Today we are shifting gears and talking financial fitness, friends!
True story: During college orientation, my mom had me sign up for my first bank account and credit card! It was a basic “student” credit card with no fees, but also, no rewards.
While it was great building my credit during those years, it would've been even better if I was actually earning something for spending that paper!
I felt so overwhelmed by all of the different rewards programs that it took roughly 10 years before I decided to take the plunge and figure out which rewards program would suit my lifestyle best.
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Before we jump into figuring out how to choose a rewards program that supports your lifestyle, I want to take a beat and tell you WHY it took me 10 years to make a change with my credit card…
You see, I am usually of the mentality “if it ain't broke, don't fix it!” and while I never had an issue with my credit, I never really thought about how I could use it to actually benefit my lifestyle and work for me. Which is what rewards programs do, they provide you some benefit so you aren't just doling out your hard earned cash money to every Tom, Dick, & Harry!
I was TERRIFIED to apply for a new credit card! The very thought would lead to a chain reaction of anxious thoughts:
“How much will this hard inquiry hurt my credit score? What is a credit score? Do I even need my credit score right now?!? I can't adult today.”
The reality, though? By not making the switch to a rewards card, I was leaving money on the table!
What do I mean by that? Well some rewards programs will literally give you cash back (which I was missing out on), others will give you travel points (so rather than spending the dollar bills earning interest in my accounts, I could've used those), and some will give you gift cards to your favorite stores (again leaving your cash money earning interest in your accounts!).
You see, finances shouldn't be scary, they should be working for us, not against us, and one simple change to start making that a reality in your life is with a rewards card. Creditcards.com makes it really easy to find the card that will best match your lifestyle with their Cardmatch tool.
Creditcards.com believes in empowering people to make smart choices around their credit cards, which means using the right card for you in the right way. Their Cardmatch tool securely matches you with offers in less than 60 seconds without impacting your credit score in any way.
I spent 10 years hesitating to make the change to a rewards program because I felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of options out there. I wish I had found the Cardmatch tool sooner to help make the decision process a breeze and start having my finances work for me sooner.
Ultimately we decided to get the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express. Since making the switch we've use this card for basically everything and earn points to enhance our travels with hotel upgrades, discounts on airfare and car rentals –> in other words, it helps me live an “insta-ready” life, without breaking the bank!
Our card has also allowed us to leave our cash in interest barring accounts, while we spend the points instead, which leaves us feeling much more financially fit and like we are investing in our future.
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Thanks for sharing this! I think reward credit cards are such a good idea to have!
Thank you McKenna!
Love our reward cards that is how we fly all the time.
Awesome Candy!
My husband has a rewards credit card and it’s so beneficial for us. One I pay off my tiny credit card that I have now, I think I’m going to switch to a rewards one. Credit cards are so scary, but honestly, it’s the only way to build credit!
They don’t need to be scary either! IF you look at them as a debit card and only spend what you have and just get in the habit of paying it every time you use it or every week it’s doesn’t need to be scary!
So true!
This is something I have been meaning to do as well! I have heard great things about American Express…love your insight!
Thanks Tilley! It’s definitely important to find a card that matches your lifestyle!
I wish I could do this but I have proven to myself multiple times that I shouldn’t have a credit card. After signing up for several credit cards between 2012-2015, I am now $5,000 in cc debt in addition to $30,000 in student loans.
Most people would probably benefit from this program. I would love to be a partof it and wish I could be ?
If you ever sign up for one again you should check out debitize – it’s a free tool that basically turns your credit card into a debit card and helps you from over spending what you don’t have.
That’s awesome! Thank you for that! That’s exactly what I need!
We both have cards that give us incredible return on miles. So much so, that we haven’t paid for flights in about five years. Why people are still hesitant to change to cards that reward them is beyond me.
Nice! that’s literally amazing! And I agree – if you are already using a plastic debit card, why not a plastic credit card? doesnt make sense lol
Such a smart post Rachel! I have a rewards card but don’t use it that much… credit still scares me since I’m still in school and I’m very loyal to my debit. Once I get a full time job this year I really need to switch over to paying more on credit!
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
Thank you! You may want to look into Debitize – it basically turns your credit card into a debit card for free!
Love this! having rewards cards ROCKS! We pay all of our bills with them (and then put cash towards that) and it helps us so much with traveling!
Totally! Yay for travels!
Great advice! We have a rewards card through the bank we use and it’s great! When we were wedding planning we opened a credit card just for those expenses (and still paid it off as we went) – it was a travel one where you get a certain number of free miles if you spend $3k in 3 months. We spent way more than than on our wedding and ended up getting one full plane ticket to Ireland for free!
That was so smart!
I need to switch to a better card, so this was super helpful!
Yay! thank you!
Yes! I think as long as you’re able to pay it off each month and stick to budgets, a credit card with rewards is a great idea! I get paid for spending the money I’d normally spend each month!
Exactly!
I looove the rewards our card offers! It gives us a discount on Amazon, gas and a lot of other stuff.
-Alix
Nice!! Who wouldn’t love those lol
So many great points! I’m currently using Discover right now and my parents have actually said some of the same points you pointed out!
xoxo,
Amy | Pastel N Pink
Nice!! It’s something I wish I wouldve done younger!
I love my rewards card! I save so much with it, and it’s so worth it. I pay it off obsessively every few weeks, but it’s totally worth that extra step 🙂
Agreed! I pay mine every other week usually too lol
This is so cool! Thanks for sharing Rachel! I love my rewards card!!!
You’re welcome!
Great post! I personally used creditkarma, which gave me recommendations and a free credit score. I started with a Discover It, but I absolutely love my Chase Sapphire for the rewards!
| diaryofasouthernmillennial.com
Thanks Cameron! I’ve used creditkarma too!
This is awesome advice. I switched to a rewards card recently and it was the best idea i’ve had!
Idk what I’d do without my rewards card – it helps me SO much with travel!
Same!
This is great! I have 2 rewards credit cards – scratch that, 3 – but I need to ditch one and replace it with another. This site will be very helpful!
xoxo Lauren | Glitter & Grandeur
Thank you Lauren!
I agree everyone should have a rewards card! I use the Chase Freedom and it’s my favorite!
Thanks Silvia!