Since releasing this video, Payboo has received a wide range of reviews. See some of it in the YouTube video’s comments. Adorama has also come out with their own credit card called Adorama Edge. Sadly, I had to end Photo Idō due to a lack of interest from the small camera stores. With that said, I still recommend supporting small businesses whenever possible.
B&H Photo Superstore in New York City announced Payboo. It’s a credit card backed by Synchrony Bank which offers customers the ability to get back their sales tax by the way of rewards. It means that if your state’s sales tax is 6% then your rewards is 6%, if it’s 10% then your reward is 10%. The reward is used as statement credit. Know that the APR of the credit card is 29.99%. Instead, I recommend checking out my project Photo Idō (RIP) which offers photographers the ability to save at local independent camera stores without the need for a credit card.
Update: 3/6/2020 – While Photo Idō was closed due to a lack of interest from small businesses (which I don’t understand), I stand behind my feeling on opening a Payboo credit card. It’s a risk to go into debt for gear and there are still many alternatives to debt.
Transcription was done by Descript‘s automated transcription services which means it’s an AI-generated transcript. The transcript may contain spelling, grammar, and other errors, and is not a substitute for watching the video.
So you’re looking to save money on sales tax. So you’re thinking of checking me out. B&H is new pay Abou pay boot pay, boo. Hey there new credit card that gives you rewards which equal the amount of the sales tax in your state. Hey, this is Scott Wyden Kivowitz a storyteller with the camera talking about all the things photographers like you and I are thinking about. And in this video I want to talk about B&H there, new Paibul credit card pay, Ibu pay, bu credit card and well what it means for you and alternative ways that you could save sales tax on May six, the CEO of being a send out an email saying that nobody likes to pay sales tax, but everybody must pay sales tax B&H and only be an h has a solution to the sales tax issue. It’s nonsense.
A lot of camera stores do not charge sales tax outside of their states. Um, so first things first, he, he was lying. B&H was not the only one to do that overnight. The B&H website got this new pay by credit card on their website and basically, uh, you pay your sales tax on B&H but you pay for the order with the Payboo credit card, which is a, B&H Payboo credit card through another, through a bank. It’s not like being h is the bank, they use it a bank to create this system. And what happens is this is a rewards credit cards. So in New Jersey the sales tax is just shy of 7% if I was to use this credit card, I would get a reward equaling the amount of the sales tax in my area. So or if you are in a state where the sales tax is 10% while, sorry, that is pretty high, that stinks.
But if you were in the area where your sales tax is 10% your rewards on this credit card is 10% so it doesn’t mean you’re getting a 10% discount on the spot. What has happening is you’re paying for the order and then you’re getting that discount as a reward back on your credit card. So it’s kind of like a refund of your sales tax. It’s basically like having cash back to statement credit except it’s not a fixed 2% 3% it’s it’s fixed to your actual sales tax. So if you’re somebody who has a 2% credit card and that is what you use normally to buy at B. And, h, maybe the paper was great for you because now you can actually save more on the reward using the pay be credit card. But I want to talk about this a little bit more. You see you, you, you cannot use this credit card anywhere outside of B and.
H. This is only a B&H credit card. That’s problem number one. Problem number two is there now suckering you into getting another credit card, which I am not in favor of. I rather see you get rid of credit cards. Then to get more credit cards. I don’t want to be the person who tells you to get further into debt. And third, the APR on this credit card is just shy of 30% which means if you miss a payment, you are paying a lot of interest. So yeah, being each give you a really nice solution and if you are good at paying your credit card bills on time and if you are only buying equipment from B&H, didn’t sure Payboo is perfect because now you’re saving on your sales tax. Oh, it’s also worth noting that you cannot use this with the financing credit card there.
Those two separate credit cards. So if you want to finance on B&H, you’d have to get the financing credit card and that does not have the pay benefits of the sales tax and two different credit cards. So if you want to save money on the equipment that you buy a camera stores, if you want to save on sales tax or dis discount in general, that might actually equal more than sales tax checkup. Photo Idō. Photo Idoō is a project I started to help photographers save money at independent camera stores, not big box stores. It has an equal benefit of getting photographers into the physical stores or the online stores of independent camera stores that are struggling to compete with the big box stores like Amazon and best buy and B&H. So if you want to support local independent camera stores and also potentially save money at your local independent camera stores, checkout photo Ido, I will link to it in the description below. It is photo ideo.com the project is still growing. I’m trying to get more stores into the directory, but for now the time when recording their star, 14 stores currently available that you could buy from. That’s pretty cool.
