Dollar Scholar Asks: Is It OK to Put Stickers on My Credit Card?
This is an excerpt from Dollar Scholar, the Money newsletter where news editor Julia Glum teaches you the modern money lessons you NEED to know. Don't miss the next issue! Sign up at money.com/subscribe and join our community of 160,000+ Scholars.
When I opened my first checking account, the bank asked if I wanted a free design to decorate the accompanying debit card. Naturally, I chose the cutest option: a World Wildlife Foundation photo of a fluffy panda peeking over a log.
And so for 15 years, I had a panda card. This was useful — my black-and-white bear buddy was always easy to spot behind the bar or floating around in my purse — and fun. I stood out; it was a conversion starter. It became part of my identity…
…until I lost the card this summer. I had to sheepishly request a replacement, and imagine my devastation when the new one arrived plain and panda-less. (Turns out Bank of America discontinued its WWF partnership.)
I miss having a unique card. I’ve found vinyl decals online that I could use to turn my new one into a Pokemon card (hilarious), or — at the very least — I feel like I could slap a few small stickers on there. This isn’t unprecedented: Credit card hackers often use label makers to help them remember which card they should use in different scenarios to maximize rewards.
