Introduction:
There are some great cards out there for people
who shop online. You can use credit cards to get benefits like cash back or
rewards programs instead of cash, and if you spend over a certain amount every
month, you’ll also get perks like free shipping and other discounts. The
internet has many shopping options, including buying clothes, sporting goods,
and electronics. But some people may not know how to compare different credit
card offers for online purchases.
This article will help you compare two popular
types of online store credit cards and determine the best one to use. It‘s the question that has plagued
countless merchants and consumers alike — what’s the best credit card to use
when shopping online? The answer depends on which merchant you’re talking
about, what features they offer, and even where you live. There are also plenty
of other factors to consider when picking out your next credit card as well.
Cashback, points, or miles?
Points, miles, and cashback are all great ways
to save money. But which is best? Points can be redeemed for travel or cash
back on purchases, so you can use them to pay for anything from groceries to
gas. Miles are usually only redeemable for travel. Cashback is simply a
discount on your purchases, but it can be as high as 50% off some items.
It depends on your financial situation, the
product you want, and how much money you want to save.
With the new travel rewards credit cards, you
can earn cash back, points or miles. The best way to determine which type of
reward is best for you depends on your travel habits and how much you value
each type of reward.
For example, if you’re a frequent business
traveler and don’t mind paying an annual fee to get access to perks like free
hotel nights and lounge access, points might be the right choice for you. If
you plan on staying in hotels often and want access to airline lounges,
cashback may be better. And if points are just too complicated for you, miles
could be a good way to go.
Just because you’re a travel hacker doesn’t mean
you want to be one.
If you’re trying to decide between points,
cashback, and miles, it’s important to understand why each offers a different
value proposition for your travel purchases.
Points, miles, and cashback are all ways of
earning rewards for spending money on things like airfare and hotels. But they
have some key differences:
Points are the easiest way to earn rewards with
no strings attached. You can use them toward flights or hotel stays, or they
can simply be transferred into a frequent flyer program like Delta SkyMiles or
American AAdvantage. Points are also redeemable at any time without incurring a
fee, whereas miles are typically only good for booking with the airline itself
(as long as you have enough miles in your account).
Miles do come with some strings though — they
expire after 12 months if unused and require an award booking every year to
retain their value. Cashback is always paid in real money; points and miles can
take days or even weeks to be redeemed into airline accounts.
The best reward credit cards for beginners:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is a great card
for beginners because it requires no income or credit score requirements. The
sign-up bonus is also generous: 50,000 points when you make $4,000 in purchases
in the first 3 months after account opening. That’s enough to redeem for a free
one-way ticket on Delta with taxes and fees included!
The Capital One Venture® Rewards Credit Card is
another excellent option — it offers 2 miles per dollar spent, which can be
redeemed for travel or cash back. And if you’re looking at this site, you
probably have some experience with credit cards already. All you need is a
decent credit score in order to qualify.
If you don’t have much credit history, another
good option is the BankAmericard Travel Rewards® Mastercard® from Barclays Bank
(which also earns 5% cash back). Its intro APR is 0% on Purchases and Balance
Transfers for 12 months; then it reverts to 18.24% – 26.24% Variable APR
Do you want a flat cash-back
rate or other rewards?
If you’re looking for a flat cash-back rate or
other rewards, you’ll want to look at credit cards that offer those types of
perks.
For example, the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit
Card from American Express has a signup bonus of 25,000 bonus miles after
spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open — and
then another 5,000 miles after adding an authorized user and making another
$1,000 in purchases within the first 6 months.
You also get one free checked bag when traveling
on Delta flights with Delta airlines and 2 free bags when traveling on any
other airline. There are also no foreign transaction fees.
Some of the top rewards credit cards offer:
1. Cashback. You earn a flat cash-back rate on
all purchases, like 3% or 5% back on groceries and 2% back everywhere else.
2. Points. You get points for every dollar
spent, and you can use those points toward future purchases. The more points
you earn, the better your reward rates are.
3. Apply for a card with an annual fee, then use
it to pay your bill each month with no interest charges!
Most credit cards offer a flat cash-back rate or
other rewards.
But some card issuers also offer a hybrid reward
that combines the best of both worlds.
A hybrid reward is like a flat cash-back rate
and an airline miles bonus. It’s kind of like having two rewards in one card.
The issuer will likely give you an annual fee waiver, too, so you can earn more
rewards than if you had applied for a card with just one type of reward.
I’m a big fan of cash-back credit cards. They’re
usually easy to get, they provide a nice chunk of change back in your pocket,
and they’re usually offered at pretty low-interest rates.
But I think some people are getting into the
habit of carrying too many credit cards. And when you do that, it can be hard
to tell which ones you should keep and which ones you should cancel.
Here’s what I mean by this:
You might want a flat cash-back rate or other
rewards. You might think that a 1% rebate on every purchase will help you save
money on your expenses — but it won’t if you carry too many cards. That’s
because your rewards will be spread out among all those different credit cards,
rather than being concentrated in one place.
So unless you’re going to use one card for
everything — no matter how much it charges — then there’s no need for multiple
cards with different reward structures. All your rewards will go into the same
place, so there isn’t a benefit to having more than one card at once (unless
you really want multiple rewards).
Consider the ongoing costs of
your card.
Consider the ongoing costs of your card. The
first thing to consider is whether any of these fees will be waived if you
carry a balance and pay it off in full each month. If so, you may want to look
at other options.
Another thing to consider is whether there are
any fees that aren’t disclosed on the front of the card. Many cards have annual
fees, but they aren’t always made clear when applying for a new card or
renewing an existing one.
