As the cost of groceries, housing, and everyday necessities continues to rise, many Americans are leaning more heavily on their credit cards to stay afloat. But not everyone is experiencing credit card usage the same way—some are actually profiting from it.
Credit cards don’t just give you a way to borrow money, but also to earn and keep more of it.
Look to the past to plan for your financial future.
Think about the types of regular purchases you make (groceries, gas, travel?) and find a card that caters to that. Some cards, for example, give you double the points every time you buy gas. If you drive a lot, then that’s a great card for you.
if you're looking to spend smarter or save better for what you really want, keep your credit card in your wallet in the following situations.
(MarketWatch) — There are few things more defeating than having something you just bought — a brand-spanking-new bike, say — get stolen only days later. But if you charged that bike on your credit card, you might be better off than you thought. Visa, MasterCard and American Express all offer a little-known perk called “purchase […]
(LA Times) — On Monday, Visa and MasterCard agreed to let merchants charge less to customers who use different kinds of credit cards that charge smaller fees to shopkeepers. “We want to put more money in consumers’ pockets, and by eliminating credit card companies’ anticompetitive rules, we will accomplish exactly that,” Atty. Gen. Eric Holder […]
(Mashable) — Card 2.0 is the next logical step in personal banking. Half credit card, half futuristic gadget, the cards are as versatile as they are secure. You can tie multiple accounts to the same card or completely hide certain digits of your card number at the push of a button — buttons which are […]
(Read Write Web) — While the Bank of America has partnered up with Visa to begin testing out mobile payments later this month, analyst firm Forrester says one big question remains – are consumers ready to ditch their plastic? According to Forrester analyst Emmet Higdon, the test is less one of the technology involved, but the user interface […]
(Wall Street Journal) — Whomever President Barack Obama taps to head the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection could find it difficult to keep ahead of the credit-card industry. The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, known as the Card Act, was intended to reshape the contours of consumer finance. Among other things, […]
(AdAge) — Remember the old audio CD? That round piece of plastic holding 15 songs — two of which you actually wanted to hear? While many of us still use and occasionally buy CDs, I suspect we can agree that with iTunes as the world’s-biggest music marketer, the CD’s glory days are over. The audio […]