40 Expensive Things Whose High Price Tags Don’t Make Any Sense At All, As Shared By Folks In This Online Group
Many people, many minds. Especially when it comes to something as important as money and pricing. At different moments in our lives, we might believe some things are way too expensive, and then a situation may come when we feel like Shakespeare's King Richard claiming: "My Kingdom for a horse!"
In fact, every person has their own ideas about what is cheap, what is expensive and what should actually be cheap but at the same time, for some reason, costs as much as a private jet. You definitely don't need to be a PhD in economics to form your own mind on this.
There's a thread on Reddit where people try to figure out which things are actually too expensive for no particular reason. It is really popular with more than 22.3k upvotes and over 18.3k comments.
BoredPanda made a curated list with the most popular and witty opinions for you. So feel free to scroll down and have a good time reading, watching and of course commenting. After all, as we have told before: many people, many minds...
More Info: Reddit
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Insulin
Since this is getting unexpected visibility, editing to add: Don't forget to check for manufacturers' Patient Assistance Programs, pharmacy discount cards, and goodrx.com for ways to bring the price down (in the U.S.)
Jane_Flowers69 told:
Dental care.
magikot9 agreed:
Me: breaks bone
Insurance: we cover that.
Me: breaks tooth
Insurance: sorry, but you didn't buy our Premium Bitey Bones package.
My sister has been struggling for decades because of this. She is lacking an enzyme that keeps her teeth healthy, and has spent tens of thousands of dollars over the years, trying to save them.
-eDgAR- said:
College textbooks.
I had a professor that was really against the college textbook industry and said it was a huge scam, so for the class I took with him he used a textbook that he wrote and provided a PDF version of it for free to all of us.
lilephant replied:
I had one require a book that he wrote himself….. but it wasn’t free and actually was similar in price to others. Ironically he was my ethics professor.
My Professor of economy gave us a 50 % off of his self written textbooks and allowed everyone not able or willing to pay the 50 % off to copy his books for use in his lectures (way before PDFs were a thing).
I honestly can't believe that nowhere in this post as of right now can EDUCATION be found. Now, college doesn't have to be free, but recently the prices have gone through the roof and based on this post, it seems to have been normalized.
Again, depends where. My kids can go onto further education for free in Scotland. Yeah they'd need a job for living expenses but everyone does unless their parents are taking care of them
knockfart told:
Funerals
ur_canadian_brudda replied:
Hi, I install and maintain headstones for a living. Preplan and PREPAY FOR THAT SH*T. Or at least make a will. It saves so much arguing later.
Almost nobody wants a gazillion dollars spent, but for some reason grieving peeps always feel like the $5500 casket that gets buried seems like a better deal than the pine box.
I have already arranged to donate my body to science... I don't care what they do with it, since I won't be needing it any longer. They cremate what is left and return the cremains. I have arranged to have those placed in a completely organic cemetery, in the middle of a 21000 acre nature preserve, where a small brass plaque and a tree will commemorate my passing. Total cost, about $350 and all arrangements are already made and paid for.
Because of inflation at the moment it feels like everything. Why do I have to pay so much for food? Why is the gas so expensive? How will I keep sustaining my car? Will my wife and I ever own a home? It’s debilitating man
My heart really goes out to people just starting out these days. It was hard enough in my day, but things are almost impossible now. I think people will really need to turn out and make changes at the voting booth... trump undid a lot of the consumer protections Obama put in place, and without them, the rich get even richer (and not taxed, if the republicans have anything to say about it).
Feminine hygiene products.
There is no reason to spend 30 bucks a month for something that isn’t even my choice.
I don’t want to bleed for 7-10 days . If I could I would just rip out my ute**s.
Edit: for all the people out there suggesting me stuff thank you but I don’t need it anymore. I got the IUD 3 years ago and I hardly bleed. I just use a panty liner now and it’s super cheap. This was just how much I use to spend back when I bought pads and tampons (I had to use both …. Very heavy flow )
Glasses! I saw an interview on 20:20 or some news show and the brand name frames rep they were talking to, when asked why they charge so much for things that cost so little to produce, roughly responded “the glasses are worth what people are willing to pay for them 🤷🏻♂️”
You can request a copy of your prescription and buy online. http://zennioptical.com is really good. And if you have any old pairs of glasses you like the look of, they can put new lenses in for far cheaper.
emik7133 said:
Diamonds. Complete scam.
