5 Tips On Finding & Choosing Credit Cards With Reward Systems
Throughout history, people have relied on money to get the goods they wanted and to make any kinds of important purchases. Things haven’t changed nowadays either, even though we can certainly argue that there are some significant changes and developments that we are facing in the world of money. For instance, instead of carrying huge amounts of cash with you everywhere you go, you can nowadays rely on credit cards to fulfill all your money needs during the course of your day. This is undoubtedly a rather important development and we cannot deny the fact that a lot of people have definitely decided to rely on credit cards these days.
If you have started using a credit card recently, then you are undeniably already aware of how it all works and how you should use them to your particular advantage. You can even get a quick loan with these financial instruments if you find that the situation requires it, but I am sure you understand that repaying that debt quickly and within a specific time frame is important because you want to build a good credit score. Those are probably some of the things that you absolutely know and understand when these financial tools are in question, but I’m sure that a few things are still getting you at least a little bit confused.
For example, did you know that you can now use these instruments to actually earn money? Spending money to earn money is an appealing concept and even though it might sound a bit unusual to you in the beginning, let me assure you that it is definitely the real deal and that there’s no catch in it. In case you could not have guessed it, I am actually talking about the concept of credit cards with certain reward systems, and you should undeniably do everything in your power to make great use of these. This useful source could be of great help in that regard.
Reward Types
Now, if you’ve done any research whatsoever by now about credit cards in general and these reward systems, you’ve realized that there are a few different rewarding options that you can use to your advantage. For starters, there is the cashback option, which is pretty straightforward and simple, and that is a part of its appeal. Basically, you get a percentage of the cash you spend with your card returned to you, thus earning while spending.
The cashback option might very well be the best one, especially for people who are just now entering the world of these reward systems, but that does not mean that you shouldn’t get acquainted with the rest of the options as well. After all, your goal should be to learn about all of these and then choose the option that you believe will work best for you. And, of course, keep in mind that nobody is stopping you from using all the reward systems, but you’ll have to find all the right cards in order to be able to do that. We’ll get to the process of choosing your cards in a few moments because we first have to tell you about those different reward systems in addition to the cashback one.
So, there are the so-called “points cards” that actually award borrowers with a fixed amount of points for every dollar they spend. Now, the actual amount of points you’ll get depends on the issuer and the card that you’ll choose, meaning that you should never rush into getting one of these financial tools without first doing your research. As mentioned, though, we’ll get to the choosing process in a couple of minutes.
In addition to those two types mentioned above, there are also those miles-earning cards. The idea of these tools is certainly quite simple. Basically, you get to exchange your rewards for flights, seat upgrades, airport lounge access, and various different travel-related purchases. These specific cards are perfect for people that travel quite often. Now that you’re aware of the various types, I’m guessing that you’re ready to choose the one for you.
If you need some more info, this article can help: https://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/types-of-rewards-credit-cards/
How To Choose Your Credit Cards With Reward Systems
As mentioned above, now that you have a better idea about the various award systems and financial instruments that you can use to your advantage, it is time for you to find and choose the perfect credit card for you. Most people prefer the ones with the cashback option, as those are quite straightforward and the simplicity of it all makes them extremely appealing. The decision is, however, ultimately yours to make.
Nevertheless, if you thought that this is the only decision you will have to make when choosing your card, then you were definitely wrong. If you do a quick Internet search, you will realize that there are undoubtedly quite a lot of different credit card solutions out there, offering the same reward systems. This can make things quite difficult for you, since you won’t really know how to choose the best solution when you are faced with so many options. You might get overwhelmed with all the information and you might find yourself not knowing what to do and how to make this significant choice.
Well, I can undeniably understand that, but here’s one simple tip that you need to keep in mind in order to make the best choice. Basically, it all depends on the issuer, i.e. the company that will provide you with the credit card. What does this precisely mean for you, however? As you might have guessed it all on your own, it means that you will need to focus on choosing the right issuer, since that will lead you towards getting the best credit card for you. In case you are not exactly sure what to do in order to find and select the right issuers and the right cards, you should simply continue reading, as I will share some tips that will undeniably help you out in that process.
1. Get Some Recommendations
As it usually goes, whenever people are interested in using certain services or buying certain products, they start their research process by talking to the people they know and hearing their opinions. Well, things certainly shouldn’t be any different here, since you might be able to get some amazing recommendations from the people you know. Of course, the trick is in talking to those individuals who are already using credit cards and who are perfectly aware of the reward systems in place.
You could perhaps try and talk to some people that don’t quite know much about those reward systems, but I suppose you understand why such conversations wouldn’t be fruitful and why they wouldn’t provide you with the information you need. So, find at least a few people that you know are using reward systems to their advantage and let them offer up some suggestions regarding the issuers you should cooperate with. I am sure that you’ll get some great recommendations this way.
2. Search The Internet
Even if you don’t get any recommendations during the above step, though, you shouldn’t get worried. The Internet is there to your rescue! We all know that the Internet is filled with basically all the information we need on any given topic. There’s no exception here whatsoever, meaning that you’ll manage to find as much information as you need on various issuers and their credit cards if you simply decide to use the Internet to your advantage. All you have to do is type the perfect keywords into your browser and you’ll get to see a lot of relevant results and get familiar with a lot of credit card issuers that you might want to get your cards from.
3. Check Issuer Reputation
Before you jump on board, though, and before you actually apply for a credit card, you should remember that not all of those issuers will be as amazing as you would want them to be. This is why you will have to take your time to do some more thorough research on all of them because you absolutely want to choose the best option for you. Sure, you could just rush into it and get things over with, but I am quite certain that you understand what that wouldn’t be quite a good idea. If you rush into things, you are highly likely to regret your decision afterward.
Well, you have used the Internet to get your answers to some significant questions by now, such as – what is cash back on a credit card, which reward systems are there, which issuers can offer me what I need, etc. So, why wouldn’t you use the Internet once again to do your research on those issuers? The most significant thing to do is check their reputation, which basically means that you will need to focus on searching for some reviews that might have been written by past clients or by experts in this line of work. Those reviews will undeniably lead you towards getting a clear picture of how reputable certain issuers are and you will, thus, get the opportunity to remove any ill-reputed ones from your list of candidates.
4. Check Out The Precise Reward Systems Offered
After you have found a few reputable and experienced credit card issuers, it will be time for you to start focusing on checking out the precise reward systems that they are offering. This way, you will get to see precisely which specific issuers offer the reward types that you prefer, which will also make your ultimate decision easier. In addition to checking out the reward types in general, you should also check the specific offers that the various issuers can give you since the terms of those offers will be different even when the reward types are the same. I am completely certain that you understand the importance of comparing those offers in great detail before making your final choice and before deciding which credit card to actually get for you. So, take your time to do those comparisons, and don’t rush into anything.
5. Compare The Fees
Speaking of doing comparisons, there is one more thing that you need to keep in mind during that process. While comparing the actual cashback offers and similar rewards is significant, you also have to understand that various issuers offer different general fees on their credit cards. Since your goal is to find the most favorable and the most reasonable solution for you, it goes without saying that you’ll need to compare those fees in detail before making your final choices and before proceeding with applying for your next credit card.
Pranab Bhandari is an Editor of the Financial Blog “Financebuzz”. Apart from writing informative financial articles for his blog, he is a regular contributor to many national and international publications namely Tweak Your Biz, Growth Rocks ETC.
