The problem is not that the article is amatueristic and sophomoric, as it clearly is since people intelligent and energetic enough to do manufactured spending are capable of calculating that paying 15% interest is not worth it if the MS earnings on a 5% rebate card is around 3.5% or so after fees and gas (and anyone floating a balance probably has a 0% teaser rate card). The problem is that the more mainstream articles that float around, the sooner that the credit card companies, the issuers of prepaid cards, a very big box retailer, some smaller retailers, and perhaps even the regulators in the government's financial system move to shut it down. And let's face it, it would not be very hard to shut it down. Although we probably should not spell those steps out, lest the writer from Yahoo, who probably got all of her information from FT and FW, will have her next idea for an article.