ThePlooker answered:
Yeah, I came to say this. Ya beat me to it. If it wasn't for DeBeers, diamonds would be about $20 per carat.
I love diamonds but we are saving to pay off our debts so my engagement ring is moissanite. It's 1 carat, white gold and cost £60! It's absolutely beautiful, you cannot tell the difference and its so much more ethical.
splitting_bullets said:
Housing. Everyone needs one, birth rates are predictable, people are better utilized when housed and not struggling too much
Unsteady_Tempo answered:
The lack of affordable housing is the consequence and failure of cities/counties not being more proactive in creating zoning laws that would require more density in new construction, fewer short term rental permits of non owner occupied homes, and limits on for-profit ownership of more than a few single family structures.
Housing is such a volatile market lately... and prices just keep climbing. The lack of low cost homes and rental accommodations makes a real difference in quality of life for ALL of us. Cities who can't house their workers become dangerous for everyone...especially the people experiencing homelessness who are often preyed upon.
shadysamonthelamb wrote:
The grocery bill is killing us. I feel like I get 5 things and somehow it's $50.
Dear_Program6355 replied:
You get to buy things?
I step in a supermarket, buy nothing, and somehow I've spent $50.
It's like the joke I heard recently... I spent $38 on apples at Whole Foods, and then I dropped them both!
Gr8_Ape_7 said:
NFT.....its a monkey
imvital replied:
You misspelled “money laundering”
Being healthy. Eating right cost more, gym and exercise time money time and commitment. This should be encouraged and supported not dragged down with extra cost.
There's a chain of gyms in Quebec that actually gives you a rebate on your gym membership for actually using your membership. If you got a 1 year membership and went 4x a week, it's like 30% they give you back
DanTheTerrible wrote:
E-books.
OneGoodRib answered:
Oh that's a good one. I get that just because it's a digital item that doesn't mean the author and publisher shouldn't make money off it, but it makes no f**king sense for the ebook to be $2 less than the hardcover. There's significantly less costs to the publishers with ebooks, why do they cost so much?? It's so f**king annoying to go on Amazon and it's like "$36 new hardback, $30 new paperback, $28 ebook, $10 used hardback". Why would I want the ebook when it's that expensive?! And I saw this as someone who is incredibly low on space for books and who doesn't even mind reading ebooks.
This. Why am I spending $12 on the Kindle book when I can spend $5 to get a used paperback? You're screwing up your own business model, people; I guarantee it costs more for them to ship me a hard copy, sharing some percentage of the price with whatever third-party seller I picked, than to download a file to my device, which I also bought from them.
pghreddit wrote:
Hearing aids.
Zelda_cat22 agreed:
As an audiologist, I 100% agree! Unfortunately the prices are the way they are due to two problems. One is most clinics “bundle” services. This is mostly because insurance doesn’t like to pay for our testing or rehabilitation/counseling we provide. Also-if you’re a small clinic the manufactures that make the hearing aids sell them at a higher price to you. For example, a small office might pay $1,500 for a pair of hearing aids. Whereas Costco, who can buy a lot more, only pays $100 for the same hearing aids. Its sucks because to become an audiologist you have to get a doctorate. You go through all that schooling just to end up “selling” hearing aids. One of the biggest reasons why I’m not practicing right now.
why are the most necessary and needed things that expensive? because we can't affort not to buy them?
It's what we call a "captive market", specifically a demand-side captive market: the number of buyers is very limited but for all intents and purposes needs the product to survive. When regulation doesn't step in, suppliers in a captive market of any kind will charge excessive prices and reap huge profits. A supply-side captive market is what a monopoly or oligopoly is, and has the same results of course.
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Again, one word: Costco. Their service is readily available, and superb. My K10 model is actually a major brand for half the cost. Don't fall for the cheap ads. They'll be a fraction of the quality and features.
