Types Of Credit Card Rewards
July 18, 2008 – 5:22 pm
Rewards are the credit card companies’ way of getting you to use their cards. They offer things like cash back, points, and frequent flyer miles just to name a few. Each credit card company offers different rewards the best thing to do is to compare credit cards to see which one has the rewards that you are interested in.
The cash back reward is the credit cards way of saying thank you. They give you back so much money on every purchase you make. Some of them start from sending you upfront check as soon as you start using your card. Then they continue paying you a percentage of your purchase - “back in cash”, from 1 to 3 percent.
Point rewards is another way credit card companies reward you for using their card. Each company offers points at a different rate. Some reward extra points on your first purchase and points for other things like buying gas with the credit card buying groceries and prescription drugs are usually all purchases that get you points. Usually, large retail stores do short-term promotions and reward customers with double or triple rewards during any period of time, like weekend or something. Once you have accumulated a lot of points you can redeem them for merchandise, gift cards or even cash back so that you can buy whatever you want.
For people that like to travel by airplane credit card companies offer frequent flyer miles. When you make a purchase with the credit card you earn a certain number of miles for each dollar you spend. When you have earned enough miles you can take a trip to wherever you want to go either for business or pleasure. When you are applying for a credit card for frequent flyer miles you want to make sure that you get a card that lets you travel whenever you want to and you don’t have to worry about blackout dates. You also want to make sure you can go wherever you want to go and there are no restrictions on destination. Frequent flyer miles are a good way to save for that family vacation.
To choose the card that is right for you, think of what do you spend your money on. For example, if you have relatives in Alaska and visit them a lot, it might make sense to apply for Alaska Airlines credit card in order to accumulate points for every time you buy a ticket from this company. May be every 3-rd trip could be for free or with very good discount! Think of getting a gas points cards if you travel a lot. Think about hardware store points card if you are in construction business.
All of these rewards are great but don’t fall into the credit card companies trap and go on a spending spree so that you will earn enough miles for the vacation. The truth is that if you had saved the money you spent on the spending spree you probably could have paid for the trip in the first place. This is the kind of mindset that the credit card company is hoping they can get you into because even though they may give you two miles for every dollar you spend they are making a lot more money than you think. Not to mention how many purchases you will have to make for a family of four to travel a thousand miles. No matter what you do with your credit card you have to act responsibly