Game Changer? B&H Will Combat Online Sales Tax With The Launching of Payboo!

Update 05/07: B&H has posted complete info on Payboo on their website


Earlier tonight, B&H teased its customers of a huge announcement coming tomorrow to combat sales tax.

The email read as follows:

Dear Customer,

Nobody likes to pay sales tax, but everyone must pay sales tax! B&H, and only B&H, has the solution to the sales tax issue.

Tomorrow, May 7th, B&H will be making a game-changing announcement, and as a loyal customer, I’d like you to be privy to some inside information in advance that will change your shopping experience forever.

Nearly one year ago, the Supreme Court ruled that out-of-state retailers must collect sales tax on internet sales. This, of course, included B&H. For 46 years we have been committed to providing unparalleled customer service, and so we began the tedious process of implementing a way to eliminate the impact this ruling would have on our customers.

We are now ready to launch “Payboo”, the solution to the sales-tax challenge. Tune in tomorrow for details on how to become a part of “Payboo”!

I know you have many shopping choices for creative gear and consumer electronics, but with “Payboo”, there will only be one best choice: B&H!

I look forward to a continued great business relationship and remember, at B&H, the customer always comes first. That’s why we’ve created “Payboo” to solve the sales tax impact for you.

What is Payboo?

Payboo will be a card that’ll give customers a reward equal to the sales tax paid on a purchase. B&H will still collect and remit the sales tax to the proper jurisdictions but the customer will essentially get a refund for their sales tax paid!

B&H took out 22 trademarks associated with Payboo including:

  • “You Pay The Tax, We Pay You Back”
  • “We Hate Sales Tax Card”
  • “Save The Tax Instantly”
  • “Tax Match”
  • “Tax Schmax”
  • “Zero Tax Card”

An interesting idea by B&H as it continues to try to set itself apart from Best Buy and others.

More Notes: Subject to credit approval. B&H Payboo Card use is valid for in-store, online or by-phone purchases.

B&H Payboo Card tax-equivalent loyalty reward offer is valid on all NYC SuperStore purchases and online and by-phone orders based on customer’s ship-to address, and subject to state eligibility. Entire purchase must be made with the B&H Payboo Card to qualify for this offer. If a portion of the purchase is paid for with another form of payment (e.g., cash, another credit card, or a gift card), it will not be eligible for this offer. Changing shipping address at checkout may alter the B&H Payboo Card loyalty reward value. This loyalty reward offer does not apply to gift cards or other tax exempt purchases. B&H reserves the right to alter, amend or terminate this offer at any time.

B&H will collect and remit the requisite state and local sales/use tax on all taxable purchases based on the retail price paid by the customer in jurisdictions where B&H is required to collect and remit sales/use tax. B&H collects and remits sales/use tax in New York for purchases received at our NYC SuperStore, or at the order shipping address for non-NYC SuperStore purchases made in or shipped to jurisdictions where B&H is required to collect and remit sales/use tax. When you pay for your entire B&H purchase with the B&H Payboo Card, B&H will issue a loyalty reward in the form of a credit directly on your purchase order, invoice and/or receipt (i.e. this is not a refund or reimbursement of the sales/use tax paid). The loyalty reward is issued based on the cardholder’s purchases paid for with the B&H Payboo Card after collection and remittance of the legally-required sales/use tax in your respective purchase or ship-to jurisdiction in accordance with applicable state and local law.

The tax-equivalent loyalty reward offer is not valid in Alabama, District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The tax-equivalent loyalty reward offer is not available on orders shipped to any jurisdiction that does not require B&H to collect and remit state and/or local sales or use tax (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, as of May 1, 2019).

4 Comments

  1. Thanks for the scoop with the info! Was annoyed that their email was so vague

  2. So we’ll stay pay the full sales tax, b and h will collect the full sales tax and pay it to the states and then give us a reward for that amount?
    Sign me up!!

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