Jeezzz... Seriously so bad is the healthcare in USA?... if it wasn't because of the political corruption or crime rates, I really would go back to my country (Colombia). I can't even believe that my country ranks 22 out of 192 as one of the best healthcare systems, while USA ranks 37 🤦🏻♂️
My mother-in-law has spent thousands and hearing aids are not that great for a lot of people
A good hearing aid (both sides), which includes standard technics like bluetooth or usb/ inductive recharging costs me minimum 12.000 USD- health care covers 2.000 USD Insurance of loss etc not included- life durance about 6-10 years If someone needs glasses too he is absolutely f*cked off
Wow. I heard that soon, medicare will pay for hearing aids, how does this affect the whole process?
In Finland you get hearing aids absolutely free, we only need to pay for the batteries. That's just excellent 👍!
I had my ENT recommend a cheap crap hearing aid. I looked up the stuff online and found a place that carried what I wanted instead. Next time, I will head for COSTCO because they carry the same brand at a cheaper price. But it still irks me that medical insurance will not pay a thing for hearing aids. Like if you can't hear, you can't be a very productive member of society so why isn't it covered?
Hearing aids that don't work! Just make the background noise louder :-(
Yumiko, YES ! Prescription drugs, dental work, healthcare. The list goes on!
Thank you for that enlightening explanation! As a person who will soon need hearing aids,I appreciate the information very much.
Mom was told hearing aids wouldn't do any good. She needed to have a "screw" put in the side of her head and "tuned". $$$. Course she didn't. We ended up getting her a "hearing amplifier" cost 30.00 from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Worked very well for her
In Australia, if you have a pension card, you can get them free- this doesn't help people who are young enough or otherwise healthy enough not to receive a pension, and that's when the cost mounts up!
People need to hear, and others take advantage of that. It's the people with the resources taking a bad advantage of people in need, similar to feudalism.
Running for office in America.
The cost to run a successful campaign in America for virtually any state level or higher political office is simply unattainable for the common person and prices out anyone but the ruling class of oligarchs and those with connections to it. Sure there examples of candidates outside the typical wealthy and ingrained political establishment, but they are the rare exception, not the rule.
With US House races costing over $2 million and Senate races costing over $16 million the average person, no matter how well educated and how well qualified, is automatically eliminated without a vast amount of personal wealth or connections to the individuals, corporations, and parties that do hold that power. So the halls of congress and the seat of power is never filled with our best and brightest, but instead those with the wealth to attain that power and the conviction to maintain that status quo at virtually any cost to the people.
This is a big part of the reason campaign reform is so important... nice normal people can't successfully run most of the time.
Drugs. They say it's to pay for R&D but there were meeting minutes leaked from a big pharmaceutical company where they were like how much should we charge for this drug? $20? How about $50? Why not $100? Why not $300??? So they went with $300/pill.
The real kicker here is that most R&D is funded by the NIH, or in other words OUR TAX DOLLARS. This needs to end ASAP
Fresh fruits and veggies in comparison to a McDouble
It amazes me, not being American, that it does cost so much less for junk food there than fresh food!
Buying and/or selling a house. There are so many people with their hands out that literally push paper and make a few phone calls. Total scam
And it's always a percentage of the selling price. Right, I'm sure the work is twice as hard when the price is twice as high.
PH0T0Nman said:
Adobe Products.
It’s a massive scam that they switched to a monthly fee as it’s killed any incentive for them to make meaningful improvements and they kill or buy up any competitors
_Dague_ replied:
Someone tweeted about pirating Photoshop and Adobe liked the tweet. They are well aware they have the most pirated product, but they know if they become an industry standard they can make their profits off companies buying 20 licenses at a time at $10 a month. They aren't concerned with amateur photographers stealing Lightroom.
It wouldn't surprise me if Adobe was releasing the cracked versions online to get more people using their products. Several other companies have adopted that business model of giving out a freeware version and then charging businesses for the premium.
moonflower19 wrote:
BRAS!
[deleted] answered:
Ask any man in your life to be your bra. I know I'd walk around all day holding my wife's t**s.
