Cash Back Credit Cards

Cash Back Credit Cards

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get some of that money you spend on credit card purchases back every year? Well, you can. A cash back credit card is the way to go for people who want all the benefits of shopping with a credit card, plus the perks of belonging to a credit company that offers a credit card online. The Bank of America credit card that offers the most flexible form of the cash back reward program is the Financial Rewards Visa Platinum.

When shopping for a credit card online, you may be daunted by the enormous list of choices for a cash back credit card. Don’t worry. The right card is out there. Many people find that the Financial Rewards Visa Platinum is a great card for their needs because of the many ways they can receive their cash back each year.

Cash back:

The Bank of America credit card is secure, as Bank of America is a well established and highly respected institution. When searching through their options for personal use credit cards, be sure to notice the features of the Financial Rewards card. They include the following:

An interest free trial period. This means that you will be charged 0% annual percentage rate (apr) for the first six months that you have the card. If you purchase the credit card online, you can use the website to read all the fine print of this offer, but basically if you stick to making your payments on time and don’t go over your credit limit in the entire six months, you will not be charged interest. This trial period also applies to balances that you transfer from other credit cards. So if you are interested in debt consolidation, you might check out this card as an option. Paying no interest on all that money you owe would be a great help in lowering your balance.

With the Bank of America credit card, you are not charged an annual fee. This is great news for those people who don’t pay their full balance each month because the fee would normally be tagged on to the amount they owe, therefore accumulate interest. With no annual fee, you pay less over the long run. And if a cash back credit card is what you’re looking for, than shelling out the cash you get back just to pay an annual fee seems to defeat the purpose.

Your cash back amount is determined by how much you spend over the course of a year. The dollars you spend are translated into points. Judging by how many points you have at the end of the year helps Bank of America issue your cash back. You get five free points just for using your card the first time. Thereafter, you get one point for each one hundred dollars you spend.

You can get your cash back in a number of ways. Bank of America can issue you a check for the full amount. You can have the amount applied to your credit card online. Or you can use the money as an incentive with the company to lower your apr.

Reward Yourself

As the competition in the UK lending market has become ever more intense, lenders and credit card providers have had to go to ever more lengths to attract customers to them. While there is a limit to how low they can go on interest rates, in fact many now go as low as zero per cent for well over six months, card providers can also seek to attract customers with loyalty and reward schemes. These basically reward you for every pound you spend on your credit card. 

Loyalty schemes come in all sorts of variations and can offer you air miles, discounts on petrol, points and cash. Cash is probably the best reward you can get from your credit card provider as you can spend it where and when you like and you are not limited by the card provider. 

As well as the type of reward, you should also be looking at how much of a reward you are getting. Most rewards will be at around sixty pence for every one hundred pounds you spend on your credit card but some can be lower than forty pence and others as high as eighty pence per hundred pounds so its worth shopping around and finding a card with a generous reward scheme. 

You should not allow a reward scheme to distract you from your main purpose in getting the card however. For most people, by far the most important things to be looking at when they take out a credit card is the interest rate and other charges. 

If you frequently have a balance left over on your credit card that carries forward from one month to the next, then a low interest rate on this will save you far more than any loyalty scheme will ever give you. Likewise, if a card has a good loyalty scheme but an annual subscription fee, calculate how much you would have to spend before you earn back your subscription fee. It is likely that you would have to do an awful lot of shopping to earn back the fee, and if you shop around you could probably find a reward scheme that’s just as good but without the need to pay a fee.

If you are one of those customers who always pays off their credit card balance in full each month, then you do not have to worry about interest rates, as you will not be subjected to them and you can afford to choose your credit card based on its reward scheme.

A Few Things To Consider

Cash back credit cards have become extremely popular over the past several years as consumers are able to receive a percentage back of each purchase in the form of a cash rebate or incentive. Cardholders can get cash back on every purchase they make from everyday purchases at the grocery store to recurring monthly bills such as their cellular phone bills. If you are considering getting a cash back reward credit card, then here are a few things to consider before you apply. Knowing what to look for and having some knowledge about what type of offers are out there will help ensure that you get the credit card that is right for you.

