In a recent survey, roughly 15% of U.S. retailers offer digital gift cards that are truly mobile—meaning they can be used immediately for a purchase via smartphone. A major growth spurt for mobile gift cards seems to be in the works. In the same survey, 61% of retailers said they plan on offering such cards in the next three years.
Smart Spending
3 Downsides to Back-to-School Sales Tax Holidays
This summer, 17 states are hosting sales tax holidays, down from a peak of 19 states holding such events in 2010. On the surface, the concept—in which states waive sales tax on many goods for back-to-school shopping …
The New Suze Orman? Rapper Slim Thug Writes a Personal Finance Book
Living within your means isn’t usually part of the bling-Bentley-and-Cristal lifestyle glamorized by rappers. But Houston rapper Slim Thug’s new personal finance book is loaded with tips on how to be smarter with your money. For …
The Best Time for Back-to-School Shopping
About 80 million American children – from preschool to college – will return to school in August or September, and between now and then, they will need to buy school supplies and clothes.
Retailers are hoping for even …
4 New Ways Travelers Are Being Tempted Into Spending More
Travelers naturally get agitated when they’re asked to pay for services that used to be provided at no extra charge—airline baggage fees being the most obvious example. While price hikes and new fees are rampant in the travel …
Is Summer the Season for Stockpiling Beer?
The world’s largest beer company recently confirmed that it’ll jack up prices on American beer drinkers this fall—just like it did last fall, and the fall before that. Do you detect a pattern? And do you think the pattern …
How to Support America and Drink Beer in the Same Gulp
Even though it’s been four years since the Belgium-based company InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch, a certain subset of consumers is still having a hard time swallowing the idea that Budweiser is not made by an American company. …
Last Gasp for the Stick Shift?
Sales of new manual-transmission cars are up significantly this year, on pace to hit the highest rate of stick shifts sold since 2006. That news must put smiles on the faces of the dwindling breed of drivers who prefer stick …
TV Prices Shrink — Yet Average TV Purchase Costs More
The longer technology is around, the cheaper products get for consumers. The price of a 32-inch flat-panel television, for instance, reached an all-time low average of $435 during the second quarter of 2012, down from $546 in the …
Why Kids Will Feel the Pinch on Back-to-School Duds
If any good came of the recession it was that individuals refocused their values and that families started discussing debt and what they could and could not truly afford. Psychologists predict it’s just a matter of time before …
Why We Stopped Buying Fast-Food Combo Meals
Bundling is everywhere: Insurance policies, TV and Internet connectivity and cellular service packages are ubiquitous. Yet the granddaddy of bundled purchases, the fast-food combo meal, has fallen out of favor. According to …
Can an Aluminum Truck Really Be Considered ‘Ford Tough’?
Ford’s F series truck, America’s best-selling vehicle for three decades running, has been successful largely because of its reputation for strength and durability. As the ads have said over and over, the truck is famously built …