How do you most often pay for in-person store purchases of $10 or less?

Say you forgot one ingredient for dinner at the store. The head of parsley you’re missing costs $3.02, how will you pay for it? Will you swipe your credit card? Debit card? Pay for it in cash?

In other words, how do you most often pay for store purchases that ring up $10 or less? Thanks for voting!

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Comments

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30 Comments

Dan
4 years ago

I’ve always tried to use cash if my purchase is under 10 bucks, but I’m learning that cash can slow down the procedure. Many places quit keeping adequate cash in the register and the cashiers sometimes have difficulty counting back change. Recently a cashier gave me 68 cents change. 3 pennies and 11 nickels. After I left, I wished that I had told him to keep it and use it for someone who might be a little short. Also, my bank encourages using my debit card by paying a high interest on the account if I use it a minimum number of times. It’s not much money, but it buys us a decent lunch one a month.

kat
4 years ago

i carry so little cash i almost always pay with card. if it is only a couple of bucks, i can handle it (usually). anything over $4 or $5 has to be credit.

Ron Brooks
4 years ago

I use my advantage 💳 from Canadian Tire for every purchase. If I spend over 2000.oo per month I get 10 cents per liter off on next month’s gas at Canadian Tire gas bar’s. One advantage of being Canadian

Bob P
4 years ago
Reply to  Ron Brooks

I use my Shell card and get 10-20 cents off all my gas without spending $2000.

David Telenko
4 years ago
Reply to  Ron Brooks

I use my AAA-VISA-BOA card it gives be 5% back on all fuel purchased at the pump!.
Snoopy

tom
4 years ago

Never charge insignificant amounts. If I don’t have the cash, I don’t need it.

Gigi R
4 years ago

Points !

David Stansbury
4 years ago

I’m one of those guys that is just better off with no cash in my pocket. Doesn’t matter how much it is, it’s gone by the end of the day. So I love using my debit card, except for the places that want a minimum of $5.00. I just walk out and go somewhere else. I don’t care what % they have to pay for credit/debit cards. Not my problem.

KellyR
4 years ago

What they pay in % may not be your problem, but be assured that you and I are paying that % in cost of goods.

Thomas D
4 years ago

Mom and pop store? I’ll find cash. Kohls,kroger etc, Discover card. I make( get back) over $30 a month. With the pandemic a lot of places only took cards, no cash

Joe
4 years ago
Reply to  Thomas D

I do the same, it’s amazing how much I get back every year. The key to making it work best is to pay off your credit card balance every month.

Tommy Molnar
4 years ago

There are still some places displaying that sign that says “Due to the coin shortage we cannot make change”. What coin shortage? I must have been napping that day.

MaryBe
4 years ago

My husband does all the shopping, if it’s a small amount he’ll pay cash. I hate handling money (who knows where its been??) so I always use my debit card

Jim
4 years ago

If you are a person who pays off the credit card in full every month, as we do, use a card that earns you some bonus and use it for everything permissible. It is also a great way to track your expenditures. We do airline points. For a card fee of $75 a year and $O interest payments, we have flown business class to Europe four times, as well as first class to Hawaii and Mexico several times.

John
4 years ago
Reply to  Jim

There are now 3 no yearly fee credit cards that give 2% cash back. Pay it off in full every month and it’s way better return than most investments.

Jim
4 years ago
Reply to  John

Excellent!

Kyle
4 years ago
Reply to  John

Yep – don’t know if they still offer it but my USAA Visa gives 2.5% of every purchase. No categories. Use it for most everything.

EXCEPT: Small business. When possible I will pay with cash at a small business as then they don’t have to pay the CC processing fee’s. Support Local.

Bugsy
4 years ago

I use a credit card for every purchase that accepts credit cards. For every cent I spend I get 1 to 5 % back. I use it as a savings for Christmas presents. You’d be amazed how it adds up.

Diane Mc
4 years ago

Use Apple Pay most often for all my charges no matter the amount.

Tom
4 years ago
Reply to  Diane Mc

Agree.

Ron Lane
4 years ago

Where ever possible and for whatever amount, I use my credit card that provides me with a small percentage kick back. It does add up and with today’s prices, we need all the help we can get.

Rich
4 years ago

CC nearly 100% of the time but tips are nearly 100% cash. CC bill paid off each month. haven’t carried a balance on any card since 1972 or 1973. p

Skip
4 years ago

I actually use both a debit card and credit card. We carry cash/coins for washer and dryer use and like others tips are left in cash.

KellyR
4 years ago

Ahh … the days when credit cards became so common. I remember establishments that one time gave a “discount” when you paid cash – so they did not have to pay the card processing fee. Not long ago we went to an Olive Garden where the server came to the table with a hand-held device for us to swipe our credit card. I handed him cash and he got really confused and evidently had to go somewhere to get change. He came back and handed me “change” that was $10.00 over what it should have been. I left the extra $10 on the table with traditional tip, in hopes that he would spend the 10 to get tutored in math. Paying cash at the register seems to confuse some cashiers. Life continues, for me, to become more confusing and amusing each day.

Ray
4 years ago

We use our Costco Executive Citi Credit Card for everything possible then pay it off every month. We have not paid cc interest for 40 years. We also get $500-$700 cash back each year so it works great for us.

Diane K
4 years ago

Swipe everything I can with my credit card, points, points, points! Then cash back at the end of the month. No credit card balance since I almost always pay off the charge when I get home. Using debit card is dangerous, you can always dispute a charge but with debit card they can clean your bank accounts out…. you never get that back!

Cathi
4 years ago

I use the card for most everything (pay off each month, get cash back etc). BUT if the business is a small operation I try to pay cash or check (I know!! so old fashion) to save them the cc fees.

Roy Davis
4 years ago

I prefer to pay cash especially with a Mom-N-Pop place of business. It saves them from paying an average transaction fee of 3-5%. With every transaction of credit or debit card you increase your risk of getting your number or identity stolen.

Neal Davis
4 years ago

Sometimes I lack cash, so then I use a credit card. However, given the percentage that stores pay credit card companies, I try to use cash always.

Roy Davis
4 years ago

I wonder how many responding totally missed the “$10 or less” part of the question. I have seen several places that said “no credit cards for less than $5” and some under $10. Ate at a diner in Carthage, Mo. that charged A 3% surcharge for credit and debit cards. Manager said it actually cost them more than that and they didn’t think it was fair for cash customers to pay more so others could get “cash back”.