Wal-Mart Shopping Card

. Yesterday I wrote about the problems I have had using the Wal-Mart shopping card in the do-it-yourself scanners. Since the shopping card causes so many problems maybe you are wondering why I bother with it. I found a very compelling reason to use the shopping card. I am a frequent flyer mileage hound. I use my Amex to get Starwood hotel Starpoints or a Citibank MasterCard to get American Airlines AAdvantage miles. The problem is Sam's Club does not accept Amex or MasterCard. I figured out that I could get a shopping card at Wal-Mart by charging it on the Amex or MasterCard. Then I can shop at Sam's Club and still get Starpoints or AAdvantage miles.

Once a month the day after the closing date on my credit card I go to Wal-Mart and have the card reloaded. Then I use the card for all of my shopping at Sam's and Wal-Mart. This has proved to be an effective budgeting tool for me. At the end of the month when the balance on the card is low I cut back on my spending. Of course I could always use cash or my credit cards at Wal-Mart but I have set up a psychological barrier for myself.

When the card works correctly at Wal-Mart, it is the fastest way to check out. It just takes a single swipe. No signature or pin is required, and there is no waiting for the cashier to make change. There is a danger with using the shopping card that if the card is lost or stolen, it is just like cash. Anyone could use the card. Wal-Mart does provide a telephone number where a lost card can be reported; but if someone uses the card before it is reported there is no way to recover. Every receipt from Wal-Mart or Sam's shows the remaining balance on the card. You can also check your balance via telephone or online at walmart.com.

One time the magnetic strip on the back of the card was corrupted. I had been using the same shopping card for more than a year. Unfortunately the printed numbers on the back of the card had also worn off. Fortunately I saved the receipts I get when the card is reloaded. They are the only ones that have the entire card number printed on them. I had to go home get my receipt and then go back to Wal-Mart and have the balance transferred to a new card. Since then whenever I use the entire amount on the card I let the cashier keep the card, and then start over with a brand new card.

There is one more advantage to using the Wal-Mart shopping card. If you buy gasoline at a Wal-Mart and use the card to pay, they give a 3 cent/gal. discount. I only checked one time, but at that time Sam's Club was still 1 cent/gal. less on their gasoline than Wal-Mart. I usually fill up my car at Sam's.

The newer Wal-Mart shopping cards have a pin on the back. You have to scrape off a silver coating to reveal the pin. The pin is required if you use the shopping card online at walmart.com or samsclub.com. I have purchased from both of the web sites and used the shopping card as payment with no problems.