If you get rewards on your credit or debit card, check them before you do your Five Guys shop. Also, post which card has the discount and how much.

BB&T has 10% off using their debit card.

OOOOO, I had not heard of this discount! Thanks!

You are very welcome!

If you have a BB&T debit card, check under BB&T Deals and add it.

Chase Freedom has 5% off all restaurants for this quarter also, if that helps anyone.

Retail Me Not has a Chipotle coupon: buy an adult meal, get a kids meal for free.

BB&T has 10% back on a Potbelly purchase.

BB&T has 5% back on a Sweet Frog purchase.

I strongly advise against using a debit card for anything other than your banks ATM or location. I have had issues with identity theft like many others have, all from swiping my debit card at stores, gas stations, restaurants, etc.... If they get your CC info the resolution is easy and painless. If they empty your bank account it is a painful and exhausting recovery process.

isaiah, I'm so sorry you went through that experience!

I feel the opposite. I won't do a shop that requires cash because I don't get the protection of using my debit card. I highly advise using a debit card for everything!

I won't use cash or debit, I like using a credit card unless otherwise specified in guidelines.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2016 02:46AM by JASFLALMT.

[blogs.wsj.com] <-- outlines the pros and cons of CC vs debit. Decide based on what your risk tolerance allows for.

So you would rather risk your bank account is zeroed out over the protection of cash or a credit card? Why is using your debit card safest?

@HonnyBrown wrote:

isaiah, I'm so sorry you went through that experience!

I feel the opposite. I won't do a shop that requires cash because I don't get the protection of using my debit card. I highly advise using a debit card for everything!

Isaiah:
1st I am sorry you had your ID Stolen.

Now to clear up some misconceptions.
A credit card is the safest as you are only liable for $50 i fraudulent charges which most Credit Card Companies (Banks) will not charge you.
A debit card is is almost as safe as a credit card in that most banks will reverse any claimed fradulent charge right away and investigate. Yes there are a few who will wait and investigate first before reversing fraudulent charges. Now the risk is in if the bank decides nope the charges were not fraudulent then your out money on a debit card where a credit card you can refuse to pay and fight them as fraudulent.
Cash is still king and the only risk with cash is someone robs you.

I would also like to point out is using a debit or credit card online is safer than at a store or merchant or bank atm or gas pump. Skimmers are out there and easy to purchase. Do you see where your card goes when you hand it to waitress at a restaurant. It i quite easy for her to skim it then run it for your check and give you your card back with you none the wiser. Then there is the weekly security breach we see. You know this store data was hacked one week and another store the next.

Lastly The unfortunate thing about Identity theft is it is no longer how do I prevent it but rather how long before it happens to you. This does not mean don't take measures to protect yourself like shredding stuff with your name and ssn and never ever write a check.

Someone tried to clean out my savings account two years ago. Here is where it pays to have a very good bank. They froze my account and when I called, they opened it again. They said they caught it right away because it was not my pattern of usage. There were attempts to transfer huge amounts to someone's account, withdraw big bulk, etc I did not lose a single cent.

Most of my transactions are carried out with cash, unless I cannot use cash and have to use Interac. I always prefer cash transactions, though they said there is less protection with cash. I use credit card when I need protection for my purchase.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2016 06:32AM by risinghorizon.

I have taken advantage of bank opening shops to open and then maintain multiple shops. I limit my liability by keeping small amounts of money in some accounts, and then I used debit cards for those accounts when I do mystery shopping. If something goes wrong, the card is not tied to my main checking or savings account.

I suggest people do their own financial research then make an informed decision to best meet their needs. I would never take financial advice from an unknown name on a public forum. There are some posters in this forum who consistently give inaccurate information. Some of them do it for fun to mess with people; some do it out of pure ignorance. I am not naming names but it is pretty easy to figure out.

It is an interesting area of discussion. About ten years ago I orderd pizza online locally for delivery, paid online by Debit Card. A day later someone purchased three $50 prepaid phone cards online with my card. The merchant site did not require the code from the back of the card. The unexpected loss of funds caused a small ripple effect. Living paycheck to paycheck, with no credit cards, I had two small checks bounce leaving the account negative. I had no way to buy gas, let alone the Metro card I needed to commute to work. It took a while to fix everything, forcing me to deal with several creditors about the bounced check fees they wanted to charge me on top of "borrowing" cash to cover things.

Even if things are more quickly identified and resolved today, in most cases, my point is why risk comprising your personal bank accounts!?!? There are plenty of other options. Dealing with your bank account being compromised is typically a lot more stressful than a credit card.

isaiah, in my experience, thieves don't drain a bank account at once. They do a withdrawal of a few cents and increase the amount until the account is drained.

Because I monitor my account, I stop the fraud when the few cents posts. Then I get it back. Those pennies are mine.

Why is a debit card safest? In addition to the information Buffalo posted, any fraud under $750 is immediately returned to your account. If it's over $750, then an investigation has to be done.

With a credit card, the holder has to pay $50.

With cash, you have no protection.

@isaiah58 wrote:

So you would rather risk your bank account is zeroed out over the protection of cash or a credit card? Why is using your debit card safest?

@HonnyBrown wrote:

isaiah, I'm so sorry you went through that experience!

I feel the opposite. I won't do a shop that requires cash because I don't get the protection of using my debit card. I highly advise using a debit card for everything!

Sybil, a great place to start is by reading the disclosures that come with your account! They spell out what your rights are as a customer, and what protections the bank has to offer, legally.

@Sybil2 wrote:

I suggest people do their own financial research then make an informed decision to best meet their needs. I would never take financial advice from an unknown name on a public forum. There are some posters in this forum who consistently give inaccurate information. Some of them do it for fun to mess with people; some do it out of pure ignorance. I am not naming names but it is pretty easy to figure out.

