Summary
CreditCards.com resources for shopping, learning about credit and managing debt during the back-to-school season.
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Back-to-school remains the second biggest consumer spending season for retailers, according to both Deloitte and the National Retail Federation. Overall, families will spend even more on back-to-school expenses this year than in 2016. For the 2017-18 school year, individual households will spend an average of $682.73 on back-to-school expenses, according to the 2017 National Retail Federation’s annual back-to-school survey. That amounts to $29.5 billion total spent on school supplies and related costs for K-12 students, up from $27.3 billion in 2016.
When combined with projected back-to-college spending totals, American consumers will spend a whopping $83.68 billion on school expenses this year overall, according to National Retail Federation estimates.
While the bulk of back-to-school shopping will happen in stores, online shopping continues to increase in popularity. Deloitte found that more than two-thirds of back-to-school shoppers will use both online and brick-and-mortar retailers to make their seasonal purchases.
Whether you are a parent getting ready to foot back-to-school bills or a young adult heading off to college, this collection of credit-oriented articles and videos will help you spend and use credit wisely this back-to-school season:
Back-to-school shopping
Back-to-school tax free weekends for 2017
Sixteen states have tax-free weekends that allow you to buy a wide range of school supplies without paying sales taxes. When is yours?
- 3 ways to boost back-to-school shopping rewards
- 5 apps to turbocharge back-to-school savings
- How to use credit card benefits, tax-free holidays to cut back-to-school expenses
Students and credit cards
Student card survey 2017: Offers, terms more generic
Cards marketed specifically to college students continue to dwindle, but those that remain offer academic incentives and rewards.
- 4 reasons why college kids need a credit card
- Student credit cards: The definitive guide
- Credit card tuition payment survey: Card acceptance rises, but so do fees
Payment security
Protect your child’s data, privacy at school: 5 tips
Cloud-based storage technology used in many schools puts data about your children onto remote servers. Here’s how to safeguard that information.
- How to check your child’s credit report
- 10 ways students can protect against identity theft
- Don’t be fooled by fake shopping apps
Financial literacy
Video: 4 ways students can build credit
New college students and recent graduates: Now is the time to build a credit history so you can qualify for a car loan, rent an apartment and achieve your financial goals.
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