What's in your financial arsenal this Black Friday?

[jaymacfla]

This year, I added the red card since they offer the opportunity to use the power of my Visa debit to utilize the 5 percent savings when merged with the Target Red Card Debit card. I had previously thought that there was only the charge card option.

 

What other cost saving measures are out there that work for you? I was also looking at my accounts and making sure everything is in order before the big day.

 

With that being said, here is a repost from last year on best preparation practices for the upcoming shopping season:

 

 

Yes, it is that time again! Time to check on your cards to see what you have, what you need and what is in need of replacing. Here are a few of the checks and suggestions listed below. Chime in with your own suggestions for a safe and sane shopping experience:

 

 

1: Check for worn out credit cards that are hard to swipe. If you need to use a bag trick to swipe, replace them now.

 

2: Replace any card that does not have a V chip where banks already use them and cut up the outdated one.

 

3: If you use a bank card/debit backed by Visa, find out the daily limits and change them if you can to suit your needs.

 

4: Call your financial institution and let them know that you will be purchasing items that are above your normal daily usage just before Black Friday so that they will have a record of it.

 

5. Know the limits and use the Bank card accordingly. Many people do not know about this and wrongly assume that debit and credit are the same. Use Credit and run the card again if the debit side does not work. (Rule 3)

 

6. Make sure your credit cards are paid up on time to avoid any denials. keep your credit-worthiness sound.

 

7. Use gift cards where practical and load them up to back up your plan in case your institutions servers are down. Check for expiration dates!

 

8. Use store credit cards (activated, of course) if you need to increase your spending power until the next payday where you plan to pay it off anyway. There are some instances where you can qualify for interest free purchases for certain items. Check the details carefully, as these fluctuate depending upon the price and promotion.

 

9. PayPal as a backup. You may be able to load up your PayPal business debit card (MasterCard) as yet another alternative.

 

10. Best Buy credit cards. There are two different ones offered and read the distinct difference between them. They can be used on more than just Best Buy and one is backed by Visa. You will also get bonus points if you activate the card within 14 days of Black Friday. (Rule 8)

 

11. Cash. A limited amount of cash is always required to bump that purchase or last minute purchases into the win column. How much you bring will depend upon your own personal needs and safety factors to consider. Always divide your cash up among family members if you can.

 

12. Receipts. Always keep your receipts and check them at the register. Get gift receipts where offered. 

[Bopeep]

Also, for online shopping - make sure your passwords are up to date. If they've expired or you've forgotten them, take care of that ahead of time.  And while you're there, make sure your credit card info is up to date at any and all websites you might be shopping at.  You don't want that must have item to sell out while you're looking for your purse.

[HanShotFirst]

Depending on when my November paydays fall, I will use mostly cash and the store cards.  If payday falls after Black Friday weekend then it's credit card/store cards combo.

 

I have $23 built up in Savings Catcher to use at Walmart.  Yay!    I also have a Red Card tied to my debit card so hoping to take advantage of that discount depending on the Target ad.  

 

In the next few days I will make any changes to my preferred payment method at Amazon and Best Buy and update as appropriate.  I will check and double check that I have those cards in my wallet for the CV number when asked online. 

[Peppermint]

I have my CC, cash and my shop kicks to cash in on BF!

 

 

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[speeddiva]

I have my Christmas club money, PayPal debit that will have cash back loaded to it, $101 in AmEx rewards, $40 JCP rewards, a Best Buy Visa and a whole pile of $20 cash cards from Carson’s/BonTon/Elder Beerman.

[tracy0504]

I signed up for Targets red card debit card about a month ago, I have shopkicks to cash in, my holiday funds were just deposited into my savings yesterday and whatever funds are left after bills from this month's pay checks...

 

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[jesusluvu]

Savings and cash. No CC or anything else. Once it's gone I going to sleep...yep...night night

[stewarta4]

We use our AmEx card for most all purchases. Absolutely love the cash back rewards...we always pay it off immediately so we never pay interest. Also have a Kohl's card for anything we will be purchasing from there. We have the Target Redcard debit card but I usually never have anything on my list from Target...it's there if I need it. Our PayPal account was compromised last month and someone from Russia took it upon them-self to purchase a $2,000 laptop  ...PayPal refunded us the money and we immediately closed our account with them...if it's that easy to gain access to the money in our checking account (even with all of PayPal's security features in place) I want no part of it...I know that's probably an overly excessive thing to do..but oh well. My biggest tip if you plan on making all of your purchases on a credit card like we are is to ALWAYS have the money set aside to immediately pay it off...you do not want to be paying interest on your good deals...or any purchases for that matter. 

[mgreen]

my main weapon this year is gift cards and points savings!!! I managed to amass $415 in target giftcards, several hundred from costco (when I bought my car) and over $200 from shopping rebate points (ibotta, checkout 51, etc.). I was also able to get 2 of the black friday deals on cell phones already which added another $300 in target giftcards! Used giftcards to buy one of my bigger items already on sale at target. Working out great so far. I also have paypal credit which would give me 6 months to pay for any large ticket items purchased online.

[Giraffe34]

I also got the Target debit Redcard, and I have gift cards from Target that I have been saving up to use. 

[starbeck96]

I got a prepaid VISA card from our credit union today.  I am about to activate it and add it to the few places I may buy online.  I don't want to use my debit card this year because of all the fraud going on.   I will use whatever is left on the card as I am out BF shopping and I will have some cash as well.

[budgetsRsexy]

I have my credit card and plan to use the rewards points I’ve already earned to pay off any purchases I make. I will also stop at the atm tomorrow to have some cash on hand as a back up plan.

 

 

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[Monstermile]

Cash. I've been working a mess of overtime for the last month. Not breaking out any credit cards this year. Giving the Kohls and Best Buy a break.

 

 

Tap'd from my 7+