Will I be able to claim all the money back I paid and how does the 1098-T work?

Your credit card issuing bank may offer you an initial “teaser” rate for new purchases to encourage you to spend on its credit card, but that rate will reset after the initial period. The more you spend on the card, the more the bank can expect you to keep a balance when the rate resets. When it resets, the prevailing interest rates will be even higher than today’s as interest rates are going up significantly across the board. You may also want to look into whether the school you will be paying tuition to charges a fee (typically another 2.5 to 4%) for paying by credit card (to cover the cost of interchange fees it has to pay to its bank).

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Not all colleges charge a fee to use a credit card. My oldest child went to SUNY Binghamton and they did not charge a fee. My youngest is also going there, so I hope that is still the case. In the past I put my full bill on the card (approx $25K/yr). This is an amazing way to utilize a couple new credit cards with good intro offers.

Having said all that, I do pay off the card every month. I agree with the others here that I would never carry a balance. If I needed to, I would prefer a student loan at a better rate. I have the $25K/yr sitting in a 529 plan. When the large credit card bill comes in, I withdraw that amount from my 529 plan and pay the credit card bill.

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My daughter’s school did not charge a fee to use a credit card her first year and in fact encouraged it, announcing at orientation to do so ‘and get those credit card points.’ When I went to do it again, there was a new fee to do so (2-3%). Luckily, I noticed and had the money in my checking account.

I just paid her summer school bill today (she’s already on the trip, so it was easier for me to do the bank transfer from inside the USA), and indeed there is a fee for using a credit card, so not worth the air miles. It is considered a purchase by the credit card companies, not a cash advance, so it there was a card with a 0% intro rate, it might still be a good deal to make a big charge IF, and only IF, the school does not charge a fee for the ‘purchase.’

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I’ll pay of the bill in a few months, since I have 0% APR at the moment :slight_smile:

So you decided to go for the BSN? That’s great! Lots of work choices after you have a BSN.

I don’t know how you’re managing work and school right now, but it’s a good idea to plan ahead for next semester’s payment, so you don’t get stuck putting it on a credit card again. Talk to the school’s fin aid office now. Find out what merit scholarships are available for high achievers. Search for outside scholarship money, too. There’s a lot of scholarship money available for nursing degrees.

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