If there are any other fees that aren’t
disclosed, ask what they are in writing before getting the card.
The ongoing costs associated with your card are
the fees you pay each month and the interest you accrue on your balance. The
fees can be as simple as a monthly membership fee or as complex as a fee for
using a specific credit card.
While the interest rate is more straightforward,
it’s important to understand that there are different types of interest rates
and how they apply to your credit card. For example, some cards have an annual
percentage rate (APR) that compounds daily, while others have no annual
percentage rate and instead charge a flat fee when you make purchases.
It’s also important to know the terms of your
credit card agreement when it comes to additional fees and other charges that
may apply in certain situations or at certain times of the year. In addition,
it’s important to review all disclosures before making any purchases using your
credit card so that you know what is expected of you financially by both the
owner and any bank middlemen who process transactions between them — like Visa
or MasterCard.
Consider the ongoing costs of your card.
If you have a high-interest credit card, it can
be difficult to pay off the balance each month without incurring new interest
charges. Once you’ve paid off your minimum payment on time each month, any
extra money goes toward paying down the principal balance and reducing the
interest rate.
For example, let’s say that your minimum monthly
payment is $40 and your total interest is $5 per month. If you pay off the
entire $5 balance after 12 months, you’ll pay 20 percent in interest on top of
what was already paid toward the principal. If you then spend another $5 per
month on interest charges, you’ll end up paying $10 in interest over the next
13 months instead of just $6 in principal payments.
How safe is your card?
You know the drill: swipe your card at the
register, wait for it to be processed, and then grab your goods. But what
happens if something goes wrong?
The answer is simple: you can’t blame yourself.
While there are many variables that go into making a transaction safe and
secure, some of them are out of your control. For example, if your card is
stolen or compromised by an outside party, it’s up to the bank or credit union
that issued it to make sure it’s safe for use.
But what about when something goes wrong with
your debit or credit card? Here are some ways you can reduce the risk of having
your card stolen:
Make sure your PIN is strong enough to prevent
unauthorized use
Don’t reuse cards
Don’t carry multiple cards around with you
Use a chip-enabled debit or credit card as much
as possible (this will help protect against skimming).
The answer is Not very. Credit cards are
designed to be used for small purchases, so the banks that issue them don’t
have much incentive to make them very secure.
You can usually get a new credit card in less
than an hour. You’ll need identification, your Social Security number, and your
credit score — but no other personal information beyond that. Some companies
even accept mail-in applications.
If you’re worried about online security,
consider using a virtual wallet such as PayPal or Google Wallet instead of
carrying your credit and debit cards around with you all the time. That way you
can use them without having to share your name or other information with anyone
else.
Where will you use your card?
There are many places where you can use your
card. Here is a list of the most common ones:
– Traveling: You can use your card for all kinds
of travel expenses, such as hotels, flights, car rentals, and more.
– Shopping: You can use your card to shop at any
store that accepts MasterCard credit cards. This includes retailers like Home
Depot and Staples, as well as online stores like Amazon and eBay.
– Restaurants: You can use your card to pay for
food when dining out. While some restaurants may accept cash only, others may
accept debit or credit cards as well.
– Grocery Stores: You can use your card to pay
for groceries at grocery stores that accept MasterCard credit cards like Whole
Foods Market and Safeway.
You will use your card to pay for things you buy
at the store. The merchant pays the bank, which pays your credit card company.
The merchant receives a payment from your credit
card company and gives you cash in return. That’s why it’s called a “credit
card swipe.”
Your credit card company charges you an interest
rate on unpaid balances that are based on market rates with no caps, limits, or
exclusions to protect consumers from abusive lending practices.
Are there any other benefits
you might use?
There are many other benefits to using credit
cards that you might not have thought of. For example, they can help you build
your credit score, which is important when applying for loans or mortgages.
They also offer great rewards and discounts, which can help you save money on
everyday purchases.
How flexible are the rewards
from your card?
The benefits of credit cards are pretty
flexible. You can use points to pay for travel, for rent, or as a cash-back
reward. You can also transfer the points to other cards and earn more with each
transaction.
You can also use them as a “fun” card.
When it comes to rewards, there’s no limit to how much you can get out of a
credit card — as long as you have enough points.
But what if you don’t want or need all that
flexibility? What if your bank doesn’t offer the kind of rewards program that
works best for you?
That’s when an American Express card might be
right for you.
The Platinum Card from American Express is one
of the most popular premium cards in the U.S., and its benefits may appeal to
anyone looking for a flexible card with plenty of perks.
The rewards you earn with your credit card are
tied to the amount you pay in each billing period. You can’t change that.
If you’re not paying all of your credit card
bills every month, though, your reward potential may be limited. For example,
if you pay only the minimum payment amount, you’ll have to wait until the next
billing cycle for the rewards to kick in.
If you don’t pay at least the minimum amount due
each month, any points or miles that would have been earned by paying off more
than the minimum will be lost and won’t be replaced when you get around to
making another payment.
Conclusion:
This said the best credit card for you will
depend almost entirely on your shopping needs and habits. If you’re a frequent
Amazon shopper, for example, you might be better off with a card that provides
special perks for your favorite retailer.
But in general, if you’re planning to use a
credit card for online shopping, I think that most people would be best served
by getting a rewards credit card instead. For example, the Blue Cash Preferred
from American Express offers 6% cash back on groceries, 3% cash back on gas and
department stores, and 1% cash back on everything else. That means that if you
do a lot of your shopping at the grocery store or other physical stores, then
this card should give you the highest return.