CrazyCatDog04 agreed:
Can confirm, I asked my partner to do this and haven't had to wear a bra in years
zzzz_bbbb said:
Everything associated with weddings.
meaganannmorrison commented:
This was my first thought too, trying to plan a wedding within an actual budget is HARD
mildewmoisturizer told:
Legos
nikon78698 commented:
What do you mean? $630 for the titanic is a steal…..
frozenuniverse added:
I dunno, it's a bit rusty by now, I don't think I'd pay $630 for it after all that time underwater
Even with 'sales' Lego is expensive, but I think it is better quality than the knock offs as it doesn't break as easily. Being reusable and having lots of open-ended (ie pieces that can be used for a variety of representations) pieces means you can buy a couple of sets and leave it at that if you can't afford more. I am looking forward to finding out what the bamboo ones are like too.
slyblueisblu told:
Theatre tickets. Stop being snobs and let us poor folk experience live Broadway shows too please
It seems a big part of the “value” of items like this is the expense keeps the r**f-r**f away.
There’s a comedian in the UK who jokes about how he now has a posh wife now so they go to expensive restaurants “for the ambience”. He eventually figured out what ambience was…. A lack of poor people being around.
Aloonatron answered:
Another fun bit from that routine is him asking for ketchup in a posh restaurant, so the waiter brings out a small discreet dish, which he samples, and then says “that’s great, I’ll have a bottle please.”
[deleted] said:
Having a roof over your head.
frederick_ungman answered:
Heck..just replacing a roof is crazy expensive. $21,000 for mine.
thotkeys told:
Xyrem. It can be absolutely life-changing for people with narcolepsy. However, most insurance doesn't cover it, and the out-of-pocket cost is about $6k for a 1 month supply.
Inevitable-Effort186 agreed:
My poor baby sister took Xyrem for a couple years. Completely stoped her seizures but the taste made her almost vomit every time ): also I don't remember it being expensive? I think we were on assisted state insurance then.
Taxes. Most of the money we “give” to our government either disappears or gets pissed down the drain. If the government cannot responsibly spend OUR money, then they really have no business handling it at all.
USA - it isn't taxes, it's inefficiency. Most of northern Europe pays more than we do, but they have funcitioning governments, so they get value for their money. We're just flinging money into a hole.
Vanatru told:
Bottled water
trevg_123 answered:
Get a water bottle and refill it, price takes a deep dive toward zero. You’re paying for the convenience, plus the inconvenience of adding trash to the planet
Down_Low_Too_Slow told:
Shaving razors
unoriginal5 answered:
I noticed even Dollar Shave Club, who was supposed to revolutionize the market, is on the shelf next to Gillette with the same high capacity cartridge at the same price. I switched to a safety razor, and buy 50 blades that last a week for $15.
m19honsy was curious:
You use 50 razors a week!! How many times you shave exactly.
If you’re female, always check male shaving product prices - often you’ll find they’re cheaper :) good ol pink tax
MiaLedger wrote:
Starbucks
7 dollar drinks are crazy
Senpai59210 answered:
I feel like the type of people who buy Starbucks regularly are the type of people who aren't concerned about the price of their drink
I think people are willing to pay Starbucks prices for a daily coffee must not have any need of the money. Considering what it costs to buy excellent coffee and make it at home, buying every day is a pointless expense to me. Even if you buy a $3 coffee every working morning, that's $60 a month, which would cover the cost of my internet and subscriptions.
NishantWubaluba told:
Popcorn in movie theatre.
[deleted] answered:
Anything in the theatre is expensive honestly lol
That's not the movie theatres' fault (entirely) though. They earn practically no money from the ticket price because of the studios' "conditions". Which are, btw, getting worse (looking at you Disney).
Life itself
Life has always been too expensive for many of us. I know I am very lucky to be able to donate to the food bank and the housing charities in my town, and wish everyone who can help would.
ReeG said:
Canadian internet and mobile plans
trentonl commented:
Rogers that
HodorsAB***h told:
“Designer” clothes, like, it’s a plain white top with a logo for £800 wtf
sprunk_bois disagreed:
That’s where I’m gonna have to disagree with you. What you are generalizing might be true but most designer clothes, while might not be worth their price to the penny, are still made with high quality material and a lot of designer products are hand made which would make them more expensive. Like the $700 Gucci watch I have is made with very good fabric and high quality silver. Also the Gucci wallet I have is made also with high quality fabric and real Italian leather. I could keep going but my point is that some products might be what you described but most aren’t and there’s a reason they’re that price
zigojacko2 commented:
It's got nothing to do with the materials used and purely the fact you are paying for the recognized brand... 🙃
Personally, I don't care even a tiny bit if designer stuff is expensive, because it only affects people who think designer stuff is important.
m100896 wrote:
Curtains and blinds.
popjunkie42 admitted:
Yes. Why? One of the bad secrets of owning a home. Rugs are expensive as hell as well.
