Join with GoogleSome people may tell you that credit cards are risky business and can bleed your budget, but if used properly, they can be a massive tool in your financial journey.
First, we should all agree that most debt is slavery, and should avoid it like the plague. Getting yourself out of debt should be your first priority. However, in you’re in a position to pay off your cards each month, you can claw back quite a bit of money that otherwise goes down the drain!
For years I avoided credit institutions, instead relying on a debit card for all my transactions. Let alone the security concerns (credit card companies typically absorb the risk of a compromised card), I didn’t realize just how much money I could have been saving by using credit cards, and paying off the balance each month.
Credit cards can offer perks and points, and some of them are quite decent. Now, unlike pretty much EVERY other blog/resource out there, I’m going to show you which cards are really handy. Other sites don’t even mention them, because the kickbacks for signing you up as a customer are sub-par. But not at Checkout Saver – I truly want to save you the most money I can.
The number one card I’ve found, for cashback rewards alone, is the Citi Double Cash. Essentially, it offers 2% cashback on EVERY purchase, with no rotating categories and no annual fee. And if you’re super slick, you can leverage the Price Rewind feature for an additional $1,000 a year. Price rewind searches for lower prices for products you purchased on your Double Cash card. If a lower price is found within 60 days, you get the difference. In cash.
Rotating category cards are an advanced maneuver. They can squeak out an even greater savings rate if you jump through all the hoops. The only other card I’d consider is the Capital One Savor card – offering a massive 4% cashback on dining, grocery stores, and entertainment.
I’ve been using my Double Cash card almost exclusively for years now, earning 2% cashback on every purchase. I always pay my balance off on time and have never missed a payment. Without hardly any additional fuss since switching from paying with my debit card, I’ve saved over $3,000.
What do I do will all those savings? I credit the rewards towards my balance, then use the cash I would have spent paying off the card and transfer it into my High Yield Savings Account. There, it earns an additional 2%+ per year. Making free money work to make more free money. Now that’s slick.
Someone has taken it even a step further, and found a way to earn 5% APY on savings accounts, by storing the money in prepaid debit card. If you’re willing to work at it, you too can earn those kind of returns on money while it sits in the bank – read more here.