Credit Card Archives - Making Sense Of Cents

Best Rewards Credit Cards For 2023 | What You Need To Know

Last Updated: January 15, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 10 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you looking for the best rewards credit card?

Perhaps you’ve been using rewards credit cards for years, or maybe you’re brand new.

Today, I am going to answer common questions about getting started with rewards credit cards, as well as list some of the best rewards credit cards to sign up for.

I’ve been using rewards credit cards for years, and they are pretty much all that I use now. It helps me save money on travel, I earn cash back, and more.

There are many different kinds of rewards credit cards, but the ones you hear the most about are travel rewards credit cards. That means you earn points that you can use to get free or nearly free travel.

You earn simply for using your credit card, but you need to make sure you’re paying your balance in full each month for the rewards to be worth it.

Cash back cards are another kind of popular rewards card. These cards typically pay you a percentage of your purchases back in cash, and it can add up very quickly.

If you are going to pay for something anyway, then you might as well get something for free out of it, right?

If you travel a lot and/or already use credit cards, then signing up for one of the best rewards credit cards can help you save some extra money. [Read more…]

How I’ve Earned Over $2,500 In Credit Card Rewards In One Year

Last Updated: March 22, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 67 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

We’re barely halfway through the year and I’ve already earned over $2,500 in credit card rewards. Each rewards credit card that we have has earned us between $450 to $875 this year!

I’ve earned this without paying any interest charges and by just spending the normal amount I spend each month.

I also plan on doing this many more times this year. In fact, we already have over 10 rewards credit cards between the two of us and we are looking for the next credit card that we want to use.

Some of the rewards credit cards I have used in the past few years include:

Chase Sapphire Preferred – We each have this one and it has given us over $1,000 cash back.
Southwest Cards – When we signed up, we received 2 free roundtrip flights per credit card.
Chase Freedom – This is a great credit card that often has 5% cash back and it was one of the very first credit cards we signed up for the sign up bonus.
Chase Ink Bold – This one gave me $875 as a sign up bonus and in rewards after just 3 months of normal use.
REI – This only had a $100 sign up bonus but you also receive 5% back on all REI purchases and there is no annual fee. Stacking the 5% on top of the 10% we get for being REI members is a great deal!

While I love using credit cards to my advantage and earning credit card rewards, I know that many have no idea what this even is or how to take advantage of the current credit card offers that are out there. Occasionally when I break out my credit card to pay for something, someone will mention how I shouldn’t go into credit card debt, so I know there are many out there who don’t know how to use credit cards to their advantage.

Below are my tips for earning credit card rewards. Hopefully with the tips below you can learn how to use credit cards to your advantage and start earning credit card rewards. [Read more…]

Credit Card Mistakes That Can Lead To Debt

Last Updated: September 19, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 43 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Even though I love credit cards because of their many benefits, I understand they are not for everyone.

My sister struggles with credit cards, and now mainly just uses cash so that she doesn’t get into credit card debt. Luckily, this has not led to credit card debt for her but I believe that is because she caught her mistakes early on.

However, others are not as lucky.

Others rack up large amounts of credit card debt. According to NerdWallet, the average household in the United States (who has debt) has an average credit card debt of $15,611. That is an increase of 2.26% from the amount of average credit card debt in a household in the same period in 2013.

Also, according to National Foundation for Credit Counseling, around 35 million people in the U.S. roll over $2,500 or more in credit card debt each month. That means these people are NOT paying their debt off each month in order to avoid interest. Instead, they are racking up credit card debt and interest charges. [Read more…]

How To Get A Cruise For Cheap Or Even FREE!

Last Updated: April 30, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 79 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

We have been loving our cruise vacation so far. Many have asked us how to get a cruise for free, how to get a cruise for cheap, or how to go on a free Carnival cruise, and we will be talking about that today. P.S. I also have coupon codes for Airbnb and taxi services, so continue reading!

We’re on Day 3 of our cruise, and we are loving it. We still have 5 full days and nights left on our cruise. We have found that a cruise is a great way to have a true “vacation.”