I bought two pride flags for $40 and and some hooks at the dollar store and it does the job. I don't need to live in a cave with no sunlight, I just need a little bit of blockage.
Housing prices in major cities. Shops are closed, alot of things are moving online, people are leaving and houses are vacant. Why are prices going up.
I read somewhere recently, and I have no idea if it's true, but the article said there are 28 vacant dwellings for every homeless person in America. I know where I live, in a heavily entertainment based city, people can't afford to rent even studio apartments anymore.
Xendarq's opinion:
Nintendo Switch games
nousername808's answer:
Any proprietary Nintendo games never go down in price. Like Mario for wiiU is still $69 in 2022.
Same price if you buy online too. That is what kills me. For years they said the price is high because of manufacturing. Now it's "to protect their IP" it's bull.
the-alchemist11 wrote:
Panera
I426Hemi answered:
A girl I dated about a decade or so ago worked at a Panera and asked me to come have lunch with her once. I though Panera was just a cutesy little coffee and sandwich place and had an actual moment of "what the f**k is going on" when I saw the prices vs what you get.
kungfookate said:
Lobster. So much work for so little meat. You have to wear a bib to eat it in case the carcass squirts at you. You have to use tools and your own strength to even get at the edible part. Then when you finally pull your sore, red, wet fingers out with that precious tiny morsel, it doesn't even taste good enough on its own that you then have to dunk it in butter.
beetlehunterz answered:
Back in the day lobster used to be considered poor people food.
DerpNinjaWarrior commented too:
This us why I stick with lobster rolls. Which are still overpriced.
ExtensionAnybody467 commented:
Modern Art, like, wtf how does a boulder cost $2M!?
MagentaLea answered:
Easy just title it Tax Evasion.
jbergcreations commented:
Also actual boulders that aren’t art, if you want some rocks in your yard those things are expensive but someone found it for free in the wild and didn’t have to feed it or anything until it got to your house
Any art only has the value people are willing to place on it. If you are willing to spend $5m for a red circle in a blue square painted by a famous person, bless you. How much will you pay me to do the same thing? It's often more about the snob appeal of the signature than about the actual art.
Note: this post originally had 52 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Electric vehicles, especially in Australia as our government is in bed with petrol magnates and so adds taxes onto the already high price.
I dont know if you have them there but Dacia has a lot of "relatively cheap" EVs
Load More Replies... This is soo f*cking depressing! World is crap and will be worse, life is forever struggle.
no no no ... to solve problems we must first identify them! It's only a first step, MANY terrific new inventions are created every day. Check out a Youtube of Israel's EMT/first responder drones! I will try to find it ...
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physical therapy. I have a disability that requires weekly physical therapy to prevent all my joints from dislocating and it costs me $30 per appointment. imagine paying 1.5k per year just to live without your legs dislocating if you stand a little too long... I CAN'T EVEN GET A JOB BECAUSE IM DISABLED AND DISABILITY PAY IN THE US IS ABSOLUTELY F*CKED
THIS GENUINELY MAKES ME WISH I WAS NEVER BORN I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND
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Most of these are people complaining about the exo expenses of things that they do NOT need. I mean Modern "Art", bread from a fancy bread shop, Nintendo games, Fancy funerals and wedding receptions!! Wealthy people's problems!
true but sometimes annoyance is the mother of invention.
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Online subscription services for consoles- Older consoles with just as good online functionality can go online completely free and have free online multiplayer. These days you have to pay a stinking subscription fee for it. It's like they went "we don't need to charge you for this but huh you'll pay it let's do it". They're not that expensive I guess but considering it's a service they could offer for nothing, it's stupid
To be *at least slightly* fair to them, old online games were pretty much all peer to peer connections, the most the game really did was find your opponents. That's still common in PC games but console versions often set up central connections. I doubt it justifies the cost per person, but at least they also throw a bunch of free games in.