I had some attempted fraudulent charges on two of my credit cards over the past 10 years. Neither time was I out any money. Period. None. Not $50, not .50 cents.

Fraud coverage aside. I don't know why you wouldn't take the float that a credit card offers you. Ok, if you can't control yourself, I'd understand but assuming you can - the float affords you some flexibility for the unexpected.

colon, it's rare that I do a shop where I need to get reimbursed. I primarily do apartments and banks.

I recently did an auto service shop. It came up a month before I was due to get my tires rotated. I jumped on it!

The grace period on my credit card is 30 days. The MSCs pay in two weeks to five months.

Did you mean to call the colonel "colon."

LOL!

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I had some attempted fraudulent charges on two of my credit cards over the past 10 years. Neither time was I out any money. Period. None. Not $50, not .50 cents.

Ditto. The credit card companies know who they want to keep as customers so they do not want to jeopardize that relationship.

@coloneltigh wrote:

Fraud coverage aside. I don't know why you wouldn't take the float that a credit card offers you. Ok, if you can't control yourself, I'd understand but assuming you can - the float affords you some flexibility for the unexpected.

I don't use credit cards as floaters; I use them for the points. I turn in my points every 3-6 months for fun trips and splurge items. And I don't have to write any reports or take photos of the receipts.

TIPS:
Having a great credit card company is another perk and another reason for having a good credit rating if you can swing it. My B of A Visa does have cash back rebates for as much as 10% in addition to the normal cash back or points they give. They currently offer an additional 10% on one of the shopped oil change places and also currently has extra cash back at Panera, Chili's , several Landry's places, Whole foods, Starbucks and some other well known places, not all restaurants. They did tell me you can get this cash back with a debit card as well but I have not tried that. You can also get free entry into over 200 museums across the country the 1st weekend of every month with a Bof A acct. I also use bill pay thru them with my checking acct. They reimburse fees if your check gets there beyond the date you have scheduled it for. I have had them call on both a late rent check and also to the DMV for a supposedly missing check for a parking ticket. In both cases the companies reversed the late fees and penalties when they got a call from B of A telling them the check had been sent on time.
My old Costco Am Ex card gave me credit when a hotel I booked charged me more than the emailed price they said they would charge me. I called Am Ex and they immediately returned the difference to me without even requiring a copy of the email with the lower price. I asked them a few months later if they ever recouped the difference and they said they didn't even try. It was less than $5 so I guess it was not worth their time.
So I am sticking with my credit cards for shops to earn a bit more. Most of the companies pay me back by the time my bill is due and no companies pay me back reimbursements fast enough if I use cash.

Certainly protecting yourself is the most important consideration when doing shops or just being out and about. I never carry more than $20 in cash just in case my purse is grabbed or I am held up. It used to be $10, but these days apparently a thief figures you are holding out if you don't have more than that.

I don't carry the debit/ATM cards issued by my banks unless I am going to use them on that trip. I don't carry gift cards unless I am going to use them on that trip. I do carry credit cards and there is a list of them at home including customer service phone numbers from the back of the cards so that should I have a purse snatch I can immediately call and stop stolen cards when I get home.

On July 4 someone started making charges all over town to a credit card that was still in my wallet. The fraud alert did not get set off until someone tried to use the card at a casino in New Mexico. Several charges were denied, several charges were pending. I got a phone call with the fraud alert and was asked for by name and whether I had an XYZ card ending in 1234. They then asked about the attempted charges that had been denied and I agreed they were not mine. They advised I go on line to check my account and call back if I saw any charges that were fraudulent. The card was stopped and reissued. I reported the charges already posted on line that I knew were not mine. They disappeared from my account the next day and about 6 months later I received an official letter that I was cleared of any possible liability for any of the erroneous charges. The whole process took less than an hour of my time.

My credit cards offer nice cash back bonuses and I certainly take advantage of them. Responsible use of my cards has built and sustained my credit score in the top of the spectrum. Paying off the cards completely when due means I incur no interest charges and I earn interest on my deposited money until the card is paid. A month's interest on $1000 at .5% is not worth getting excited about, but as rates rise it can become interesting.

@Flash wrote:

My credit cards offer nice cash back bonuses and I certainly take advantage of them. Responsible use of my cards has built and sustained my credit score in the top of the spectrum. Paying off the cards completely when due means I incur no interest charges and I earn interest on my deposited money until the card is paid. A month's interest on $1000 at .5% is not worth getting excited about, but as rates rise it can become interesting.

It will not become interesting until mortgage rates get back close to 20%.

@isaiah58 wrote:

So you would rather risk your bank account is zeroed out over the protection of cash or a credit card? Why is using your debit card safest?

@HonnyBrown wrote:

isaiah, I'm so sorry you went through that experience!

I feel the opposite. I won't do a shop that requires cash because I don't get the protection of using my debit card. I highly advise using a debit card for everything!

Loss protection shops you have to use cash (sometimes). You get receipt. I also use my debit card, no interest charged if they don't pay, it's really easier for me to track. I forgot to mention, my bank pays cash back for using debit card...win win.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2016 10:44PM by Irene_L.A..

Correct! When you use a debit card, you can get cash back; you have 60 days to file a claim; and you can track your expenses.

You can't do that easily with cash.

Am I missing something here? The side discussion is identity theft, using a debit versus credit card, and the difference between losing your money in your bank account versus a charge against your credit account.

Exactly how is paying by cash allowing an identity theft to occur and relive your cash or anything else?

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Correct! When you use a debit card, you can get cash back; you have 60 days to file a claim; and you can track your expenses.

You can't do that easily with cash.