Card companies have various rewarding schemes, but among the most famous ones are probably cashback rewards. According to customers, these are the most beneficial and simple ones. That’s why, we thought that you might want to know more about the guidelines that might help you to access more cash-back programs.

Besides, you should remember that is highly important to spend only as much as you can afford to pay off in full every month. For instance, if you don’t pay your entire card bill, you might be obliged to revolve the funds and pay interest or finance charges.

All of these charges will probably eat up any reward you might get. Also, if you can’t avoid carrying a certain balance, you could get a low-interest card instead. Here’s what you need to know:

Decide on the best reward credit card

As the US News has shown, 52.2% of participants confirmed that they compare their credit cards only once in every 3 years, while 16.5% said they do it once a year. In fact, only 6.2% of them admitted that they do it every two years.

You should check if the credit card you have chosen is the best for you, but also if its rewards programs really fit with your financial lifestyle. For instance, if you are a frequent flyer, a hotel credit card or even an airline card could be the best choice for you.

A gas reward credit card could also be an option, especially if you’re on the road oftentimes. Most cash-back cards will have all kinds of ways to redeem your rewards, whether we’re talking about checks, statement credits, gift cards, and even donations. Of course, others will instantly credit your bank account for those rewards.

Watch out for more bonus opportunities

Card companies will come with all sorts of promotions and opportunities that are meant to double your rewards earnings, so you better watch out for them. Plenty of companies offer increased cash-back return rates every single quarter, as it is their marketing strategy to boost sales in a certain product category.

For instance, issuers increase the rate to 5% on gas purchases when the weather is warmer, and that’s because families need their cars and campers more, so they can drive to various destinations and go hiking. In the same spirit, other companies might increase their rewards throughout the Holidays.

There are some card issuers that will nicely ask you to enroll in seasonal cash-back specials, so you should expect that from some people. Also, check your mailbox, because you might receive promotional materials online. Another super convenient way to get many rewards is by shopping through the issuer’s online shopping portals.

For instance, Discover gives cash back to all cardholders who prefer shopping through the Discover Deals portals, which also feature retailers like Bloomingdale’s, Walmart, but also Apple.

Keep one or two backup specialty cards so you can cover all special categories

So many cards give you that special bonus points, especially after using your card in certain places, like supermarkets, gas stations, and department stores. You could analyze the regular spending in all categories, to see which cards might give you the highest rewards to you.

For example, if a card offers 3% cash back on your supermarket purchases, you could compute your annual grocery spend, and calculate as much as 3% of the entire amount, so you could know exactly what’s the potential cash back every year.

Then, use the same baseline figure to compare your cards and see which one offers fixed bonuses in other categories. Also, you might want to get a card that offers you 5% back in categories that might change every quarter. Naturally, you have to keep up with those categories, but I think it’s worth the shot.

Use the card for recurring expenses

Most cardholders always get the wrong idea when it comes to earning rewards, as they have the wrong belief that they should spend more. In return, they might look for the flimsiest reasons to purchase more, just to increase their spending totals.

However, this is not a good strategy, not only because you’re automatically setting yourself up for a lot of debt, but also because unnecessary spending is NEVER the answer. After all, if you’re anything like the average American consumer who pays for their day-to-day spending with his/her credit card, there’s really no need to spend more.

All you have to do is to pay for all your regular purchases with your cash-back credit card, and you’ll surely increase your spending total.

Master the rules

Credit cards could appear similar, but each and one of them has its own particular rules for their reward systems. Every card issuer’s system might differ, so if you start learning how each and every one of them works, it might help you maximize your points and rewards.

You can get your points back in various ways: either cash back, gift cards, plane tickets, and even items. The easiest cashback will probably offer the least return for your points, and it often has a 1:1 ratio: you could use it only when cashback is absolutely necessary.

But here’s something interesting: when you use those points on purchases or even exchanges through your travel portal, you might come way ahead, because many of those portals give you twice as much as when you exchange your points.

The choices are diverse, as they might come as gift cards, to plane tickets for various trips. Even so, it depends on the type of exchange you had, their deals and promotions, and also their partners.

Choose large purchases instead of cash and debit card

Are you looking to buy a brand new large-screen smart television or the latest laptop? Do you want to overhaul your wardrobe? Then you should use your credit card! You only need one of these transactions to instantly bring up the entire amount of spending up to thousands of dollars. In this process, you might increase your total points.

You could get even more benefits by using your credit card to buy such items. Also, you might get better fraud protection and extended warranty services from the store. The most relevant aspect is to use the card for your convenience and rewards, instead of simply paying with cash.

This basically means that you already own the needed amount of money to pay for that stuff, and it also shows that you wanted to buy them anyway in the first place.

Pay the total monthly balance as it becomes due

Apart from all the perks, it’s worth reminding you that a reward credit card is still a debt facility. That’s why you should pay off your total balance every single month. Cardholders who whirl around their balances are actually on the losing end, as they don’t get to benefit from any rewards, and they pay a bigger interest rate.

Experts believe that the wide majority of issuers get the funds just to sustain their rewards program at a higher interest rate. Also, you shouldn’t miss a payment, as some card issuers might want to cancel your rewards if you miss any payment. The same goes for long periods of inactivity on your card, and you could also lose rewards and any other cash back you might have earned but haven’t redeemed yet.

If you want to learn other money savings hacks, we recommend you read this: NEW IN: Now You Can Negotiate These 7 Household Expenses