Whether you hold a rewards credit card in your wallet or you plan on getting one, I want to show you some ways on how you can get the most out of your rewards card.  Remember, if you don’t use it the right way, you’re not going to be taking advantage at all.  Instead, it’s simply going to hurt you.

Never carry a balance – When you use your rewards card, make sure that you never carry a balance over to the next month?  Why?  You’re going to have to pay interest on those balances that you don’t pay.  If you spend $100 and only pay off $50, you’re going to pay interest on the $50 left over.  This offsets your rewards and you’ll end up paying more for the interest than the rewards.

Find great rewards – Before you apply for a card, make sure that you check out their rewards system.  Make sure that you find a card that will give you decent rewards.  You won’t want to apply for a card that will give you lousy rewards like a coupon of $15 off at your local restaurant.  Do some research online at the different rewards system to find which ones will work out best for you.

Watch your spending – No matter what kind of card you’re using, you’ll always want to make sure that you don’t overspend.  If you find yourself overspending, you’re going to find that you can’t pay your bill off in full.  As I mentioned in point 1, this is going to hurt your chances of taking advantage of the rewards because you’re going to put more into your interest than your rewards.

Taking advantages of rewards cards is really easy.  Make sure you do your research, find a card that will give you great rewards and don’t overspend.  If you can follow these golden rules, you’ll have no problem taking advantage of the rewards.

Credit cards are loved and hated by so many people in this world.  If you don’t know how to use them and you have debt, you hate them.  Those people then tell everyone else that they suck simply because they think everyone else thinks like them.  This isn’t the case people!!  Credit cards are only bad for the people that don’t know how to manage them.  Yes, there are actually people out there that are disciplined enough to use a credit card.  I know it’s hard to believe but there are millions of us.

If you’re one of the millions that do know how to manage their credit card, I’m going to show you some simple tips that you can use in order to profit with your credit card.  Make sure you read these tips closely because the littlest screw up can screw over your profits.

Get a program you like.  All credit card programs are different.  You’ll want to find a program that allows you to benefit the most.  If you spend a lot of money at the grocery store, then find a card that will give you the most back at the grocery store.  If you generally spend all your money in every other place imaginable, then you’ll want a card that gives you cash back everywhere.

Look for 0% offers.  There used to be a ton of 0% intro rate offers but they have seemed to wash away for now.   You can still find them but it’s a little harder than before.  What I suggest to you is that you find a 0% intro offer.  That way, you won’t have to pay your card off in full in order to avoid the interest rates.

Use it for all your spending.  Remember, you have to be good with your credit card.  The next thing you’ll want to do is do all your spending with your credit card.  If you have a card that gives you 5% back, you’ll get that back on your purchases.  This is a lot better than using cash or a credit card that doesn’t have any rewards at all.  So, let’s say you spend $2,000 in a given month, you’re going to get $100 back.

The process sounds easy and it is.  It only takes discipline from yourself.  If you have a 0% intro rate fora  few months, that’s great.  If you don’t, make sure you always pay the card off in full!  If you fail to do this, you’re going to be paying interest and it will offset your cash back benefits and you won’t profit.  In the meantime, find a great card, use it right and profits will come your way.

When you apply for either a rewards based credit card or simply a cash back credit card, I’m assuming you’re getting the card so that you can actually take advantage of the rewards.  Well, some people think they are getting the rewards but they really aren’t.  I’m going to show you some ways on how people use their credit cards the wrong way and simply don’t benefit.

Getting a card that focuses on what you don’t spend

Let’s say you do a lot of travelling via the air but instead, when you were looking at the reward based credit cards, you signed up for gas credit card instead.  Now, every time you fly, you’re not going to get rewarded but instead, you’re only going to get rewarded every time you fill up your gas tank.

Getting a card with an annual fee

A good cash back card won’t have an annual fee.  In fact, most of them don’t.  If you do make the mistake of getting one with a fee, you’ll soon find out that the annual fee will probably be more than the rewards you earn throughout the whole year.  You have to be careful with the annual fee when you’re looking to get rewards.

