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That makes cents
Sep. 12th, 2006 06:25 amI used to use my Starbucks card to get purchases at their establishment. That made it easy to keep track of how much I spent there.
A couple weeks ago, I accidentally gave them my Bank of America debit card instead. (The barista was hot, and I was anxious to whip it out.) The transaction went through (the debit card transaction, not the fantasy transaction), so I didn't think anything of it...until I looked online and saw my bank statement the next day.
I forgot about Bank of America's "keep the change" program. If you are signed up for this (you need a BOA debit card and also a BOA savings account), they take any debit card purchase and "mentally" round up and put the difference into your savings account. For example, if I make a purchase for $1.92, they'll debit my checking account for $1.92, but at the same time, they'll put 8¢ into my savings account. (They "give" me the 8 cents "for free.") Likewise, if I spend $1.01, they'll debit my checking account for $1.01 and give me 99¢ for my savings account. (This leads to creative math when figuring out a restaurant tip.)
Back to Starbucks. In SF, a grande coffee costs $1.65. Using my BOA debit card, that's 35¢ into my savings. A coffee refill is fifty cents (with an actual s on the end, mind you). That's 50¢ into my savings. Okay, so most people don't like their drip coffee. A grande non-fat latte costs $3.00. That's 0¢ into my savings; BUT, if I add a shot of sugarfree syrup, the cost is $3.30. That's 70¢ into my savings.
Just thought I'd pass that along to anyone else who has a Starbucks habit and uses the BOA "keep the change" program.
The only downfall (besides spending money there) is that my name is on the debit card. They kinda catch on that "Peggy"--the name I gave them when they ask--isn't my real name. (Just kidding. My fake Starbucks name is "Harry.")
A couple weeks ago, I accidentally gave them my Bank of America debit card instead. (The barista was hot, and I was anxious to whip it out.) The transaction went through (the debit card transaction, not the fantasy transaction), so I didn't think anything of it...until I looked online and saw my bank statement the next day.
I forgot about Bank of America's "keep the change" program. If you are signed up for this (you need a BOA debit card and also a BOA savings account), they take any debit card purchase and "mentally" round up and put the difference into your savings account. For example, if I make a purchase for $1.92, they'll debit my checking account for $1.92, but at the same time, they'll put 8¢ into my savings account. (They "give" me the 8 cents "for free.") Likewise, if I spend $1.01, they'll debit my checking account for $1.01 and give me 99¢ for my savings account. (This leads to creative math when figuring out a restaurant tip.)
Back to Starbucks. In SF, a grande coffee costs $1.65. Using my BOA debit card, that's 35¢ into my savings. A coffee refill is fifty cents (with an actual s on the end, mind you). That's 50¢ into my savings. Okay, so most people don't like their drip coffee. A grande non-fat latte costs $3.00. That's 0¢ into my savings; BUT, if I add a shot of sugarfree syrup, the cost is $3.30. That's 70¢ into my savings.
Just thought I'd pass that along to anyone else who has a Starbucks habit and uses the BOA "keep the change" program.
The only downfall (besides spending money there) is that my name is on the debit card. They kinda catch on that "Peggy"--the name I gave them when they ask--isn't my real name. (Just kidding. My fake Starbucks name is "Harry.")
