And no, this time we’re not talking about age 😉! We mean the most important date of the month — you know, the day by which you need to make a payment to your account, more precisely to your STAR shopping card.

But let’s start with some great news. ZERO interest sounds good, right? Then listen up!

Your STAR shopping card is way smarter than you might think — as long as you use it responsibly. Basically, you can buy what you need now and spread the cost in installments. All you have to do is make sure the first installment is paid by the 25th of the following month.

If, however, you don’t pay the installment in full, you need to pay at least 10% of the amount spent into the account, and the interest will be 24%. So it’s best to set aside your money in time — and that way, you won’t pay any interest at all.

Right, so what’s the deal with spreading the cost 🤔?

Hmmm… think of splitting payments as a way to enjoy a new sofa today and pay for it in up to 12 interest-free installments. In other words, you make the purchase now and pay it off in full over the course of a year. It’s without a doubt the best way to pick up something for yourself or your home when paying cash isn’t an option.

It’s also an excellent way to reach a short-term goal. For example, if saving larger amounts isn’t your strong suit, then the STAR card will fit you perfectly. Let’s say you want to buy a new fridge for 2,000 lei. Your steps would be:

• buy the fridge with the STAR Forte card (your available limit is up to 25,000 lei), but let’s say you opt for a credit line of 5,000 lei.
• set the number of installments you want to use to pay for the fridge (depending on the merchant, you can choose from 4 up to 18 interest-free installments, and during shopping campaigns these can even go up to 24 — so keep your 👀 peeled!). Let’s assume you choose to pay for the fridge in 8 interest-free installments, today, on 23 October.
• wait for the courier at home.
• make sure that on the 25th of each month, starting in November, you deposit exactly 250 lei into your STAR account.
• enjoy the new fridge, while still having 3,000 lei available in your account to use exactly as you wish.

And because STAR ⭐ is, at its core, a card designed to give you a WOW-level shopping experience, there’s another feature to keep in mind: loyalty points. Yes, you read that right — we always give something back after a well-earned shopping session.

In other words, when you go to the mall, visit the STAR partners, and if it’s payday our advice is to pay in full for your purchases, because merchants will offer up to 5% in STAR points.

1 STAR point = 1 leu.

Basically, you get a small part of your money back, which you can then use to pay with points at the same partners. Of course, if you pay in full from the credit line, you still need to deposit the entire amount by the 25th of the following month to enjoy ZERO interest.

Yeaaap! Shopping can be easy to manage with a smart card — just put it to work and enjoy unlimited shopping.

Editor: Mihaela Ban, Communication & PR Officer, Banca Transilvania