The points simply expire

Most credit cards on the market have points that don’t expire but this is another thing that you need to be careful about.  When you build up your points, you may find yourself saving for that certain item but you come to find out that one night your point simply disappear.  Why?  Your points can expire and if you get a card that doesn’t allow the points to expire, you won’t have anything to worry about.

The rewards program just plain out stinks

Most reward programs work in two different kinds of ways.  You can either get a statement balance or you build up points.  In exchange of the points, you’ll be able to trade them in for gift cards, electronics, etc.  Make sure that you always do research on the rewards program before you sign up for a card.  You may soon find out that the rewards you’re going to get are going to be complete crap.  Instead, find a company that treats you like gold and gives you the rewards you deserve.

In the long run, my word of advice to you is to make sure you do your research.  Most of the major credit card companies out there do have great reward programs.  Find one you like, use it right and remember, always pay your bill off in full on time.

If you think back to when you were a child, credit cards were probably just “credit cards”.   You would charge the card and get no rewards at all.  Today, it’s a whole another ballgame.  From getting cash back on your purchases to saving at the gas pump, if you want a reward,  it’s probably out there.

Rewards cards are all over the place and if you’re looking for one, there are a few things that you should look out for in order to snag the perfect card that caters to your needs.

Are you responsible with your card?

If you’re one that pays your credit card off in full every month, a reward card is going to be for you because if you don’t manage to pay your card off in full, the reward cards aren’t going to be worth it.  You’re going to have to make sure you pay your card off in full every month.  If you have a higher interest rate around 10-20%, it will offset the rewards you get and won’t make any sense.

Know what rewards you want

How do you spend your money?  Do you want to save on gas?  on groceries?  on anything?  Every card is different and it’s important that you look into each and every card to see what exactly will work for you.  Make out a budget sheet and see exactly how much you can potentially save over the year.

Is it going to be worth it for you?

If you tend to do a lot of spending on your credit card, you’ll probably benefit from it but if you don’t do a lot of spending, you may want to look at other options.  Most credit cards, you will usually need about 5,000 points until you see any type of reward.  If you have a credit card where a point equals a dollar, it’s going to take you about $5,000 to get that reward.

Read the fine print

Make sure that you always read that fine print before you apply.  You may soon find out that you can only spend so much per year and there may be a cap on your rewards.  You won’t want to do all that spending and soon find out that you can’t cash in your rewards because you over spent.

In the end, if you’re a responsible user and you can pay your bill off in full each month, you’re really going to benefit from something like this.  Do your research and you should find the perfect card in no time.

Cash prices continue to rise month after month and while most things don’t get cheaper, there are some things we can do in order to save ourselves money.  As long as you’re disciplined enough with credit cards, you can really save a lot of money compared to your average Joe. 

Today, I’m going show you some tricks on how you can apply for a cash back credit card and get the most out of your rewards but before we start, let’s remember this phrase, “ALWAYS pay your bill off in full each month to avoid interest rates.”  If we can’t do this, our rewards won’t matter.

Make a list- The first thing you’re going to want to do is make a list of all the things you plan on purchasing in the month.  Write down everything you’re going to buy (or want to buy) and then determine how much cash back you’re going to get back with your credit card.  Since they are all different, you’ll find that some cards give you back more on particular purchases.  The reason we will want to make this list is because it will make it easier for you to budget so that you know how much cash you’ll need at the end of the month to pay your card off in full.

Stick with one card – Some people like to go crazy and get a card for every single expense.  One for the gas, one for the groceries, etc.  Instead of making it confusing for yourself, try and stick to one credit card.  This makes it a lot easier for you to budget for yourself.  I would recommend that you look into a card that allows you to get a flat percentage back on purchases.

Read the fine print on your card – You may find that your offer may be too good to be true because you didn’t read the fine print.  Some credit card companies love to tell you that you’ll get 10% back but when you read the fine print, it’s only for the first 30 days on the first $500 you spend.  Make sure you know how much you’re getting back to make it easier for yourself.

The golden rule – I mentioned it above and I’ll mention it again.  ALWAYS make sure you pay your card off in full all the time.  If you can’t do this, you’re not going to be able to take advantage of the rewards.  By the time you pay your interest rates, etc, it will just out-weigh the rewards.