I just took advantage of this, but it only works if you CAN and WILL pay off the entire balance within the same billing cycle. My credit card companies don’t make a dime off of me because I live by this financial rule now – that wasn’t always the case. In any other scenario this Syncb card is predatory lending at the 29.99% interest rate.
this seems like an obvious question, but I live in OR, no sales tax. There would be no advantage for me to use this card if I’m ordering online and shipping to OR correct?
I paid my bill to Payboo last month and got a confirmation of payment immediately afterward by email. This month I get a bill for the same amount plus their late fee of $28.00 on a bill of $102.00. When I went to the account I saw that my payment was rejected. There was no email letting me know the payment was rejected. I had sufficient money in the bank so the payment should not have been rejected. I’m dealing with this on my vacation so I’m especially upset with the situation just to save my 8% tax. No more B & H photo and as you say time to go to my local store.
I got the B&H Payboo credit card, and once I logged into my account, they charged an additional $5 separate charge after the purchase. I paid my balance in full before the due date. Now this $5 charge is $10 after disputing it, they told me it is “insurance” on my balance. This is underhanded, my purchase was paid in full well before the due date.
This seems like a predatory card, designed to screw over poor people. I started to apply for the card, but ultimately canceled it when they wanted me to provide a 3D face scan for verification. I think they designed all these hurdles for me to weed me out because I have 800+ credit and a high salary.
Yes, that is indeed the reason. See my report below. They can deny credit to anybody of their choosing but they should be up front and honest about their reasons and B&H should not play along in this game.
I can only second what others have reported. I applied for a payboo B&H card recently, was approved over the phone with a follow-up “id verification.” When the card arrived I registered it as required and set up an account only to find out that my account had already been closed. When I called up I was told this was done by Transunion. When I checked my credit at Transunion it turns out that my credit history was flawless and it stated that my new account with Synchrony Bank had been closed by them. Back to Synchrony. They then told me that the account had been closed because of some suspicious activity and that they wanted to protect me from fraud and I should send in a copy of my driver’s license and a utility bill, which I foolishly did. On the same day, I received another letter from Synchrony stating that my account had been closed because of “Activities on your account with Synchrony indicative of high risk of failure to pay.” Pretty laughable because there had been no activity on my account since it was closed before I could open it and above all, because in 0ver thirty years of credit card use (including with B&H for thousands of dollars) I have never not paid off the whole balance before the due date and my credit is excellent. When I corresponded with B&H about this, Henry Posner told me that their liaison with Synchrony was looking into it and that I should re-apply, and that re-applying would not be held against me. When I re-applied I immediately received another message of denial “because of duplicate application.” This would be comical if not so infuriating. I have always liked B&H because of their efficiency and excellent customer service, but I am beginning to cool on them and am holding back an order of about $20,000 (a canon 1DX III and a 600mm f4 III lens plus accessories). I had hoped to take advantage of their sales tax rebate of about $1400 in this case, since they are advertising this so prominently on their site. I am afraid they are in bed with a rather slimy financial institution and would be well advised to either clean things up or separate from them. As the saying goes, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is not true. Well, it ain’t true in this case and shame on B&H for participating in this scheme.
i just got the new iPad for $1069 using the pay boo credit card but there is $17.76 fees on my account! i haven’t no idea where it coming from. watch out for this credit card!!!!
I got the Payboo card (my credit score is 800+) and immediately paid off the balance, only to find a $17.76 ” Card Security Fee” This appears to be a monthly fee that this unscrupulous bank either doesn’t disclose or buries in fine print. I’ve requested they immediately cancel the card and refund the fee.
for what its worth, i was concerned about this too, i just signed up for the card, knowing full well my usage. During the sign up they do “try” to trick you into signing up for this extra service. But with anyone signing up for a new credit card, i hope you would read and look at all the checkboxes and signatures they are asking for.