You just hop on a ship (ahhh don’t call it a boat – people get mad! 🙂 ), relax, eat and drink a lot, it takes you to ports, and it is just overall very relaxing. We have had a lot of fun so far just sitting on our balcony and watching the water.

Yes, I know, we are new to cruising but we have already learned so much.

I am the type of person who researches a vacation like crazy before going on it, so you can bet that I read cruising forums and articles for many, many days until I felt like I have been cruising several times before.

Since I told friends and family that we were going on a cruise, I have had many people ask me about the costs of going on one.

Related:

There are many different types of cruises out there. There are expensive round-the-world cruises, or there are cheap ones that are a few days long. There are interior rooms and then there are also large suites that are multiple floors. It all depends on you, where you want to go, and what you care about in a stateroom. Outside of the stateroom, all guests pretty much enjoy the same exact services, so the amount of money you spend all depends on what room you want to choose.

I have seen one night cruises for $50 per person and two-night cruises for $99. I have also seen 3 and 4-day Caribbean cruises in an interior room go for $129 per person (yes, that includes food and basic drinks!), not including port fees or taxes. Depending on when you book, you may even be able to book a balcony room for just a few more dollars.

If you do one or a combination of the options below, it could be easy to get your cruise for cheap or even near FREE. Who doesn’t like free?

[Read more…]

How To Use Credit Cards To Earn Cheap/Free Vacations

Last Updated: March 22, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 44 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Back in March, I published the article Are Rewards/Bonus Credit Cards Right For You? This is a personal finance blog, and I know that many are against credit card use.

However, while there are negatives to using credit cards, if you know how to use them to your advantage then there should be no negatives. Using credit cards to your advantage is a huge positive.

One of the main positives of using credit cards is that many nowadays have a rewards system in place (such as the one at the bottom of this article – Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard) to earn free rewards such as gift cards, cash, vacations, and more.

[Read more…]

Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard® Review – Get $440 For Travel

Last Updated: July 10, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 18 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The last credit card I applied for was the Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard®. I currently have a few other credit cards (you can read the articles How I Plan on Getting $2,500 in Airfare to Las Vegas for CHEAP and Are Rewards/Bonus Credit Cards Right For You?) as well.

I plan on using this new credit card for most of our wedding expenses and also for our normal day-to-day expenses.

I’m hoping to earn enough points to pay for our next vacation, or at least a part of it.

[Read more…]

Taking Advantage Of The Best Credit Card Offers Available

Last Updated: July 21, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

In today’s economy it’s very common for people to worry about money or simply making ends meet. Many of us lost savings in the fallout from the recession, and are attempting to rebuild our savings accounts along with our credit scores.

One of the most common ways to build or rebuild credit is by using a credit card in a responsible manner. Most households receive different credit card offers from a number of providers through direct mail, flyers, email, or even telemarketing phone calls at times. However, for the sake of your own financial security, you should ensure these offers are legitimate, and that they will help you reach your long term financial goals.

One way to ensure you get the best credit card is to compare all the viable offers using online credit card comparison sites. Many of these sites display unbiased descriptions of various credit card providers, benefits, and their corresponding interest rates in one convenient location.

These sites are very convenient, and allow you to filter through information on credit cards within minutes. The benefit of this process is that you can save yourself the time of meeting with banks or creditors to negotiate a fair credit card plan. Shopping online provides you all the data and the application forms without having to step foot anywhere near a credit agency or their representatives.

In addition to saving time, you will likely find a better deal online than you would by meeting directly with a banker. When you apply for a credit card or any type of loan, banks often pressure applicants to accept offers on the table with little room for negotiation.

But credit card comparison sites remove bankers from the equation entirely, and allow applicants to review the cards on the table from all relevant providers. If one offer seems too expensive or includes a number of clauses that aren’t appealing to you, you can feel secure by moving onto the next listed credit card in the hope of securing a better deal.

This process allows you to review all the possible offers from competing credit card providers before committing to any plan in particular. In the long run, the best credit card plan that you can leverage can help you secure your long term goals of possessing an excellent credit score with sound financial security.