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Later in this email, find out why Clark wants you to stop buying Visa gift cards (and others) off the rack at retail stores. |
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💵 Today’s Top Stories |
| | It’s easy to compare prices. But there’s more to replacing your car battery than the cost of the battery itself. Our research shows these six places offer the best overall deals. Read more. |
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| | Clark trusts himself to manage his family’s valuables more than he trusts a bank. But just how common is it to lose safe deposit items due to bank mismanagement? Read more. |
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| | Get 5% cash back on credit card purchases without paying an annual fee. We’ll match you with a rewards card that fits your spending habits. Read more. |
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| | Going just took away a key feature from free members. Here’s why Clark thinks you should reach into your wallet and buy a membership. Read more. |
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💸 Today’s Top Savings Rates |
Check out our updated list of Clark.com-approved high-yield savings accounts with the highest rates. Here are the top five APYs on our list as of February 28, 2024. |
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See All Rates | High Yield Savings Accounts Calculator |
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🎁 Warning: Don’t Buy Gift Cards From Store Racks |
Clark is not a fan of gift cards. He thinks cash is always better as a gift. |
In addition to the obvious — gift cards often go unused, must be used at a specific store, can eventually expire — gift card scams often run rampant. |
Clark’s latest warning on the Feb. 15 podcast involves the Visa Vanilla eGift Card. These act like preloaded debit cards for the recipient. |
Visa loves these cards. As Clark often mentions, the “Visa-Mastercard cartel” charges high transaction fees. |
“So they want to create new products they can get in your hands and get more fees from,” Clark says. “Including the ‘Vanilla’ product which is in the news because of a class-action lawsuit against Visa.” |
Buying these cards from the rack inside a retail store is a no-no. Criminals grab stacks of them, the reporting alleges. They scrape off the back, find the PIN code, drain the money, paint them back and put them back in the store, Clark says. |
So when you go to use one that criminals have drained, there’s no money on it. |
“The criminals are helping themselves to a feast on other people’s money,” Clark says. |
“Until there’s proper security on gift cards out on display racks, do not buy them. Visa? Come on. Why aren’t you doing anything about it and being so cynical and disrespectful about other people’s money?” |
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📊 Stat of the Day |
🦷 $5.84: The average amount of money the tooth fairy leaves children these days, down 6% from a year ago. Children in the West get $8.54 while children in the Midwest get $3.63. About 20% of kids get a gift in addition to money. |
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💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals |
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🎙️ Podcast |
 | Full Show: Negotiate Your Bills and Investment Property Danger |
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When you receive a medical bill in the mail, do you just pay it? You have more options than you may think! Also, thousands of properties have been purchased just to rent them out on Airbnb, VRBO, or other short-term vacation sites. As much as Clark loves entrepreneurship, this can actually be very dangerous to your wallet. |
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☎️ Need Money Help? |
The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information. |
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