Top Payment Methods for Online Shopping...
In today’s online shopping world, there are more ways than ever to pay for your purchases and receive them in the mail – whether you’re buying from an online retailer or an individual with an eBay store. Which one should you choose? Here are four of the most popular payment methods for online shopping, and how they compare to each other.
Credit Cards
First of all, credit cards are great for online shopping because it’s really easy to make purchases with them. With a credit card you can complete an entire transaction in only a few clicks without having to create an account or fill out paperwork. However, you should be aware that there are some downsides to using credit cards for online shopping. The main downside is that some people may be uncomfortable about using their credit card online and prefer other payment methods instead. Also, if you’re a shopper who likes to take advantage of free shipping deals, then credit cards probably aren’t going to work out well since they tend not to have those types of offers available and shipping charges can significantly inflate your overall order total.
Gift Cards
Sure, you can use a credit card to buy anything online, but that doesn’t mean you should. Gift cards make it easy to pay with plastic—and harder to overspend. Instead of using your credit card to treat yourself during an online shopping splurge, why not pick up a gift card from your favorite store? Not only will you avoid taking on credit card debt (assuming you don’t go overboard), but many e-tailers offer extra incentives like free shipping or cash back when they’re used. And if that weren’t enough, many websites have programs specifically geared toward help busy parents save time and money; click here for a list of sites committed to helping families. Click here now!
Virtual Currency
What is virtual currency and how can it be used to make online shopping more accessible? With more and more people going online to shop, we’re seeing a huge shift in online payment methods. Virtual currency is a new way to shop online and it can save you money on almost everything you purchase – not just games! In addition, virtual currency offers better security than many traditional credit card processes. Let’s take a look at some of the top ways you can use virtual currency while shopping online.
Debit card
A reward point is a virtual currency that you earn from shopping online and then use to buy more products from sites such as Groupon, StubHub, eBay and Amazon. Reward points aren’t restricted to a single website; you can use them at multiple retailers who have partnered with your reward program. They offer an easy way to stretch your buying power without having to worry about carrying cash. To get started earning points
Cash on delivery
When it comes to online shopping payment methods, there’s nothing simpler than cash on delivery. This payment method is especially popular in Asia and Africa, where credit cards are less common. With cash on delivery, your order is shipped when you pay—the merchant sends your items with a shipping company (like FedEx or UPS) and you pay once they deliver. While it may seem sketchy at first (you're essentially paying after you get your order), it actually works well because you know that you’re getting what you ordered (and not just a box full of rocks). There are typically no chargebacks with cash on delivery and, if something goes wrong with your order, it's much easier to track down the merchant.
Reward points
The redemption or use of rewards points may vary slightly by merchant, but all reward programs generally allow shoppers to redeem their points online (either with a keystroke or scanning a barcode). Some merchants even let you pay using multiple rewards points at once. As an example, let’s look at how many points you might need to redeem $1: CVS allows 1,000 ExtraBucks Rewards Points to equal $1; and Target requires only 500 Red Card Reward Dollars to equal $1. For comparison, here are some popular payment methods and how many points they would take to equal $1: Discover card transactions = 1 point; PayPal transactions = 2 cents; Apple Pay = 5 cents; Google Wallet = 4 cents.