I saw the commercials for Bank of America’s “Keep the Change” program, and have to say, “No, thanks.” Every time you spend money on your debit card they round it up, and move that money into a savings account. So in their example, if you spend $3.43 they debit your checking account $4.00 and put 57 cent toward savings. For the first three months, they will match it, so on a $25.01 purchase, they will match you 99 cents. But on a $100.99 purchase you are matched 1 cent. I’d guess the average match will be 50 cents or so, but once that full match ends and they match your round up by 5%, that means the match drops to 2 cents. Why bother? A good credit card will match 1-5% depending on the type of purchase you make. As far as I am concerned, debit cards make no sense. I understand how they work, I just don’t see why one would choose a debit card over a credit card.
Joe