Payboo comes on the heels of Apple's own Apple Card announcement, which offers 3% cash back on purchases made at Apple and 2% back on purchases at other locations using the Apple Card via Apple Pay. B&H routinely, however, offers cash discounts on Apple hardware, which will stack with the tax loyalty reward. With an average sales tax rate of 8%, the benefits accrued on Apple purchases using the Payboo Card will be greater than those of the Apple Card for many shoppers.
Yes but unlike the Apple Card, I suspect (correct me if I'm wrong) the Payboo card applies to only US citizens in the US states with a US SSN, which is only 5% of the world. The Apple Card will be expanding beyond the US, hopefully worldwide. So this AI article applies only to US citizens, which is only 5% of AI's readership, I'm guessing. The world is bigger than the US, although AI writers don't usually get that.
If you don't live in the US, why would you care about news related to B&H (a NY-based company) at all? You're not going to order from them. This article literally does not apply to people outside of the US.
Why should someone who lives outside the US know whether B&H ships outside the US? Do you really expect people who aren't American to know the shipping policy of every American company? Do you know about the shipping policies of every shipping company in Taiwan? Of course you don't. I had to Google B&H it to figure it out. If the article had been flagged as US-only I wouldn't have had to waste my time figuring it out or reading it. All I really want is for articles to be flagged indicating which country they apply to.
US citizens are not 5% of AI's readership, they are the vast majority I'm pretty sure. Maybe a mod can step in and tell us what the percentage is, if they feel like sharing such information? Much of the world is simply irrelevant. That's just how things are.
It would be fabulous if AI could tell us what percent of their readership is US-based. You think it's the "vast majority"? Does that mean over 75%? I would be very surprised if that was true. Maybe the actual number is an AI trade secret. However if they treat me as "simply irrelevant" I might go elsewhere for my news. I don't really expect them to give us an exact number but an approximate value would be very appreciated. Eg, "US and non-US readers are roughly equal in number" or "US readers outnumber non-US readers by a modest amount" or something like that would be very helpful.
There’s really no secret to country readership. This is a common metric. Ranking sites give limited information to free users. Alexa, similarweb, etc. similarweb says over 50 percent of desktop users of AI are from U.S. other countries in smaller percentages.
I didn't know you could find that information for free. Thanks. Over 50%, eh? Then that's a small majority of users are US-based. Which basically proves my point that AI has many international readers and they should be catering to us better. I'll try to visit Alexa to see if I can get that information myself.
If certain stories don't apply to you, then you can do what I do when I see a story that is of no interest to me, I don't click on it.
You are missing my point. When an AI article says it's about a store opening in France, it's obvious that the article is primarily of interest to users in France. But if an AI article title says that "B&H is offering a new credit card", I have to click on the article and google what "B&H" is because it's apparently a US-only company that I've never heard of. If it was flagged as a US-only story I wouldn't have to read it and figure out if it applies to me. And since a little less that half of AI readers are non-American, we would all appreciate a little consideration.
As a New Yorker and a B&H customer this is very tempting. Right now for stuff over ~$100 bucks I have that I don’t need right away I have it shipped to my parents house in Delaware (no state sales tax) and then get it when I visit them or they visit me.
At the same time I’ll miss out on my credit card points using this. I guess there is no harm in getting the card and using it for stuff I need ASAP and since I would be paying the sales tax anyway and the tax is way more than my credit card points are worth.
The tax rewards on this card are great, but I was reading some of the finer points, because I was considering picking this card up, but I now have more than a few doubts. APR is 29.99%
It actually seems like a horrible card to have, if I'm understanding things correctly.
And what about this line - We will begin charging interest on promotional purchases on the purchase date.
What exactly is a promotional purchase. Does that mean that they're going to charge me that ridiculous interest rate from the purchase date?
That sounds insane.
I don't know about this card yet, I will have to hear more details and get things clarified before I would consider it.
I do know that I will be getting the Apple Card as soon as it's available, that I can tell you.
I am an American who lives outside the US and I found the article very relevant since I buy from B&H and have for years, shipping to an address in California as well as to my overseas address.
Even though CA state isn't on the tax list, note the B&H Terms here:
Specifically: "B&H is legally required to report certain purchases to local state taxation departments. Please check with your local government to see if your purchases are subject to use taxes."
But all general sales taxes from all 50 states are technically "use taxes" these days. So that wording implies B&H will report all purchases to the governments of any state which has sales taxes. (Obviously, Oregon would be an exception because it doesn't have a sales tax.) That makes every B&H customer technical liable (i.e., neck on the line) for sales taxes in the delivery state. If B&H did not report such purchases directly to state governments, you technically would owe the tax but it could not easily be found out. By this direct reporting on the part of B&H, it would be easy for any state government (with a sales tax) to find out the name of the buyer and delivery address in the state.
