Skip to content
Opinion
Alexis Leondis

Holiday Shoppers, Skip the Store Credit Cards

Last-minute checkout deals are so tempting. But most retailers don’t offer charge cards worth having.

Buy the merch, leave the plastic.

Buy the merch, leave the plastic.

Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg

As holiday shoppers head to the stores in search of Black Friday deals, they'll hear the familiar pitch: Would you like to save an extra 10% on your purchase today by opening a new credit card?

A discount dangled at the checkout counter is always tempting. Almost 70% of shoppers who have applied for a retail-branded card say they've done so impulsively. Holiday sticker-shock can make that 10% (or more) discount even more alluring.