Whether you’re in the market to get a new credit card or you’re exploring the opportunities but don’t know what rewards credit card to get, I’m going to give you some questions that you should ask yourself in order to find the right card for you and your wallet.

What kind of rewards are you actually getting?

You’re going to find out that every credit card that you look at is going to offer different rewards.  One card may give you 3 points for every gas purchase while the other is only going to give you 1 point.  What I do is explore my spending and look at how I spend my money month by month.  The more I spend on a particular category, the more I want to take advantage.  For example, if you spend a lot on groceries each month, then explore cards that will give you the most points on that category.

What kind of fees are there?

Each card has some sort of fee but the fees that I look at are the annual fees.  Most good rewards cards aren’t going to have an annual fee.  Why should you pay an annual fee when you’re looking to get rewards?  It doesn’t make since.  As long as you pay your card off in full each and every month, you can really take advantage of your credit card because there won’t be interest rates, etc. 

What can you get with your rewards?

The next thing that you want to look at it is how you can claim your rewards.  Are you going to get cash back?  Can you get points and then redeem them for gift cards?  How can you get your rewards and do they expire?  The rewards part is the most important part to look at since you want to get the most out of your card.  Why get a rewards card and find out you’re getting garbage in return?

With so many type of cash back cards out there, explore your options and look at your budget.  See what fits for you and see what will work best for you down the line.  Never just apply for the first card you see because you’re going to regret it.  Instead, compare the cards and find out that you can take advantage of.

Everyone likes to get a deal and when it comes to saving money, a lot of people just think of coupons and they never think of cash back opportunities.  Did you know that there are so many possibilities out there when it comes down to getting cash back for particular items?  Think of using a coupon, a discount code and cash back on top of that.  Think of what you could save!

Today, let’s take a look at what you can get in terms of cash back and how you can save up to 25% on your purchases when you buy something just about anywhere.

Cash back coupon websites – Websites like FatWallet.comwill allow you to create an account and every time you want to make a purchase, you can log into your account and click on the store you want to shop with.  From there, FatWallet will tell you how much you’re going to get back on your purchase.  Whether it’s 2% or 25%, it’s a lot better than nothing.  This works out great when you have a coupon and know of a discount.

Cash back cards- Reward credit cards are another great way to get cash back on your purchases.  The nice thing about these is that you’re able to get cash back on anything you buy.  From buying a burger at McDonalds to getting groceries at your local grocery store, you’re going to get a certain percentage back.  Every card is going to vary, so make sure you know how much you’re going to get back in terms of each category.

When looking for cash back deals, I would heavily consider the top two tips and here’s an example of how you can save more money by using more than a coupon.

Let’s say you want to shop at ABC clothing and this what you have to use:

• A coupon code online to save 30%.
• You can use FatWallet.com and get 5% back on your purchase.
• Your cash back credit card allows you to save an additional 3% cash back.

Now, let’s say your total was a flat out $100.  After your 30% discount code, you’re going to pay $70 total.  The credit card will say you paid $70 and they will give you $2.10 back.  FatWallet sees that you spend $70 and they will give you back $3.50.  Now, at ABC clothing, you’re going to buy $100 worth of clothes and get it for $64.40, that’s almost 50% off!

Now, you can use this strategy on anything.  I’m not going to say you’re going to find coupon codes online for everything but it doesn’t hurt looking for one.  Try implementing these tips today and start saving.

If you have a bank account now or you’re thinking about getting one, there are so many bank deals out there  that you should look into before you just sign up for a simple checking or savings accounts.  When in need of a brand new cash back bank account, I’m going to show you what you should look out for when applying for a new account.

Look at the interest rate

The first thing I always look at is the interest rate.  What kind of rate does it have and is it good?  There are a lot of rewards checking accounts out there that have fantastic rates.  The thing you need to look out for is that there are going to be restrictions on the account.  For example, you might have to use your debit card 10 times a month or you have to deposit at least 3 checks a month, etc.  Make sure you look out for these type of accounts because you can really benefit in the long run.

