HDTV Financing

Personal Research on Interest Free HDTV Options.

My boys received a PAL-supported Wii that was purchased in England as a gift. It wouldn't work with an older TV model that we had since it supported the NSTC format only, and, having delayed impulse buying on an HDTV, I finally went searching for a TV that would fit our needs. Having researched and window shopped for a suitable HDTV on stores and in the Internet, I settled for a Samsung LN-S4095D 40" 1080p LCD HDTV that had a $1,300+ price tag.

As I had planned a higher priority purchase later in the month, my budget couldn't accommodate me paying the purchase in full. I balked at the wisdom of having to use a credit card, even with its less than 10% APR, to purchase something that wasn't a basic necessity. So, my challenge was - I wanted to pay only a certain amount per month, and I also didn't want to pay any interest. My payment options were limited to making the purchase using a financing scheme. That led me to check around for the best possible options.

For the amount of purchase I was planning to make, most of the offers available were 90-day interest free payments. Stores like Best Buy, Amazon.com and Sears required using their credit cards to avail of this program. Online sites using Bill Me Later such as Overstock.com also had a 90-day period to pay without interest.

The best options I found were that of Circuit City and Wal-Mart. Both allowed up to 12 months to pay without interest. Circuit City even had a 36-month interest waived payment scheme, though this is for another TV brand. But, I will be choosing Wal-Mart for the following reasons: (a) the budget I have should allow me to fully pay the Samsung HDTV in less than a year, and, (b) our family often shop at Wal-Mart and this new credit account will allow us to take advantage of their rewards program.