To think member rewards or whatever it is called at McParts or wherever is not being fed to a giant database somewhere is naive, now on one hand it could be cause for paranoia, but on the other hand the amount of data is so overwhelming at this point there is not a process yet to amalgamate it all, not saying it is not in the future, dang us people that pay cash and .can not have our credit cards skimmed, or purchases tracked, for more point ads. \
Can’t forget I posted on this site about a jesus clip, naturally there was a web search first, the one for the trans line into the radiator, for weeks I got religious links in targeted advertising for religious videos of Jesus…
This is getting tedious… there is no benefit to paying cash now, the cat is already out of the bag. I already said that. The point I’m addressing is you seem to think there is no price you’re paying for using credit and you’re just gaming them with your rebates and not paying interest. But we’re all paying more in terms of increased pricing to account for the convenience of plastic. The only real winner is the credit card companies. They make money on every transaction…
No doubt @TwinTurbo. I recently renewed the tag on my car and there was a $3 fee for using a debit card. My bank showed the fee as a seperate transaction. The tag fee was less than $25.
NJ used to tack-on a “convenience fee” of a few bucks if you renewed your registration online, but I found out a few weeks ago that they no longer do that. Not having to go to the DMV, and also getting a (small) rebate on the registration fee that I charged to one of my credit cards, is a win-win.
I never claimed that price increases to cover the cost of credit card transactions aren’t already “baked-in” with pricing. My point is that if I failed to avail myself of hundreds of dollars of rebates per year, I would still be paying the same price to every merchant and every utility, but I would lose the rebates.
Yes, the banks and credit card companies know how to make money. There is no question regarding that reality, and there is also no question that the people who use cash instead of credit cards are–in effect–paying twice–once for the “baked-in” price increases to cover the cost of credit card transactions, and then once more by not availing themselves of the rebates that exist.
I think VDC and I think the same way. The cards are here to stay so why would you leave money on the table. Our bank also has a savings program tied to our online bill pay which gets us between 10 and 15 dollars each year.
I also have a problem with that advice That Dave Ramsey has to put your money in an envelope for daily expense’s. That is a good way to get knocked in the head in the store parking lot because someone saw you carrying cash.
How about RockAuto.com…? They seem to do just fine and I would rather buy from them online than Amazon, anytime. That being said, I prefer to first support my local auto parts stores (NAPA, etc. - not O’Reilly’s) if they have the parts in stock or can get them in a day or two.
I concur that Rock Auto seems to be on the right tack selling auto parts online. I’d use them more frequently if they’d waive the shipping fees for orders totaling over $50- $150. I’d also prefer not to have the items shipped to my home, but instead to a local business nearby where I could pick them up. Shipping to a home address brings on problems I don’t want, like theft if it is left there, and or I have to drive many miles in traffic to the UPS pick-up facility.
Shipping to a location other than the billing address is a red flag for identity theft. My problem is that Fed Ex in particular likes to drop my package off two streets down with the same house number. So I go over there to retrieve it. USPS does it too so I deliver their mail if its important like the bank statement, otherwise I make it a learning experience for the postperson. Problem is they are both in a nursing home now so not sure what would happen if I just went and took a box off their steps. A guy in town was filmed just doing that. Big as you please, walked up and grabbed the package and walked away. Waiting for someone to ID him. I do remember having to have a piece of jewelry for the wife shipped to work because they had to have a signature and I wouldn’t be home. So I had to alert the loading dock and the guy there signed for it. Huh. I guess there are risks regardless.
Two of my children live in the city, a very few blocks outside the business district. They have packages and important mail delivered to our house to make sure their stuff is properly delivered. The good news is that we get to see them more often.
Whenever I ordered any particularly valuable items, I made it a point to have them shipped to my workplace–which was a public high school. The only time that it really attracted the attention of the custodial staff was when I had a case of wine shipped there. You better believe that I loaded that stuff into my car immediately!
Yes, same around here. All government entities charge an extra fee if you use credit to pay your bills (excise, registrations, property taxes, fishing license, etc). They are simply passing those costs on to the consumer in a more visible way than retailers do and not punishing everyone en-mass…
What I don’t understand is when they charge a fee for debit transactions.
I buy from Rockauto occasionally but prefer Amazon for a couple reasons; I drank the Koolaid way back when and have a prime membership for many years now and 2- like Walmart, I can buy tires and a donut at the same time and place (one stop shopping).
I was going to mention that. Amazon locker. I don’t have a need for it…but I can understand if you live in a higher crime area or an apartment where they don’t have a package service.
Pssst… George… Shhhhh… Don’t tell anybody, but one can find 5% discount codes that work. It doesn’t sound like much, but it usually takes a bite out of (or covers) shipping. Besides, the prices are way lower than anywhere else and the parts are ready to ship, usually. I bought a FWD heavy-duty, wheel bearing/hub with ABS sensor, for $33.79. CSA
P.S. Rock Auto e-mailed me a code this morning because they like me.
Yeah I get the codes once in a while but they are usually only good for 30 days so have never used one.
Actually debit and credit cards use the same process through Visa, MC, etc. so that’s why they’re also included. Only difference is one is a positive balance and the other a negative that they have to send a statement on.
They have things figured out, for sure!