This January, Caleb and I decided to look into getting a credit card. They're important to have while traveling abroad, and if you get a rewards credit card, you can rack up points and miles and credit! As long as you pay of the monthly bill on time, you can't really go wrong. In fact, because you spend money anyway, it seemed like Caleb and I were wasting opportunities without a rewards credit card.
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I did lots of research prior to our decision. Nerd Wallet was by far my greatest resource, but Credit Card Forum and the blog Million Mile Secrets were great, too. This is the comparison sheet I made to help me keep track of some of the more popular options. (Research is my jam!)
Also, I learned about another way to earn points on the money you spend, at least the money you spend online. MyPoints lets you earn points for your online purchases and rewards you with gift cards! If you're interested in signing up, would you mind sending me your email so I can give you my affiliate link? It would earn both of us extra points if you sign up through that link.
Caleb and I chose the BarclayCard Arrival World MasterCard. (We call it our BarclayCard for short.) We love traveling and we want to do more of it, so earning flight miles seemed like a great way to go about getting points. Unfortunately, our biggest bills like rent and student loans have to be paid through a bank account, but our phone bills and grocery bills and anything else we can buy with a credit card will be bought with this credit card.
Some thing to consider when deciding on a reward credit card:
Some thing to consider when deciding on a reward credit card:
- How would you like to redeem your rewards? (Miles/credit/gift cards?)
- How much are you willing to spend on an annual fee?
- How much will you be using your card?
- Are there customer service perks you want with your card? (Roadside assistance/travel guarantees/free membership to X?)
- How much will you spend in the first few months with your card? Some cards give extra bonuses if you spend a certain amount in the first few months.
- How much are you willing to pay in fees if you don't pay your bills on time?
Do you have a credit card? Do you have tips or tricks to share? Wanna join MyPoints and email me?
Wow, I just got a new credit card! It lets me get double points on gas and groceries (and I realized that's about 80% of what I spend money on, lol). Maybe I should have read your post first, though. I think I'd rather get flights to travel around the world than shopping gift cards :p
ReplyDeleteGreat post! There are several things to keep in mind when it comes to credit cards. That's why I think it's best to compare and do research before deciding on one. In my opinion, it can help save you money and stress later on. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the positive feedback, Caryl Anne, and I completely agree!
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