Getting credit where credit is due

• Published November 06, 2008

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Go!

About six months ago, I decided to experiment a little bit with my credit cards. When I first opened my accounts, I opted for cards that offered “rewards.” As time went on, I wondered a few things. First, were these so-called rewards really as beneficial as the companies want you to believe? Second, do they let you know when you have rewards to use? And third, really how great are the savings?

With regards to all three questions, here is what I’ve come up with: You have to understand which places your credit card company will reward you for patronizing. Most of the credit card companies that offer rewards have a list of participating places that will earn you rewards. Rewards can be in the form of cash back, percentages off your shopping bag, or coupons by mail for special savings and/or special shopping days. And believe it or not, there are some out there that offer great deals and rewards. I highly recommend that if you have a card that offers rewards, pay attention and find out what your rewards are, and where you can shop to earn additional rewards.

At first I didn’t think much of rewards. I thought the companies were just offering incentives to get my business, and it wasn’t really going to amount to much. In some cases it doesn’t, but with a major bank card I have, I recently made a double payment with my cash back rewards, and in another case, earned enough cash back on a retail card to take $20 off of a Christmas gift I was buying. I don’t know about you, but I think $20 is a pretty nice savings.

I know you’re probably wondering how much I had to use my credit card to earn those rewards, but it really wasn’t much, and it’s not like I went out and maxxed out my credit cards just to earn rewards. But if you’re going to do any of your holiday shopping with your card or online anyway, check with your credit card companies to learn if you have rewards, and if you do, what places earn the best rewards for you. You might find your savings are nicer than you thought.

Totally off the subject: Did you happen to notice the word “Go” at the top of the page? This is the reason for that, and pardon my sarcasm, but sometimes you just gotta handle life’s little disrespects with internal humor. It seems lately, with Web upgrades and so forth, the first half of my blog winds up in cyber-hell. There is a Sunday editor here that is gracious enough to fix it, but usually not before it’s been noticed and commented on. So, here’s the deal: I will begin my blogs from now on with the word “go” and end them with the word “stop.” If you don’t see those words, chances are good that the cyber-fairies have ripped me off again, and we’ll have to wait for our Web goddess to come along and fix it. Isn’t technology a blast?!

Stop!