Used with permission from Microsoft.
Are you one of the many people who get no rewards from their credit card? If so, take a few minutes and switch to card that offers rewards.
- If you have a credit score above 700, don’t settle for less than 1.5% rewards on your credit card.
- Get the rewards you want. If you don’t enjoy traveling, then don’t accumulate airline rewards, but instead choose a cash reward. If you don’t like the hassle of receiving and cashing rebate checks, then chose a card that credits your reward directly to your monthly balance.
- Consider annual fees when choosing the card. Many cards have no fees and offer the same rewards as those that do.
- Look for sign-up bonuses. Several times a year, some banks increase the standard offer of 25,000 miles to 50,000 or even 100,000 miles. NerdWallet.com and MyBankTracker.com update their lists of credit card offers daily.
Here is a sample of the best rewards cards:
- If you want cash: Chase Freedom Unlimited offers 1.5% cash back on every purchase, 0 annual fee, and a $150 bonus after you spend $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
- If you eat out a lot: Citi Forward (creditcards.citi.com) has no annual fee, 0% interest for a year, and 5 points per $1 spent on restaurants and entertainment; 1 point for everything else; redeemable for a variety of rewards including gift cards.
- If you travel a lot: American Express Starwood Preferred Guest (AmericanExpress.com) has a $65 annual fee (waived the first year), variable interest, and 4 points for every dollar spent at more than 1,000 hotels around the world. [American Express also offers a Delta Airlines card with a 40,000 mile sign-up bonus.]