If "you pay the tax, we pay you back." FTFA wasn't clear enough, you could just like click through to the relevant page and their FAQs, here:
Am I paying sales tax on my purchase? Do I need to submit anything in my tax filings?
B&H will collect and remit state sales tax in accordance with state sales tax laws and regulations. So, customers do pay required sales tax and do not need to keep track or file anything separately.
Ummmmm. Am I missing something or is EVERYONE else missing something.
B&H is giving you back a "gift card" in the amount of the sales tax you paid. It is a "gift card", not a no strings attached debit card?
And this is what the discussion is apparently missing, I can still use my 2% cash back credit card at B&H and get a "gift card" for the 7% in sales tax I paid --- a total of 9%. That sure beats buying directly from Apple and only getting a total of 3% using an Apple credit card (paying the 7% sales tax).
You're missing something.
It's a personal line of credit, only good at B&H. A "gift card" would be already paid for. The rest of your post doesn't make much sense, but I think you took your gift card hypothesis and ran with it way too far. None of that is correct. It's all outlined on the B&H site as to how this works.
Basically, it reads like B&H is going to pay for sales tax on all purchases made with their credit card, and recoup those costs from the interest it collects from people who don't immediately pay it off in full. Sounds like a decent bet to me; B&H gets to market it as a tax-free deal, and collects interest itself instead of seeing it go to other banks.
But, those tempted should keep in mind it is establishment of another line of credit, and a hard pull. Those who have plans to obtain other large loans (like a mortgage) within a close period of time, or have a questionable credit history might wish to give it a second thought. Saving a couple hundred bucks is tempting, but that savings can quite quickly evaporate through the interest charged on the card, or not qualifying for a better mortgage rate longer term because one's credit score is affected. There are also a lot of states ineligible according to the fine print.
There’s really no secret to country readership. This is a common metric. Ranking sites give limited information to free users. Alexa, similarweb, etc. similarweb says over 50 percent of desktop users of AI are from U.S. other countries in smaller percentages.
I didn't know you could find that information for free. Thanks. Over 50%, eh? Then that's a small majority of users are US-based. Which basically proves my point that AI has many international readers and they should be catering to us better. I'll try to visit Alexa to see if I can get that information myself.
Well, I would welcome more international coverage of Apple as Apple is an international brand. For instance, I’m always fascinated about stories of how people in China are using Apple products beyond stories that have a centric, United States/US investor perspective - unit sales, Foxconn, trade war, app takedowns. All that is important, but I’m sure there’s more going on in their lives then all of that. I’m sure the Chinese have their own stories about their own lives being saved by the Apple Watch. They should consider hiring a Mandarin speaking researcher to read the Chinese media and find stories about Apple. (Other countries like India, UK, and so forth too.)
I've long used Discover as my credit card because they pay 1% on purchases with special bonuses for limited periods for certain categories. Now that others are upping their offers, I will be shopping for a better deal. I still make the same purchases but if I can get more back, I'm game.
There is a difference. The B&H card is a store only credit card; it is not a universal credit card like MasterCard/Visa/Amex. The B&H loyalty dollars are a credit to spend only at B&H.
B&H does have a Reward points program for which customers get a B&H electronic gift card after purchasing an eligible product. That program is available worldwide. The Payboo program is US-only because it only address US state sales tax. The return of sales tax dollars paid to the customer is immediate so that is not a credit to spend only at B&H. -- Henry Posner / B&H Photo-Video
If certain stories don't apply to you, then you can do what I do when I see a story that is of no interest to me, I don't click on it.
You are missing my point. When an AI article says it's about a store opening in France, it's obvious that the article is primarily of interest to users in France. But if an AI article title says that "B&H is offering a new credit card", I have to click on the article and google what "B&H" is because it's apparently a US-only company that I've never heard of. If it was flagged as a US-only story I wouldn't have to read it and figure out if it applies to me. And since a little less that half of AI readers are non-American, we would all appreciate a little consideration.
Oh come on. The headline is
B&H Payboo Card to refund sales tax on all orders
what other countries around the world have “sales tax” (as opposed to “VAT”)?
Were you actually confused about whether this was an article that would apply to you?
The tax rewards on this card are great, but I was reading some of the finer points, because I was considering picking this card up, but I now have more than a few doubts. APR is 29.99%
It actually seems like a horrible card to have, if I'm understanding things correctly.
And what about this line - We will begin charging interest on promotional purchases on the purchase date.
What exactly is a promotional purchase. Does that mean that they're going to charge me that ridiculous interest rate from the purchase date?
That sounds insane.
