People who prefer reward credit cards are usually those who do not care about potentially higher interest charges and are more interested - excuse the pun - with what they can obtain in terms of prizes, bonuses and special rewards. These people - and you may be one of them if you also prefer a reward credit card to other types - are often well-off or at least have steady sources of income, enough so that they don't need to worry about getting the best out of a reward credit card. If, however, you want to be smart and gain the maximum advantage from a reward credit card, here are some points to consider on whether you're getting what you paid for with the reward credit card you're currently using or it's finally time to switch reward credit card companies. Point # 1 - How Much Interest Are You Paying? Don't compare your reward credit card's interest rate with the interest rate of a non-reward credit card because obviously, yours would be higher. Rather, compare your interest rate with the interest rate being offered by other reward credit cards and see which comes up with the losing end. If it's you....well, it's too early to say yet so let's go on to the next point. Point # 2 - What Kind of Rewards Are There To Choose From? The selection and variety of rewards available is terribly important because earning points and winning rewards have been your primary reasons for getting a reward credit card, after all. Hence, if you don't like the rewards being offered, it's time to switch. Point # 3 - Who Are The Affiliates? Affiliates of credit card companies usually give cardholders a special discount rate and other privileges. The problem is when you have no use of the affiliates of your credit card company. Point # 4 - What Is The Maximum Length For Retention of Points? If you're not a big spender, much less with a credit card bearing interest rate, you will not be able to maximize the use of your reward credit card if it only allows you to accumulate reward points up to a year or even less. Point # 5 - What Is The Dollar Value of Each Reward Point? How much do you need to spend before earning one little reward point? Point # 6 - Is There Something Else You Want That Your Reward Credit Card Company Does Not Offer? And ....that's self explanatory. Ultimately, it's your choice. Even when the cons far outweigh the pros, if you're still happy with your present reward credit card then there's no real need to switch reward credit card companies and all we can say is good luck and have fun shopping! You may freely reprint this article provided the following author's biography (including the live URL link) remains intact: About The Author |
