The luxury of credit card points

amother

↑ DarkPurple

Wed, Dec 25 2024, 4:08 pm

amother Hawthorn wrote:

If it's free money, it's free money. If you can choose to use it to go on vacation, or pay money you owe, you pay the money you owe. How is this a question even?

She's not talking about money you owe. She asked why people don't pay full tuition and then go on vacation with cc points. Are you supposed to cut down every single expense before asking for a tuition break? Should you have to stop eating chicken even on yom tov just so you can pay full tuition? Every person that gets a tuition breaks has to show their income (I assume). The schools decide to give these families a break based on those numbers. Cc points and monetary gifts from parents and cash bonuses are not included. You can decide how to use these extra funds. Obviously if you owe someone money, the proper thing to do is to pay up before spending on luxuries.

Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Wed, Dec 25 2024, 4:30 pm

I am going to confidently say that schools that give breaks are happy to give a break and not collect $500 more from a family saving it to pay for an $800 vacation by cashing in points.
(That's not the same as a family who is behind on an arrangement made with the school.)

Once a break is given, by all means a family should be allowed a bit of normalcy. I've heard this from administrators and rabbonim (for their hashkafic perspective).

The cash equivalent of the points isn't going to significantly change the school's budget but can make a world of a difference to a family.

amother

↑ OP

Wed, Dec 25 2024, 4:32 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

And if the family isn't paying what they agreed on?
Meaning the school gives a break, but the family isn't even paying that amount, yet going on vacation with points?

notshanarishona

Wed, Dec 25 2024, 5:11 pm

People are allowed to make their own choices, whether it’s financially smart or not. In an ideal world most people would make the moral choice of not going on vacation if they owe someone or a business $ and first paying their outstanding bill. Unless you are the service provider who isn’t getting paid it’s not your business what others do.
If you do have someone who owes you significant $ and you see them spending frivolously you can take them to a din torah.

↑ Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Dec 25 2024, 5:27 pm

amother OP wrote:

And if the family isn't paying what they agreed on?
Meaning the school gives a break, but the family isn't even paying that amount, yet going on vacation with points?

Then there's an issue that needs to be addressed, points or not.
Schools usually have protocols in place for parents falling behind and they'll probably be less forgiving to parents who had discretionary funds. But there's a bigger picture and that's where it's not a one size fits all response.

On the parents' end, they have to seriously have a good reason (and they might!!) to be going on vacation when they are not meeting prior financial obligations.