I don't know about this card yet, I will have to hear more details and get things clarified before I would consider it.
I do know that I will be getting the Apple Card as soon as it's available, that I can tell you.
So, if the cardholder's intention is to carry a balance, even for a few months, then this is indeed a bad card to have, unless... the amount of interest you'll end up paying is less than the amount you are saving on the sales tax rewards. Otherwise, 29.99% is pretty crazy.
As to the interest thing, I believe the information provided in the Synchrony Bank terms and conditions on the very first page should allay your fears. In the "Paying Interest" section on the first page it states, "Your due date is at least 23 days after the close of each billing cycle. We will not charge you any interest on non-promotional purchases if you pay your entire balance by the due date each month. We will begin charging interest on promotional purchases on the purchase date."
Now, that addresses non-promotional purchases (which I believe most purchases will be), and while I don't see a clear explanation of "promotional purchases", I can only assumed it would refer to some kind of low/no interest promotion if paid in full within the term period of the promotion. Just like any other 0% or "Same-as-cash" promo, interest starts accruing from the date of purchase, but as long as you make your minimum monthly payments, are never late, and pay in-full before the term expires, that interest is waived. Every "same-as-cash" promo I've ever taken advantage of has been structured in this way. Hell, some (maybe all) banks even go so far as to show you what the deferred interest is at any point during the term of the promo. That should be more than enough motivation to pay the balance off within the term period.
Somebody please help me understand. The president of the US gets a lot of hate because people speculate he has avoided taxes, yet B&H is helping people collect back taxes? From the CNN I understand that everyone, including Trump, should pay as much tax as possible.
You’re definitely not understanding. Firstly, B&H isn’t helping people avoid taxes. It’s a rewards purchase system that matches sales tax to encourage in-state buyers where taxes are collected.
Many corporations in the USA have paid ZERO taxes for 2018. They’ve also been given tax REBATES, so tax payers are basically being indirectly taxed by corporations for existing in the same country as us. I’ve paid more tax than multimillion dollar corporations who are making money from the tax season. They are using the USA to make vast amounts of money on business operations and then paying back nothing to the country.
Payboo comes on the heels of Apple's own Apple Card announcement, which offers 3% cash back on purchases made at Apple and 2% back on purchases at other locations using the Apple Card via Apple Pay. B&H routinely, however, offers cash discounts on Apple hardware, which will stack with the tax loyalty reward. With an average sales tax rate of 8%, the benefits accrued on Apple purchases using the Payboo Card will be greater than those of the Apple Card for many shoppers.
Yes but unlike the Apple Card, I suspect (correct me if I'm wrong) the Payboo card applies to only US citizens in the US states with a US SSN, which is only 5% of the world. The Apple Card will be expanding beyond the US, hopefully worldwide. So this AI article applies only to US citizens, which is only 5% of AI's readership, I'm guessing. The world is bigger than the US, although AI writers don't usually get that.
Web traffic to Appleinsider.com according to Alexa:
🇺🇸 United States
58.7%
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
4.2%
🇯🇵 Japan
3.9%
The rest of the world would have to make it worth AI's time to offer deals beyond the US. I'm sure no international partners are interested in something similar to B&H's deal with the above readership numbers.
I visited the UK (and Canada) in the past and visited Appleinsider.com, and I don't recall seeing location specific ads. Again, probably because there are no local partners that feel it's worth their time and effort.
Any info to offer on B&H’s employee treatment scandals, AI, or do you only post marketing for them?
I used to like the company a lot, did lots of business with them, and even suppressed my antitheist tendencies when dealing with a clearly heavily religious business, but the recent (and apparently repeat) issues being reported about their employee treatment has soured me to B&H.
Payboo comes on the heels of Apple's own Apple Card announcement, which offers 3% cash back on purchases made at Apple and 2% back on purchases at other locations using the Apple Card via Apple Pay. B&H routinely, however, offers cash discounts on Apple hardware, which will stack with the tax loyalty reward. With an average sales tax rate of 8%, the benefits accrued on Apple purchases using the Payboo Card will be greater than those of the Apple Card for many shoppers.
Yes but unlike the Apple Card, I suspect (correct me if I'm wrong) the Payboo card applies to only US citizens in the US states with a US SSN, which is only 5% of the world. The Apple Card will be expanding beyond the US, hopefully worldwide. So this AI article applies only to US citizens, which is only 5% of AI's readership, I'm guessing. The world is bigger than the US, although AI writers don't usually get that.
If you don't live in the US, why would you care about news related to B&H (a NY-based company) at all? You're not going to order from them. This article literally does not apply to people outside of the US.
