So I’m getting gas at ARCO and I see this credit card looking flyer and decided to grab it to see what it was. It works kinda like a PayPal Debit Card except this thing is linked directly to your checking account. The attraction is no longer being required to pay the 45¢ “convenience” fee per transaction whenever you purchase anything. It looks like a good idea… but I’m not necessarily convinced just yet…. but wait … there’s more! You also earn rewards† on the things that you purchase. For each dollar you spend using you PIN, you receive a point. If you purchase something using it as a Debit MasterCard, you receive 2 points for each dollar spent. They even have a Preferred version of the Debit MasterCard where you pay an annual fee of $24.95 and get double points. Sounds like a pretty good deal… no 45¢ fee anymore… get bonus points that turn into cash (currently $.001 per point otherwise known as .1¢). I will apply for one of these cards, but I just thought the fine print was humorous.

†Rewards are not earned for ampm, ARCO and non-ARCO gasoline brand purchases.