Six Ways Your Credit Cards can Stretch Your Holiday Budget
The IndexCreditCards.com news blog has recently been overflowing with credit card offers and ideas that are designed to get you to flash your plastic this holiday season. Here is a roundup of some of the best of those, along with other ideas that could help you use your cards to save extra money.
They're intended for people who don't already have troubling levels of credit card debt, who have reasonable or excellent credit, and who are good at managing their personal finances. If you don't fall into those categories, then you may, come January, find yourself much better off if you stick to cash, checks and debit cards.
1. Save $200 in one easy move
At least two credit card companies are currently offering $200 sign-up bonuses, which you get just for applying for a card, getting approved, and then spending at least $500 on it during the first three months after the account's opened. That $200 is in addition to the normal rewards you can earn with the products.
The two most prominent cards offering this deal are the Chase Freedom Visa card and the Citi Dividend World MasterCard. If you're a really big spender, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is offering, at the time of writing, 50,000 bonus points (worth $500) if you spend $3,000 on it during the first three months after your account's opened.
2. Use rewards credit cards smartly
Many credit card companies operate bonus rewards programs, though you have sometimes to enroll online or through a call center to be eligible. These offer additional rewards (often 5% instead of the standard 1%) for purchases made within specific categories that change each quarter. If you follow these categories, you can often quintuple the cash back or points you earn, and that could prove a lifesaver if your January turns out to be lean.
These bonus rewards are often capped, so you may need to use different cards offering the same categories in order to maximize your earnings. Here are some of the categories being offered by card issuers in the current (October-December 2011) quarter:
- Restaurants
- Department stores
- Movie theaters
- Charitable donations
Citi:
- Department stores
- Clothing stores
- Electronics stores
- Toy stores
- Department stores
- Clothing stores
- Restaurants
Many credit card companies offer even more generous rewards (sometimes up to 20% cash back, depending on the retailer) on purchases made through their online shopping portals, such as Capital One's Perk Central, the Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall, the Citi Bonus Cash Center and ShopDiscover. American Express is also featuring special offers on its Membership Rewards site. So if you're seeking out holiday gift bargains, these could be excellent places to start.
3. Rewards redemption deals
It's not just in earning rewards that you can make savings. Some card issuers also run special redemption promotions. So if you use rewards credit cards, keep an eye on your issuers' websites or social media feeds.
For example, Chase says that people who redeem points from their Chase Freedom, Chase Sapphire and Ink from Chase rewards credit cards through its UltimateRewards.com site on Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) can save 25% across the board.
4. Shop online with confidence
There are going to be some exceptional bargains in bricks-and-mortar malls and stores this holiday. But there are also going to be plenty online. And the National Retail Federation quotes a Shop.org poll that found that "a record 92.5% of online retailers will offer free shipping this holiday season." Wow. Save time, save gas, save yourself from all those crowds.
The best thing about using a proper credit card (as opposed to a debit card or a prepaid one) when shopping online is the level of statutory protections you receive. If you're a victim of fraud, or if the goods you ordered are shoddy, were wrongly described or simply don't turn up, you know you're safe from any significant (usually, any--period) personal loss.
5. Find bargains early with your credit cards
Recently, SmartMoney.com ran a feature under the headline: "Holiday Shopping: The Cost of Waiting." It argued that, in the run-up to Dec. 25, there will be many fewer last-minute bargains than previously because retailers have been much more cautious this year in buying inventory. In other words, at least in 2011, you may well be better off doing your holiday shopping early. The National Retail Federation concurs, although it predicts that only the most popular must-have products are likely to sell out soon.
In any event, you might think it's a good idea to buy what you can as quickly as you can. You may even be tempted to take advantage of a store's lay-away program. But think twice. Fox News recently reported: "The return of layaway plans this holiday shopping season is raising concern that the break from credit cards might actually cost consumers far more." Yep, if you compare stores' layaway fees with possible card interest charges, the former often--even with today's high credit card rates--come out very expensive.
One of the great things with credit cards is the interest-free grace period you get between charging a purchase and your next statement's due date. You simply don't get that with any other popular payment method, and it could mean that this year you can get the best bargains while they're still available.
6. Use your credit wisely
Of course, the other great thing about credit cards is that you don't have to pay for everything at once. However, with those high interest rates, that's a double-edged sword, and many prefer to avoid credit card debt altogether. But if you're going to pay down your post-holiday balances over a period of time, you can save yet more money if you do your charging intelligently.
On average, credit card rates are higher for rewards cards than non-rewards ones. That means that it's usually smartest to charge to your rewards credit cards only those purchases that you know you're going to pay down quickly. Everything else should go on low interest credit cards.
Of course, the biggest favor you could do yourself at this time of year is to write out a budget in advance of your spending and then stick to it. Regardless, you could find your money goes much further if you follow these six tips.
The original article can be found at IndexCreditCards.com:6 ways your credit cards can stretch your holiday budget