The first thing to consider is where you make the majority of or a significant portion of your charges at. Does that store or vendor only take credit cards from Visa and MasterCard or do they accept other issuers like American Express and Discover? Most grocery stores and gas stations accept all or most issuers, but if you do a lot of shopping at wholesale clubs like Costco, Sam’s Club or BJ’s; you should consider which of the exclusive credit card issuers they do accept. We do most of our wholesale club shopping at our local Costco, so we opted for an American Express credit card. Determining which stores or vendors you frequently charge at can help maximize the cash back you receive on the purchases you make.

Many cash back credit cards have either a limit or cap on the amount of cash back you receive on purchases you make. Credit cards that have a rebate of 3% or more typically have a limit on the amount you can earn. If you do not put charges on your credit card very often, this may be the best way for you to maximize your rewards. If you are anything like me and charge everything you possibly can every month (don’t worry we pay it off), then you will want to get a card that has no limit or cap on the cash back you can receive. When searching for an offer, also determine if the amount of cash back you can receive is tiered. Some credit cards require that you charge a minimum amount every year to get your 1% or more cash rebate. When comparing credit card offers, check the terms and conditions for each individual credit card to determine if your card has a limit or cap and a tiered cash back program.

Our last point of consideration is the specifics of each credit card. By specifics I mean the introductory interest rate, the normal interest rate (APR) and the annual fee. If you will be transferring a balance to your new card, the introductory rate and length of that rate is a primary concern. 

Most issuers will let you transfer a balance at 0% for three to twelve months, but without that balance applying towards your cash rebate or incentive. Also, if you do make charges after transferring a balance, your monthly payments will be applied to the balance you transferred, not towards the purchases you have made. You will be charged interest on these new charges until you payoff the transferred balance. 

The interest rate on our American Express credit card is almost 20%, but since we pay if off every month, we would not care if the APR was 30%! If you do carry a balance each month, then find a credit card offer that has the best interest rate possible for your credit rating. Credit card issuers make money every time you make a charge with your credit card, so why should they charge you an annual fee? Luckily, most issuers of cash back credit cards do not charge cardholders an annual fee, but if you find one that does – find a different card.

Are They Worth It?

There are a lot of people trying to get a cash back credit card - but are they for real? The lure of getting cash back has a lasting appeal, especially in days when people are feeling a financial pinch. But are they really worth what they promise? Here are some ways you can make sure that you get a real deal when you apply for yours, plus some tips on things to watch out for. 

Know How To Use Them

Credit cards are of the most value to those who know how to use them. This means that you can get the most benefit from a card simply by not leaving a monthly balance on the card, and by making payments on time. So if you can follow those two simple rules, then you can qualify to get the best benefits from a cash back credit card. 

Choose A Type Of Card

Every one has a certain type of credit card that they can profit from the most. For instance, a gas card will profit those the most that drive a lot of miles each month, and need to maintain a car, or spend time in a hotel. This is because the points that are given for your purchases can be used toward hotels, and you may get the most cash back for your purchases of gas. Some gas cards will even give you points for car maintenance expenses, and possibly the points may even be applied toward buying another car. A card that is selected for your greatest monthly expenses will give you the most benefits.

Also, see how much of a percentage of cash back is given toward your more ordinary purchases - like food, medicine, and gas (if it is not a gas card). This can go anywhere from 1% up to 6 % for some products. Obviously, you want the highest percentage you can get.

Get One With Balance Transfers

This feature is especially important if you have balances on other credit cards. You can transfer them to your new cash back credit card and enjoy a 0% APR balance for up to 15 months. This gives you great savings in interest and can help you to reduce those other credit card debts, if you will pay the same amount on the new credit card.

Don't Lose Your Rebates To Fees And Interest

This is one way that many people lose their benefits. Not comparing the various features listed in this article, and following its advice will often reduce their benefits reduced to a big fat zero - or less. Although they will get some rebate checks, they need to add up their late fees and interest for each month in order to determine if it really is good deal.

Choose a cash back credit card with a low rate of interest, no annual fees, or a lot of other fees. In addition, remember that by using it right, you also are building up a credit score - one that will allow you to buy the big purchases - especially if you don't have all your credit cards maxed out.