This one was (sort of?) disguised as agreeing to their terms. (terms however that were for this additional security feature that cost you a certain amount per each purchase)
Just think its a mischaracterization to say they didnt disclose or bury this.
Synchrony is pretty slimy so far. So I gave all my information including email, SS#, address, and was approved and sent an email saying so. I purchased close to $1,000 at B&H using my new account, received my stuff, and tried to pay off my account.
I have my account number and when signing in the Synchrony website does NOT recognize my email address, my account number, nothing! I keep trying every few days and finally, a couple of days ago, the system allows me to pay my bill as a guest and then asks me to register AGAIN. I do and now I have late fees, finance charges and a bad feeling about this.
As long as you know that the interest rate is sky high and synchrony is predatory, this is a fantastic card for those that can benefit from it. I live in WA and sales tax is close to 10.5% where I live. This card is fantastic, no fees, set it to autopay, and 10.5% cashback is ASTOUNDING compared to most rewards cards.
While sure, if I can cross shop and find a small mom and pop that doesn’t yet charge sales tax for WA residents, I’ll buy there. But for commodity electronics (computer, phones, etc), optics (scopes, binos, rangefinders), that are hard to find without sales tax and you want to make sure you’re buying from a authorized seller, it can’t be beat.
B&H switched its Payboo card from Synchrony to “Comedia Bank” in mid-January… at which time Comedia put a hard hit on cardholders’ credit scores…. resulting in ~5 point dip in score. No notice was given to cardholders, no opportunity to opt-out.
I won’t be using this card again… nor will I patronize B&H again for playing along with this. (Is it even legal to put a hard hit with credit bureaus when no new credit has been requested?)
All of the troubles detailed above are seconded by me. This card is a scam. Everyone who has gotten unexplained chargbes or “insurance” charges, etc are invited to join me in a complaint to the Federal Consumer Protection Bureau. This agency is specifically addressing abuse of consumers by credit card companies, loan companies (especially the shark loans) and the like
I just took advantage of this, but it only works if you CAN and WILL pay off the entire balance within the same billing cycle. My credit card companies don’t make a dime off of me because I live by this financial rule now – that wasn’t always the case. In any other scenario this Syncb card is predatory lending at the 29.99% interest rate.
For sure. If you’re not good at paying your card off in full on time, then you’re at risk.
this seems like an obvious question, but I live in OR, no sales tax. There would be no advantage for me to use this card if I’m ordering online and shipping to OR correct?
You’re correct, there would be no benefit then.
I paid my bill to Payboo last month and got a confirmation of payment immediately afterward by email. This month I get a bill for the same amount plus their late fee of $28.00 on a bill of $102.00. When I went to the account I saw that my payment was rejected. There was no email letting me know the payment was rejected. I had sufficient money in the bank so the payment should not have been rejected. I’m dealing with this on my vacation so I’m especially upset with the situation just to save my 8% tax. No more B & H photo and as you say time to go to my local store.
Exact same experience here. It is no coincidence, it’s a scam. I’m not paying the fees and wî’ no longer do business with B&H Photo.
I got the B&H Payboo credit card, and once I logged into my account, they charged an additional $5 separate charge after the purchase. I paid my balance in full before the due date. Now this $5 charge is $10 after disputing it, they told me it is “insurance” on my balance. This is underhanded, my purchase was paid in full well before the due date.
Ouch!
This seems like a predatory card, designed to screw over poor people. I started to apply for the card, but ultimately canceled it when they wanted me to provide a 3D face scan for verification. I think they designed all these hurdles for me to weed me out because I have 800+ credit and a high salary.
Yes, that is indeed the reason. See my report below. They can deny credit to anybody of their choosing but they should be up front and honest about their reasons and B&H should not play along in this game.
