How do you pay for your groceries?

[patrenia]

I use my debit card to buy groceries and record the transactions on the spot saving time, money and energy. No doubt debit cards have been a great invention (at least for most people).

[YISave]

I use cash but I'm missing alot of opportunities to adding to my points on my credit card. My bank's card also gives you up to 3% when you use their card as a debit or credit card. Most of us would consider ourselves fortunate to get 3% on our money today.

[asmom]

I use a credit card no matter how small the purchase.

[rob62521]

Even then, I'd use a CC for the safety and convenience and tracking purposes. Cash has no advantage. CC has lots, even without rewards.

Amen, brother! Not to mention it's quicker than a check!

[Paladin26]

Haven't wrote a check for awhile. Most times just debit and sometimes credit since I get cash back. The only reason I like to do debit is cuz I like to know that the money is coming right out. I don't like to pay it all back at the end of the month like I have to do on the CC.

[Slug]

I use a credit card no matter how small the purchase.

I have to agree. Schwab Invest First 2% back on everything. Why pay 100% when you can pay 98% and delay money leaving your account for a month?

[marvholly]

Depends. Right now I am still mostly using cash BUT if I am in a chain store I will be using my Discover card as the March deal is 5% back at Drug & grocery stores.

Real problem is that I VERY seldom shop at the chain groceries. Most of my shopping tends to be small independent ethnic and or fruit & veggie markets that are "classified" as other by cc companies, not grocery stores.

To keep me within budget if I do cc I save the receipt and put the real $$ in an envelope when I do get home so I have it to pay the cc bill.

[Jazzmint98]

I mostly use CC.

[feh]

Wow. Is this a chain or just a little mom and pop store? Do you live somewhere rural?

No, this is the largest grocery store in a medium sized city of several hundred thousand people.

But, it's not a chain, and it's employee-owned. It's a low-cost, warehouse type of place. I assume they just don't want to pay the transaction fees associated w/ credit cards.

[maat55]

Credit card, I pay in full for the cashback rewards.

[ken1706]

I should have mentioned that I now use my debit card instead of a credit card when I go grocery shopping.

The reason is that the debit card is giving more "rewards" than the credit cards. I'm having to make 10 debit card purchases a month to meet my high-yield reward checking account requirements. The reward checking is giving me about an extra 2% interest over internet savings accounts which comes out to be more money than 3% cash back on my grorcery purchases.

[PatientSaver]

all my life i've paid with cash for things like groceries, but am really making an effort to use my Amex more for groceries since i get 3% cash back.

[ken1706]

I thought it would be interesting to summarize the reasons given in this thread for the payment choices. I've added the summary at the top.

There are quite a few who pay with debit cards. I would be interested to know why people use debit cards rather than credit cards.

[YISave]

So true

[Homebody]

I know at Winco they just put in those little machines to use debit cards. I am trying to not use AMEX because I am afraid we don't pay attention. DH received $1800.00 in Winco gift certificates for his Christmas bonus so we are seeing how long it lasts. Then we just got our Amex rebate from Costco and put that on a cash card. I am seeing how long that lasts. Hopefully until we receive our Costco rebate!