee the customer also purchase a biscotti, then the server can offer up the option as a reminder for purchase/order.

The example assumes the mobile POS system has access to customer data about purchase and preferences…which is somewhat rare now, but a trend gaining momentum.

Posted in Credit card Processing, e-commerce & m-commerce, Electronic Payments, Internet Payment Gateway, Mobile Payments, Mobile Point of Sale, Point of Sale Tagged with: app, awards, brick and mortar, crm, customers, data, design, franchise, functionality, mobile, mobile pos, mobilize, online, payments, payments industry, point of sale, points, POS, purchase/order, purchases, receipt, receipt-scanning, restaurant, retailers, revenue, social media, transactional, uploaded, users, web, website

AmEx Cardholders can now pay with reward points for New York taxi fares.

American Express cardmembers can now use their accumulated loyalty points to pay for taxi fares in New York City through a partnership with VeriFone.

The programme will roll out on VeriFone’s in-taxi devices that process more than 200,000 payments a day in more than 7000 cabs throughout NYC.

Leslie Berland, senior vice president, digital partnerships and development at American Express, says: “With this announcement, we’re leveraging our unique technology to bring it to life at the most critical commerce touchpoint – the physical point of sale.”

The integration is currently limited to New York taxis, but it doesn’t take a great stretch of the imagination to see it expanded to include other VeriFone point-of-sale systems.

At the end of the ride, AmEx members who have chosen to pay by card will be given the option to use points for their ride fare, including tip and tolls.

Posted in Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments, Gift & Loyalty Card Processing, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: American Express, amex, card, cardholders, cardmembers, commerce, devices, digital, fares, integration, loyalty, new york, nyc, partnership, payments, point of sale, points, reward, systems, taxi, tip, tolls, touchpoint, verifone