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Credit card and loan interest rates are way, way, way out of line, especially since banks give virtually no interest on deposits. I saw a US bank offering a 'generous' 0.5% interest rate recently and wondered how anyone could think that is OK. I live in South Asia. My new account has a 6.5% interest rate, which is actually quite low for here—but it sure beats the USA. I didn't even realize when I signed up for it that I could actually qualify for a savings account. When I was growing up, interest rates were more like 10%. 20 years ago, a jumbo CD brought in 20% interest. People complain about prices being high where I live, but I am paying $200 for a little cottage overlooking a lake, and maybe another $100 a month for food, so it's much more livable than the USA, Canada or Europe. I'm happy to live a simpler life. Medical and dental expenses are much more reasonable here, too.
I don't know how it is elsewhere, but most banks here make all their money on loan/credit card interest, with a smaller amount on fees and such. Despite it seeming like fewer people can afford things with their own money, I think it's also the case that fewer people can or will get credit cards, so they had to lower interest rates on cards, and offer Cashback benefits, meaning they also had to lower positive interest rates on debit accounts. That's really me taking a stab in the dark, but I know the only reason I signed up for a credit card at all was 2% cash back on purchases, and I do not plan to leave a balance to charge interest on.
Load More Replies... Electric vehicles, especially in Australia as our government is in bed with petrol magnates and so adds taxes onto the already high price.
I dont know if you have them there but Dacia has a lot of "relatively cheap" EVs
Load More Replies... This is soo f*cking depressing! World is crap and will be worse, life is forever struggle.
no no no ... to solve problems we must first identify them! It's only a first step, MANY terrific new inventions are created every day. Check out a Youtube of Israel's EMT/first responder drones! I will try to find it ...
Load More Replies... physical therapy. I have a disability that requires weekly physical therapy to prevent all my joints from dislocating and it costs me $30 per appointment. imagine paying 1.5k per year just to live without your legs dislocating if you stand a little too long... I CAN'T EVEN GET A JOB BECAUSE IM DISABLED AND DISABILITY PAY IN THE US IS ABSOLUTELY F*CKED
THIS GENUINELY MAKES ME WISH I WAS NEVER BORN I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND
Load More Replies... Most of these are people complaining about the exo expenses of things that they do NOT need. I mean Modern "Art", bread from a fancy bread shop, Nintendo games, Fancy funerals and wedding receptions!! Wealthy people's problems!
true but sometimes annoyance is the mother of invention.
Load More Replies... Online subscription services for consoles- Older consoles with just as good online functionality can go online completely free and have free online multiplayer. These days you have to pay a stinking subscription fee for it. It's like they went "we don't need to charge you for this but huh you'll pay it let's do it". They're not that expensive I guess but considering it's a service they could offer for nothing, it's stupid
To be *at least slightly* fair to them, old online games were pretty much all peer to peer connections, the most the game really did was find your opponents. That's still common in PC games but console versions often set up central connections. I doubt it justifies the cost per person, but at least they also throw a bunch of free games in.
Load More Replies... Credit card and loan interest rates are way, way, way out of line, especially since banks give virtually no interest on deposits. I saw a US bank offering a 'generous' 0.5% interest rate recently and wondered how anyone could think that is OK. I live in South Asia. My new account has a 6.5% interest rate, which is actually quite low for here—but it sure beats the USA. I didn't even realize when I signed up for it that I could actually qualify for a savings account. When I was growing up, interest rates were more like 10%. 20 years ago, a jumbo CD brought in 20% interest. People complain about prices being high where I live, but I am paying $200 for a little cottage overlooking a lake, and maybe another $100 a month for food, so it's much more livable than the USA, Canada or Europe. I'm happy to live a simpler life. Medical and dental expenses are much more reasonable here, too.
I don't know how it is elsewhere, but most banks here make all their money on loan/credit card interest, with a smaller amount on fees and such. Despite it seeming like fewer people can afford things with their own money, I think it's also the case that fewer people can or will get credit cards, so they had to lower interest rates on cards, and offer Cashback benefits, meaning they also had to lower positive interest rates on debit accounts. That's really me taking a stab in the dark, but I know the only reason I signed up for a credit card at all was 2% cash back on purchases, and I do not plan to leave a balance to charge interest on.
Load More Replies...