Use a cash back credit card
Many credit cards now offer a cash back feature. Credit card companies make these offers because they profit from the merchants credit card fees. Each time you make a transaction they receive a processing/transaction fee. To encourage more spending and potentially more finance charges, credit card issuers will often offer rewards or cash back. Many people use a credit card to pay for regular expenses such as gas, groceries, and utilities. If you carefully budget these expenses, pay off your bill each month, and use your cash back option toward your regular expenses you will get a small discount using this option. Some banks are now offering cash back on bank debit card accounts when used as a credit charge. You may not get the premium cash back rate offered to credit card spenders, but you do not run the risk of carrying a balance over and paying finance charges essentially negating any cash back bonus.
Look for coupons
A great way to get cash back while shopping is to look for coupons and rebates. Many retailers are using cash back as a way to expose customers to products they might not have tried otherwise. CVS and Walgreens are two merchants that use coupons and rebates extensively in their marketing. Simple searches on Google.com often yield many results for coupons and other rebate deals. Be sure to check flyers at your local stores for extra rebates. Often you can get an item free or nearly free after rebate. You may have to pay upfront, but your rebates can really add up if you will mail them in (or submit them online.)
Use cash back shopping websites
Merchants are using partnerships to generate more sales and advertise their businesses. Cash back shopping websites essentially give you credits in the form of points or cash for shopping through their website. Merchants pay to be a part of the shopping network and offer special promotions and discounts to members of the websites. In turn, members are regularly aware of merchant products and often purchase more because they will get points or cash back. As mentioned earlier, these services can be a great benefit to someone who already planned to purchase something from the merchant. You may get free shipping, a percentage off your purchase, or a free product for using the shopping website in addition to your points or cash back. Some people combine a cash back credit card purchase with a shopping website to get a double cash back bonus. Mypoints.com is one service that offers points toward gift cards to shoppers who use their portal, but there are many other similar websites.
Related posts:
- 5% Cash Back While Shopping
- Cash Back Cards – The World of Options
- Stretch Your Money with Cash Back
- The Best Cash Back Gas Credit Cards for 2011
- How to Redeem Cash Back Points
