Credit Card Rewards

[sarah]

I am trying to add more travel to my life and I have been reading about credit card rewards. However, I don't understand them. How many points do you need to redeem them. Do the points expire. I have been looking at Chase sapphire rewards card. Are the rewards worth the card fee. I know that the card fee is waived for the first year but I'd probably be keeping it longer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[sherylgray]

Whenever you use your credit card for purchasing, you automatically receive points, which you can redeem with air ticket. The credit reward points are equivalent to travel mileage points which are mostly associated with airline companies.

[disneysteve]

Our main card is the Marriott Premier Signature Visa. I think it's worth it. Since getting the card and joining Marriott Rewards, we've earned a few weeks worth of free stays. There is an annual fee but it is more than compensated for by the fact that each year on our account anniverary we get a free night certificate which is worth more than the fee. I could go into more detail if you're interested regarding the advantages of having the card but basically I'd say yes, it is worth it.

Make sure that the card you choose provides rewards that are meaningful to you. For example, I would not get a card that gives airline miles because we hardly ever fly. Hotel rewards are much more useful to us personally.

[Beckiet82]

I have two main credit card rewards Chase Visa's that I use regularly.

I use my Disney Signature Chase Visa - I get 2% back on gas, groceries and restaurants. 1% back on everything else, but I only use this card for those three categories.

I have a Chase Southwest Rewards Visa - You earn points for flights. Just for signing up I got 50k points that equaled 4 flights for us. When you do the math, it equals about 1.67% back on purchases. Earns me a couple flights per year.

[ua_guy]

It really depends on how useful the rewards are to you (cash back, air miles, hotel stays, vehicle discounts, etc). Pick your reward "category" and compare deals within those categories. "Points" have totally subjective values between companies and how they are issued, so you need to look at each program to best determine if the shell game is beneficial to you. For example, with one card, it might take 25,000 points to receive a free domestic airline ticket, and at certain times of the year, buying from different retailers might award you "double points" or whatever. Another card might offer you twice as many points, but only up to a certain dollar limit in spending in each category. It's not always easy to compare card deals. That's the way credit card companies want it. Beware annual fees. Remember, the reward "net benefit" is only after you recover the fee in savings/points/rewards.