Why should someone who lives outside the US know whether B&H ships outside the US? Do you really expect people who aren't American to know the shipping policy of every American company? Do you know about the shipping policies of every shipping company in Taiwan? Of course you don't. I had to Google B&H it to figure it out. If the article had been flagged as US-only I wouldn't have had to waste my time figuring it out or reading it. All I really want is for articles to be flagged indicating which country they apply to.
B&H ships internationally, but this offer doesn’t apply to international orders. I dunno, seemed pretty obvious to me given all the states listed etc that this was US-centric.
If "you pay the tax, we pay you back." FTFA wasn't clear enough, you could just like click through to the relevant page and their FAQs, here:
Am I paying sales tax on my purchase? Do I need to submit anything in my tax filings?
B&H will collect and remit state sales tax in accordance with state sales tax laws and regulations. So, customers do pay required sales tax and do not need to keep track or file anything separately.
Again, it's time to wake up from that deep slumber you self-admittedly are in. Note that CA state is NOT on the B&H "we collect sales tax from this state" list. Therefore, B&H won't collect taxes when you ship to any address in CA, BUT because all state sales taxes are in fact USE taxes, the buyer is actually obligated to pay sales tax to CA state if they didn't pay a tax on their purchase. AND, as I stated previously, if indeed B&H reports the transaction to CA state (their wording isn't perfectly clear, but it implies such), then the buyer in CA could be held liable for back taxes in the event of an audit. This is what I was trying to say in my previous post on page 1 of this thread.
Comments
I didn't know you could find that information for free. Thanks. Over 50%, eh? Then that's a small majority of users are US-based. Which basically proves my point that AI has many international readers and they should be catering to us better. I'll try to visit Alexa to see if I can get that information myself.
You are missing my point. When an AI article says it's about a store opening in France, it's obvious that the article is primarily of interest to users in France. But if an AI article title says that "B&H is offering a new credit card", I have to click on the article and google what "B&H" is because it's apparently a US-only company that I've never heard of. If it was flagged as a US-only story I wouldn't have to read it and figure out if it applies to me. And since a little less that half of AI readers are non-American, we would all appreciate a little consideration.
parents house in Delaware (no state sales tax) and then get it when I visit them or they visit me.
At the same time I’ll miss out on my credit card points using this. I guess there is no harm in getting the card and using it for stuff I need ASAP and since I would be paying the sales tax anyway and the tax is way more than my credit card points are worth.
It actually seems like a horrible card to have, if I'm understanding things correctly.
And what about this line - We will begin charging interest on promotional purchases on the purchase date.
What exactly is a promotional purchase. Does that mean that they're going to charge me that ridiculous interest rate from the purchase date?
That sounds insane.
I don't know about this card yet, I will have to hear more details and get things clarified before I would consider it.
I do know that I will be getting the Apple Card as soon as it's available, that I can tell you.
You're missing something.
It's a personal line of credit, only good at B&H. A "gift card" would be already paid for. The rest of your post doesn't make much sense, but I think you took your gift card hypothesis and ran with it way too far. None of that is correct. It's all outlined on the B&H site as to how this works.
B&H Payboo Card to refund sales tax on all orders
Were you actually confused about whether this was an article that would apply to you?
As to the interest thing, I believe the information provided in the Synchrony Bank terms and conditions on the very first page should allay your fears. In the "Paying Interest" section on the first page it states, "Your due date is at least 23 days after the close of each billing cycle. We will not charge you any interest on non-promotional purchases if you pay your entire balance by the due date each month. We will begin charging interest on promotional purchases on the purchase date."
Now, that addresses non-promotional purchases (which I believe most purchases will be), and while I don't see a clear explanation of "promotional purchases", I can only assumed it would refer to some kind of low/no interest promotion if paid in full within the term period of the promotion. Just like any other 0% or "Same-as-cash" promo, interest starts accruing from the date of purchase, but as long as you make your minimum monthly payments, are never late, and pay in-full before the term expires, that interest is waived. Every "same-as-cash" promo I've ever taken advantage of has been structured in this way. Hell, some (maybe all) banks even go so far as to show you what the deferred interest is at any point during the term of the promo. That should be more than enough motivation to pay the balance off within the term period.
Many corporations in the USA have paid ZERO taxes for 2018. They’ve also been given tax REBATES, so tax payers are basically being indirectly taxed by corporations for existing in the same country as us. I’ve paid more tax than multimillion dollar corporations who are making money from the tax season. They are using the USA to make vast amounts of money on business operations and then paying back nothing to the country.
You think that’s acceptable?
I used to like the company a lot, did lots of business with them, and even suppressed my antitheist tendencies when dealing with a clearly heavily religious business, but the recent (and apparently repeat) issues being reported about their employee treatment has soured me to B&H.