Use Your Debit Card to Save Money While Holiday Shopping.

By Destiny Voth – AVP, Retail Manager | Estimated read time: 2 minutes

3 Ways Using Your Debit Card Can Help You Save Money:

If you want to make holiday gift-giving more joyful (and less stressful), sticking to your holiday budget can help you worry less about money and focus more on the moments that matter. And using a debit card instead of a credit card on things like gifts, travel, food and experiences can reduce your expenses, too. Here’s how:

1. Avoid surcharge fees and interest

   Don’t waste your holiday budget on credit card surcharges or interest. As costs continue to rise, more stores and restaurants are passing along credit card surcharge fees to consumers. At 3 to 5%, these fees can really add up. But in the U.S., surcharges are not allowed on debit card transactions.

   Plus, with an average APR of 22% on outstanding credit card balances, according to the Federal Reserve, do you really want to risk adding another $99 to the price of that new video game system?

2. Earn cash back

   Some debit cards (like Gate City Bank’s card!) let you earn points you can redeem for rewards¹ like travel, gift cards or even cash back. So you can spend the cash back you’ve already earned on the holidays – and enjoy shopping, knowing the money you spend now will help you earn points toward future rewards!