I can only second what others have reported. I applied for a payboo B&H card recently, was approved over the phone with a follow-up “id verification.” When the card arrived I registered it as required and set up an account only to find out that my account had already been closed. When I called up I was told this was done by Transunion. When I checked my credit at Transunion it turns out that my credit history was flawless and it stated that my new account with Synchrony Bank had been closed by them. Back to Synchrony. They then told me that the account had been closed because of some suspicious activity and that they wanted to protect me from fraud and I should send in a copy of my driver’s license and a utility bill, which I foolishly did. On the same day, I received another letter from Synchrony stating that my account had been closed because of “Activities on your account with Synchrony indicative of high risk of failure to pay.” Pretty laughable because there had been no activity on my account since it was closed before I could open it and above all, because in 0ver thirty years of credit card use (including with B&H for thousands of dollars) I have never not paid off the whole balance before the due date and my credit is excellent. When I corresponded with B&H about this, Henry Posner told me that their liaison with Synchrony was looking into it and that I should re-apply, and that re-applying would not be held against me. When I re-applied I immediately received another message of denial “because of duplicate application.” This would be comical if not so infuriating. I have always liked B&H because of their efficiency and excellent customer service, but I am beginning to cool on them and am holding back an order of about $20,000 (a canon 1DX III and a 600mm f4 III lens plus accessories). I had hoped to take advantage of their sales tax rebate of about $1400 in this case, since they are advertising this so prominently on their site. I am afraid they are in bed with a rather slimy financial institution and would be well advised to either clean things up or separate from them. As the saying goes, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is not true. Well, it ain’t true in this case and shame on B&H for participating in this scheme.
i just got the new iPad for $1069 using the pay boo credit card but there is $17.76 fees on my account! i haven’t no idea where it coming from. watch out for this credit card!!!!
I got the Payboo card (my credit score is 800+) and immediately paid off the balance, only to find a $17.76 ” Card Security Fee” This appears to be a monthly fee that this unscrupulous bank either doesn’t disclose or buries in fine print. I’ve requested they immediately cancel the card and refund the fee.
Thanks for sharing your story!
for what its worth, i was concerned about this too, i just signed up for the card, knowing full well my usage. During the sign up they do “try” to trick you into signing up for this extra service. But with anyone signing up for a new credit card, i hope you would read and look at all the checkboxes and signatures they are asking for.
This one was (sort of?) disguised as agreeing to their terms. (terms however that were for this additional security feature that cost you a certain amount per each purchase)
Just think its a mischaracterization to say they didnt disclose or bury this.
I just signed up and I believe you can decline that as part of sign up but I’ll let you know
Synchrony is pretty slimy so far. So I gave all my information including email, SS#, address, and was approved and sent an email saying so. I purchased close to $1,000 at B&H using my new account, received my stuff, and tried to pay off my account.
I have my account number and when signing in the Synchrony website does NOT recognize my email address, my account number, nothing! I keep trying every few days and finally, a couple of days ago, the system allows me to pay my bill as a guest and then asks me to register AGAIN. I do and now I have late fees, finance charges and a bad feeling about this.
As long as you know that the interest rate is sky high and synchrony is predatory, this is a fantastic card for those that can benefit from it. I live in WA and sales tax is close to 10.5% where I live. This card is fantastic, no fees, set it to autopay, and 10.5% cashback is ASTOUNDING compared to most rewards cards.
While sure, if I can cross shop and find a small mom and pop that doesn’t yet charge sales tax for WA residents, I’ll buy there. But for commodity electronics (computer, phones, etc), optics (scopes, binos, rangefinders), that are hard to find without sales tax and you want to make sure you’re buying from a authorized seller, it can’t be beat.
B&H switched its Payboo card from Synchrony to “Comedia Bank” in mid-January… at which time Comedia put a hard hit on cardholders’ credit scores…. resulting in ~5 point dip in score. No notice was given to cardholders, no opportunity to opt-out.
I won’t be using this card again… nor will I patronize B&H again for playing along with this. (Is it even legal to put a hard hit with credit bureaus when no new credit has been requested?)
Exact same experience here. It is no coincidence, it’s a scam. I’m not paying the fees and wî’ no longer do business with B&H Photo.
All of the troubles detailed above are seconded by me. This card is a scam. Everyone who has gotten unexplained chargbes or “insurance” charges, etc are invited to join me in a complaint to the Federal Consumer Protection Bureau. This agency is specifically addressing abuse of consumers by credit card companies, loan companies (especially the shark loans) and the like