Harbor Freight tools that DO suck

[Diggin It]

OK, so it's a DO:

1. To qualify for this offer you must apply and be approved for a new Harbor Freight Tools Credit Card. One-time 10% off will be applied at checkout to your fi rst purchase with the card unless your purchase qualifi es for and you choose an equal pay option, instead of the 10% off. Cannot be combined with earning reward points.
2. Earn 5 reward points for each $1 in net purchases charged to your Harbor Freight Tools Credit Card, and receive $5 in Harbor Freight Money for every 500 points earned.


If I read that right, for a $500 purchase, you get $5 to spend in the store instead of $50 real cash off with a 10% coupon or $100 real cash off with a 20% coupon..

 

[Ford850]

OK, so it's a DO:

1. To qualify for this offer you must apply and be approved for a new Harbor Freight Tools Credit Card. One-time 10% off will be applied at checkout to your fi rst purchase with the card unless your purchase qualifi es for and you choose an equal pay option, instead of the 10% off. Cannot be combined with earning reward points.
2. Earn 5 reward points for each $1 in net purchases charged to your Harbor Freight Tools Credit Card, and receive $5 in Harbor Freight Money for every 500 points earned.


If I read that right, for a $500 purchase, you get $5 to spend in the store instead of $50 real cash off with a 10% coupon or $100 real cash off with a 20% coupon..

Wow their advertising is misleading. They say "And you'll get 5% back in Harbor Freight Money** on all future purchases." But when you look up what the ** refers to, you ACTUALLY get 5% in point rewards, and then 1% HF money (rebates) on those points after the points reach 500. So 1% of 5%. That seems so low it can't be right, but here's some of the fine print below. Am I figuring that wrong?

2) Earn Reward Points. For every dollar ($1) in net purchases (merchandise purchased minus returns and adjustments) charged to your Harbor Freight Tools Credit Card at any Harbor Freight Tools store location in the United States, you will earn five (5) reward points. Promotional financing purchases are not eligible to earn reward points. For the purpose of calculating earned reward points, the daily net purchase total is rounded to the nearest whole dollar. For example: a net purchase of $1.49 earns 5 reward points, and a net purchase of $1.50 earns 10 reward points. If returns and adjustments exceed purchases in any billing statement period, this could result in a negative reward points balance.
3) Exchange Reward Points for Harbor Freight Money. For every 500 reward points in your rewards balance, you will receive $5 in Harbor Freight Money. You may see rewards or reward points advertised as percentage back on purchases (for example, 5% back in rewards) or as a dollar amount in Harbor Freight Money (for example, earn $5 in Harbor Freight Money for every 500 reward points or earn $5 in Harbor Freight Money for every $100 in eligible purchases) which is the same calculation of reward points and Harbor Freight Money as previously described, but expressed differently.
4) Receive Harbor Freight Money. When your net reward points balance equals or exceeds 500 reward points, you will be issued, within 1-2 billing cycles via your monthly billing statement, Harbor Freight Money certificates in $5 increments (up to a maximum of $25 per certificate) for every 500 reward points in your reward points balance (up to a maximum of 15 certificates issued with each billing statement). Your reward points balance will automatically be reduced by 500 reward points for every $5 in Harbor Freight Money issued to you. Any net reward points balance less than 500 in a billing cycle will be applied towards your net reward points balance in the next billing cycle."

 

[5030]

OK, so it's a DO:

1. To qualify for this offer you must apply and be approved for a new Harbor Freight Tools Credit Card. One-time 10% off will be applied at checkout to your fi rst purchase with the card unless your purchase qualifi es for and you choose an equal pay option, instead of the 10% off. Cannot be combined with earning reward points.
2. Earn 5 reward points for each $1 in net purchases charged to your Harbor Freight Tools Credit Card, and receive $5 in Harbor Freight Money for every 500 points earned.


If I read that right, for a $500 purchase, you get $5 to spend in the store instead of $50 real cash off with a 10% coupon or $100 real cash off with a 20% coupon..

I'd say you read it right. HF isn't going to give anything away they don't have to. The card is really a promotion to buy stuff and hope you don't pay in full every month so Synchrony can ding you at 22% or whatever the finance rate is...

Why I dumped my Cabelas card. The 'reward' points aren't worth it. I like my US Bank Kroger rewards card. We get vouchers for groceries plus a gas discount. Last time I filled up my buggy and the gas cans, I got 40 cents off a gallon and they have diesel as well.

Only one card now.

 

[California]

What about bank etransfer? No cost to you and depending on the bank the transfer only takes minutes. Email notification when it痴 done. All done on an app.

Approximately one third of my sales are done this way. The rest cash. NEVER checks.

A friend introduced us to another payment method that she said she learned from her hairdresser: Zellepay.com.

Zelle is a United States based digital payments network owned by Early Warning Services, a private financial services company owned by the banks Bank of America, BB&T, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo. (Wikipedia)

Its a phone app. Extremely simple, when you sign up you name the bank account it will draw from, and when the recipient gets their email, they name the account they want the funds delivered to. Limited to US banks on both ends. No fees!

We've used Zelle a few times now. It's far simpler than paper checks or going to the ATM for cash.

 

[dragoneggs]

My bank uses Zelle for electronic funds transfer. Works great, it's fast and free. Easy way to send money to your kids. Arrgh!!!

 

[reb]

Zelle sounds interesting. My concern is the possibility of someone getting access to my bank account. Wikipedia raises that possibility.

 

[Diggin It]

If YOU are on the web, somebody has the ability to gain access to your system and everything on it.

 

[California]

Zelle sounds interesting. My concern is the possibility of someone getting access to my bank account. Wikipedia raises that possibility.

We have Zelle linked to a credit union account that receives automatic deposit of SS and pension checks, has automatic pay of utilities, internet etc, and we use its ATM for cash to buy gas etc. The balance in that account is never very much. We don't have much at risk if someone hacks Zelle. Savings are elsewhere, in a Fidelity account that Zelle doesn't know about. I think this separation is the best way to use Zelle.

 

[Diggin It]

I see no purpose in 'services' like that. I make my interbank transfers via ACH. I use the bank's bill paying services for utilities I can't pay with a CC. If there's one they can't pay electronically, they create and mail a printed check. No cost to me.

 

[fried1765]

My bank uses Zelle for electronic funds transfer. Works great, it's fast and free. Easy way to send money to your kids. Arrgh!!!

My kids are WAY too old for me to send them money!
If they just hold tight for a short while, they will get everything.
No Zelle will be necessary.