Tips for Maximizing Reward and Discounts Offered by Shopping Credit Cards

With so many credit card issuers in the country, it gets difficult to choose which one to go for. To make this decision easier for people, credit cards offer a plethora of welcome benefits, exclusive offers and discounts with partner brands, reward points, and much more.

If you use your credit card in the right way, you can surely save a lot of money and earn some attractive rewards and benefits. Almost everytime you spend money with your card, you earn some reward points, airmiles, or something else. You have to understand how these reward points work and strategize your spending based on it.

In this article, we will talk about some tips to maximize reward points and other benefits offered by shopping credit cards –

Use Your Credit Card More Than Your Debit Card

If you have a decent credit score and credit history, you will be eligible for a good credit card which can offer almost 1.-2% back to you everytime you spend money with it. If you use a debit card for your daily spends, you are certainly losing out on reward points and other benefits. Do remember to stay within your financial limit and not spend amounts which you won’t be able to repay on time.

Also, you can easily report fraud transaction on your credit card so that you are not liable for them. A debit card takes out money directly from your bank account and it can be difficult to get that money back. Fraud protection is there for both types of cards but a credit card won’t take out charges from your account immediately.

Analyze Spending Habits and Sync Them With Your Card’s Reward and Offers

Analyze your budget and your spending habits so that you can get the most out of your online shopping credit card. You will know where you spend the most amount of money and will align your spends with your credit card’s reward points and benefits.

You will identify the categories for which your credit card rewards you the most and you will spend more money there. You will stop wasting high amounts of money on items for which you don’t receive any significant cashback or reward points by your credit card.

Keep a Range of Cards for Maximum Rewards

Instead of just a single credit card, you can multiple credit cards across different categories like fuel, shopping, travel, etc. This way you will have access to high reward points and exclusive benefits across all your spending categories whether you have to out for dinner, go for a vacation, refuel your vehicle, or anything else.

When you pair the right credit cards together, you can optimize your benefits to the next level and save a lot of money. Also, with travel credit cards, you get access to airmiles that can be used to book flights or you can convert them to book hotels as well. Pick your credit cards based on the categories where you spend maximum money so that you can get the most reward points and savings on your spending.

Keep a Check on Bonus Limits and Caps

Most credit cards that offer accelerated rewards and bonus points on certain categories usually have a maximum capping or limit. Keep an eye out on these limits because if you are not getting rewarded for spending on your credit card, you can move on to other cards owned by you so that you continue earning rewards and discounts offered by shopping credit card.

Some cards have a maximum cap on accelerated reward points but you earn reward points at the normal rate on every spend made by you. You should download your card provider’s app to keep a track of your spending and reward earning to have a clear idea where you stand. Use the app to track your bonus earnings and switch credit cards when you reach the maximum rewards cap on one card.

Never Overspend on Sign-Up Bonuses

Most top credit cards come with great welcome benefits to attract new customers that include reward points or airmiles. The welcome benefits usually come with a minimum spend condition to unlock them and the cardholder needs to meet this requirement. Even though the welcome benefits are the quickest way to earn lots of reward points, you should not overspend on your card just for them.

In order to unlock welcome benefits, you can end up overpaying which is not worth it and your credit card bill will go out of your budget. If you have made your usual purchases and have not reached the milestone, you can consider paying utilities, prepaying your water, WiFi, electricity bills, in advance. You can also pay your car insurance, rent, student loans, etc. to meet the spending milestone.

Monitor Reward Points and Use them to the Maximum

If you want to get the most value out of the money spent with your credit card, then you must keep a tab on your reward points and how you can redeem them for maximum benefit. If you have reached the maximum limit on reward points, you should consider using another credit card you have and start earning reward points on it.

Most reward points come with an expiry date and you must use them before they get wasted. There are various ways to redeem reward points and you should use them wisely based on your spending habits. Also, card issuers change rewards points on different spends and categories so you should also monitor that frequently.

Conclusion

If you have a single or multiple credit cards, then it is smart to use them in a way that maximizes the rewards and discounts offered by the credit card. Almost every credit card by top issuers in the country offer a plethora of welcome benefits, milestone benefits, reward points, and exclusive offers.

You should know the reward rate on your card and the categories that reward you the most for spending money. Always remember the maximum limit on reward points you can earn and make sure you redeem your reward points for maximum benefit before they expire.