I read an article in my local newspaper talking about the new trend, store debit cards.  I had no idea what this was about so read the article.  Both Target and Nordstrom offer them.  To apply, customers fill out a form and supply a voided check or routing number for a designated checking account.  But, store debit cards do not tap directly into your checking accounts in the same way as a traditional debit card, so they take longer to clear, usually 2 to 3 days. But, it is still better than using a credit card, in my opinion.

You might be wondering why you would even want a store debit card that can only be used at that store.  Well, here are some of the perks:

Target customers get 5% off of all purchases.
Nordstrom customers earn 2 points for every dollar spent and receive a $20 store voucher once they reach 2000 points.

So, it will remain to be seen if this will be a new trend for other stores, but if  you are looking for another way to save a little money this might be a good way of doing so.  Do any of you have one of these cards?