Some of you may remember my little Target addiction that I kicked last year. It was painful, but it had to be done. My checking account thanks me.
Don’t get me wrong, there are deals to be had at Target. The ability to combine Target store coupons with manufacturer coupons can save you bundles!
My IRL friend and fellow blogger, Kami, recently discovered a free service that Target offers their loyal customers.
“I just stumbled upon an amazing little secret! Target has introduced a new check card that is exclusive to their stores. No, it’s NOT a credit card! It’s a debit card that you can use, just like writing a check, at Target stores. It is linked to your existing checking account and is PIN secure. And the best part is – you get rewards!!”
Let’s explore the Pros and Cons of the Target check card:
*Pros*
- Links to your existing checking account. Get up to $40 cash back with each purchase.
- Target Rewards – Shop RED. Get points. Reach 1,000. Get 10% off. Repeat.
- Target Pharmacy Rewards – Put your Rx on RED at Target and get a Target 10% off day.
- Take charge of education – Shop RED and Target will donate up to 1% of your purchases to the eligible K-12 school of your choice.
- Manage your REDcard online.
- Target will mail special offers and coupons directly to you.
- It’s absolutely FREE!!
*Cons*
- Links to your existing checking account. READ: DANGER!
- Rewards are a simple ploy that many stores incorporate to get you to spend money. You have to reach $1000 to see any benefit. OUCH!
- The Pharmacy Rewards require 10 prescriptions filled to see any benefit. Fill just 2 at CVS and receive an Extra Care Buck!
- Additional coupons may tempt you to make unplanned purchases for items you don’t necessarily need.
- While the school donation is nice, 1% is not much. Donate directly to the PTA at the school of your choice and receive the tax write off!
- May create a false sense of “needing” to shop at Target to earn rewards.
So… weigh in, readers! Is the Target Check card a worthy tool?
Personally, it would be a dangerous thing in the hands of a Target addict like myself. For others, like Kami, who sticks to her budget meticulously, it can be a good thing.
If you’re shopping at Target already, it can be a good thing, if you’re not it’s probably not worth it.
I shop, almost exclusively, at Target, it might benefit me if I didn’t already have a Target Redcard CC. My Target CC has a low limit and is paid off every month and I get the same rewards.
Wouldn’t be worth it to me because I don’t shop at Target much. If you are a regular Target shopping and don’t want to use a “credit” card it would probably worth it but you would still have to be careful about overspending!
I don’t shop at Target often enough to make this worthwhile. The closest one is about 35 minutes away. I prefer to keep my out-of-pocket low, so I wouldn’t reach the $1,000 in a whole year… or two… or three! I already earn points for using my NationalCity debit card, and I get ECBs at CVS for my prescriptions. I seem to get some Target coupons in the mail already too, so I don’t see a big benefit here. Maybe if you did the bulk of your grocery shopping at Target it might be worthwhile.
I don’t like the linking to the checking account either. No thank you! Plus I’m not good with my budget, so nope! not for me!
I’ll just keep using my Target Credit Card for my Target Shopping (which I pay off each month) and get the rewards.