I should save this for Friday

I should save this for Frugal Friday, but I don't want to!

We bank at a credit union, and we have two checking accounts tied to one member account. The CU only issues one debit card per member account, so one checking account is strictly a checks-only account.

I recently found out that Pay Pal issues debit cards. My Pay Pal account is tied to the checks-only checking account. It was quick and painless to apply for the Pay Pal card. Now I have debit cards for both accounts.

Here's the cool part. You take the sign up a step further to qualify for 1% rebates on purchase made with the debit card. I've raked in seven or eight dollars in rebates since I got the card about six weeks ago.

Bookkeeping can get a little tricky. Pay Pal takes the rebates and credits the next purchase, which sometimes muddies the reconciliation process. Say I went shopping one day and spent 13.99, 25.15, and 33.55. I would receive rebates of 14 cents, 25 cents, and 34 cents. My bank account would show a transfer for each purchase.

But! when my rebates post, I will have a credit of 73 cents. Next time I buy something, say... gasoline for 54.00, the transfer out of my bank account will only be 53.27. Sometimes it gets a little tricky matching everything up. The accountant in me loves it!

One percent may not seem like much, but it adds up over time. I love the concept!

Oh, did I mention it's free? No? Well, it's free!