PERSONAL FINANCE

Shop Smart and Save for the Holidays

The holidays can be fun and exciting times filled with friends, family, and travel. Let’s not forget joy of wrapping presents for loved ones and the excitement of opening the ones for you!

Let’s be honest, though, the holidays can also be a little bit stressful. Coordinating schedules, making travel plans, pretending you really do love yet another pair of socks from Grandma. And the cost of all of those presents and plane tickets can start to add up. You’ll want to save money where you can, both before and during the holidays.

Here are some ways you can shop smart this holiday season.

Get more from your gifts

They say it's better to give than receive. And while we think that's true, wouldn't it be nice if you could do both?

When you use our SF Fire Platinum Visa® this holiday season, you can stock up on presents while stocking up on rewards too.

Cash Back

With our Platinum Visa® Credit Card Rewards program, you’ll get 1% cash back on all purchases. With cash back rewards, you can save for the holidays while you shop

Pay With Points

Use points to pay for your credit card purchases as they happen. Points can be redeemed as statement credits to cover the cost.

Gas Discounts

Get $0.50 off per gallon at participating gas stations, right at the pump. Up to 20 gallons. Initially available at participating Shell and BP retailers.

Travel with Rewards, Not Restrictions

Because your purchases earn points and not air miles, you can travel with extra benefits, not restrictions.

With Travel Rewards, there are no blackout periods, no advanced booking requirements, and no Saturday night stay requirements.

And that’s just a few examples. Get fewer fees, more rewards with the card that works for you.

Tap into your equity

A is a great way to use the equity in your home to get the cash you need this holiday season.

An SF Fire Credit Union HELOC features:

• The flexibility of using funds for anything you need
• A 10-year ‘draw’ period to access your funds
• Interest-only minimum payments due during the draw period
• A 15-year repayment period at an affordable rate

During your draw period, your minimum payments are interest-only, and you only pay back what you actually borrow. A HELOC could make buying those plane tickets for the whole family a little bit more affordable.

Happy Holidays, Healthy Accounts

There’s a lot of things to love about the holidays. Spending time with friends and family, spreading holiday joy and cheer by giving and receiving gifts, and just taking some time away from work to appreciate the things in life that matter.

But the holidays can come with their own special kind of stress too. If you shop smart this holiday season by using your SF Fire Platinum Visa to get more from your gifts or by using the funds available in your HELOC, you could help keep your finances healthy and your holidays happy.