Can you believe it's almost time for another new school year? As summer break is winding down, we want to share some helpful tips for spending wisely while back-to-school shopping!
Take a look at these 3 shopping tips to help you keep more money in your pocket:
#1: Know Before You GoBefore you hit the stores, it's important to set a budget for back-to-school shopping. If you don't have a plan and spending limit, it can be easy to get distracted by impulse purchases that aren't really essential for students. While you're at it, check for upcoming sales, coupons and discounts from your go-to stores. Taking advantage of the tax-free weekend (Ohio's has been extended through August 8, 2024) can be another great way to save! #2: Reuse & RecycleBack-to-school shopping doesn't have to mean starting from scratch. Chances are, you have some gently-loved supplies around your home that can still be put to good use. Examples might include backpacks, lunch bags, pencils, pencil cases, binders, folders, scissors, glue sticks and notebooks with blank pages to spare. Older siblings may be able to pass down some clothing and supplies to younger ones, providing a little extra wiggle room in your budget. #3: Make Shopping Easier with Your Debit Card and Mobile WalletMaking a budget, tracking your spending and even paying at the register is faster, safer and easier when you use your debit card! Debit cards offer the same cashless convenience as a credit card, except the money comes directly from your checking account (not a lender). In this way, debit cards make it easier to avoid spending more than you can afford.Helpful Tip: If you have a Wright-Patt Credit Union® (WPCU®) Visa® Debit Card, you can add your card to your Mobile Wallet right on your smartphone. This allows you to make touch-free payments anywhere you see the Tap to Pay symbol. Because a mobile wallet does not store your actual card number, it helps you stay secure. Plus, whether you're shopping in-store or online, your WPCU debit card purchases are covered by Visa® Zero Liability built-in fraud protection.*
Before you hit the stores, it's important to set a budget for back-to-school shopping. If you don't have a plan and spending limit, it can be easy to get distracted by impulse purchases that aren't really essential for students.
While you're at it, check for upcoming sales, coupons and discounts from your go-to stores. Taking advantage of the tax-free weekend (Ohio's has been extended through August 8, 2024) can be another great way to save!
Back-to-school shopping doesn't have to mean starting from scratch. Chances are, you have some gently-loved supplies around your home that can still be put to good use. Examples might include backpacks, lunch bags, pencils, pencil cases, binders, folders, scissors, glue sticks and notebooks with blank pages to spare.
Older siblings may be able to pass down some clothing and supplies to younger ones, providing a little extra wiggle room in your budget.
Making a budget, tracking your spending and even paying at the register is faster, safer and easier when you use your debit card!
Debit cards offer the same cashless convenience as a credit card, except the money comes directly from your checking account (not a lender). In this way, debit cards make it easier to avoid spending more than you can afford.
Helpful Tip: If you have a Wright-Patt Credit Union® (WPCU®) Visa® Debit Card, you can add your card to your Mobile Wallet right on your smartphone. This allows you to make touch-free payments anywhere you see the Tap to Pay symbol.
Because a mobile wallet does not store your actual card number, it helps you stay secure. Plus, whether you're shopping in-store or online, your WPCU debit card purchases are covered by Visa® Zero Liability built-in fraud protection.*
When you open an EasySaver® account, every purchase you make with your WPCU debit card is rounded up to the nearest dollar and the difference is deposited to your EasySaver account.^
It's the easy way to add savings with every purchase as you shop for back-to-school!
P.S. Looking for a Checking Account with a Debit Card?
WPCU offers a range of checking accounts, including our Totally Fair Checking® account, which has no hassles, surprises or hidden fees. Open a checking account online or visit your nearest Member Center to talk to a Financial Coach about which checking account is right for you!
*VISA ZERO LIABILITY POLICY. This policy protects you from unauthorized charges if your card is lost or stolen. However, you should always use care in protecting your Card. You must notify us immediately and assist us in our investigation if your card is lost or stolen, or if you believe someone is using your card without your permission. Visa’s Zero Liability Policy does not apply to certain commercial cards, anonymous prepaid card transactions, or transactions not processed by Visa.^When you open an EasySaver® account, Wright-Patt Credit Union (WPCU), on a daily basis, will round up the amount of each debit card purchase posted to your checking account to the next whole dollar amount and transfer the total excess amount from your checking account to your EasySaver® account. WPCU will aggregate the rounded-up amounts from purchases that post to your checking account each business day and make a single transfer (“daily round-up transfer”) at the end of the business day. If on a business day you do not have sufficient available funds in your checking account, or if any transaction has overdrawn your checking account, we do not round up purchases posted on that business day and we cancel the daily round-up transfer for that day. If your debit card purchase is subsequently cancelled or reversed, such as a returned purchase, the corresponding daily round-up transfer will remain in the EasySaver® account. Refunded or adjustment transactions will not be rounded-up. WPCU will match 50% of the daily round-up transfers that post to the EasySaver® account in the first 30 days after enrolling in the program. This 30-day period begins when the first daily round-up transfer posts to the EasySaver® account. After the first 30-day period, WPCU will match 5% of the daily round-up transfers that post to the EasySaver® account. To receive the Credit Union Match (“CU match”), you must have an open EasySaver® account, be enrolled in the EasySaver Debit Card Program and enrolled to receive eStatements, at the time of quarterly match. The CU match amount will be credited to the EasySaver® account at the end of each calendar quarter in an amount based on the applicable percentage of the accumulated daily round-up transfers for that calendar quarter or the actual balance in the account at the end of the calendar quarter, whichever is less. The annual cap on the CU match amount is $300.00. The annual amount of the CU match will be reported to the IRS on Form 1099-MISC. If you close your EasySaver® account before the CU match amount is posted to the savings, you will not receive the CU match for that calendar quarter. The minimum balance to open an Easysaver® account is $0.00. The minimum balance to open an EasySaver® is in addition to the purchase of one $5.00 membership share required to be maintained in your TrueSaver™. The EasySaver® account is a variable-rate account. The Credit Union reserves the right to cancel or modify the EasySaver® account at any time, at its sole discretion. Only transactions posted to your account as debit card purchases are eligible. The Credit Union does not control whether a transaction is processed as a debit card transaction and is not responsible for how the merchant or any network processes a transaction. For additional account information about the EasySaver account, please visit EasySaver Truth-in-Savings Disclosure.