Look for cash back rewards

Yes, there are accounts out there that do offer cash back rewards.  For example, Bank of America has the keep the change program and every time you spend money, they will round the dollar up and place that leftover change in your savings account.  On top of that, they will also give you a percentage back as well on top of the change.  For example, if you spent $4.50, they would round your charge up to $5 and place .50 into your savings account.

Look for cash back cards

With your checking account, you should also get a debit card.  Some of the banks, you may find that they will give you points or cash back every time you use it.  They may put it into your account or may just give you a sort of credit.  Another way they may do it is by giving you points and you can cash these points in for gift cards and more.

With so many credit unions and banks out there, do your homework when it comes to checking.  There are so many great bank rewards out there if you find them and use them right.   When it comes to banking, make sure the bank works for you and your money.

When it comes time to get a credit card, I would recommend that everyone out there looks into getting a rewards credit card.  A card that rewards you for your purchases.  If you’re in the market currently and you’re looking for a card, I want to show you what cards aren’t worth applying for.

Have expiration dates

How bad would it be when you rake up a bunch of points and you go to redeem them and you find out they aren’t there?  Well, if your card has expiration dates, you’re going to find that your points are going to disappear after a while.  This is why it’s important you look into a card that doesn’t have an expiration date.

Has a high annual fee

There are some great cards out there that do have an annual fee but my word of advice is if you have to pay more than $50 to keep the card for the year, it isn’t worth it.  There are so many great cards out there that don’t have an annual fee.  If you’re thinking about applying for one, make sure it works for you and your spending.

Has a lousy spending program

Sure, a rewards card sounds good to you but what happens when you want to cash in those rewards?  What if the rewards are really bad and there’s nothing you like?  Each card company has it’s own way in own you can cash in on the rewards.  Places like Citibank have an amazing rewards program where you can get just about anything imaginable while others have next to nothing when it comes time to cashing in.

Doesn’t have a major logo

When you use your credit card, you want to be able to use it just about anywhere.  Let’s face it that if your card doesn’t have a major logo from the top four companies, you might be out of luck.  Always look for the MasterCard and Visa logo when it comes to applying for a card.  Without these logos, you may have a hard time cashing in.

There are a lot of rewards cards when it comes to applying.  Look for these options when applying because I know they would scare me off.  A good rewards program card will have no annual fees, a great program and comes from a major company.

When you think of Ala Carte many times you think about eating at a restaurant where you can select different types of foods instead of buying a complete meal. When you are getting cash back on products as a customer you have the same choices. You do not have to stick to just one source of getting cash back in order to save money on your budget. The different varies from product to product as well as from store to store. The consumer must make sure that they are aware of all the opportunities out there in order to take advantage of them.

Rebates

Rebates are a method that is used by manufacturers and dealers in order to introduce a customer to their product or services. The method is very simple to use and it produces a record that enables the producers and sellers the ability to keep track of where the product is best sold. The reason behind this is to help improve on marketing techniques that better help the manufacture in producing for the public. The public benefits because instead of paying full price for an item they are able to get a reimbursement. A product that normally costs $300 may have a rebate of $50 which is a savings to the consumers. The retailer may not want to be responsible for having to collect all the coupons and get their money back that is why the rebate system was created. The product has a line of black bars on it that are called the UPC label which is a computerized system that helps the manufactures know where the product was sold and for how much. The consumer sends the UPC label along with the sales receipt to prove that they bought the product to the central rebate receiving center in order to get their cash refund. This takes out a lot of work for both the dealer and the producers.

Coupons

Coupons are one of the first methods used by retailers in order to get customers into their store. This is very simple because you get a discount off of the products that you buy at the time of purchase. Some people do not think of this as cash back but in reality it really is because if you go to the store to buy groceries and your budget is to spend only $60.00 you use $10.00 in coupons then you now have $10.00 extra cash that you would not have had if it was not for the coupons. Understanding your cash back is one important step in getting cash back.