If you are good at avoiding fees by paying your balance in full, and like the rewards you are earning when you charge, expand your benefits by charging whenever possible - which may be at more places than you think. Utility companies often let you pay by credit card and you can … [Read more...] about If you don’t carry a balance: earn extra bonuses by using your card on a wide range of purchases
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Get paid just for opening an account
Online banks and the websites of many major banks will sometimes offer free money just for signing up for an account online, and/or referring a friend. Always check before you open the account; once you do it's usually too late to collect. You can find a fairly up-to-date list … [Read more...] about Get paid just for opening an account
Intro rates matter, but they are merely the introduction to what could be a life of higher fees
If you normally carry a balance on your card, and want to get some immediate savings with a low intro rate offer, this can be a good way to immediately save some cash. However, the regular rate is where your balance will spend most of its time so pay just as much or more … [Read more...] about Intro rates matter, but they are merely the introduction to what could be a life of higher fees
Watch your interest rate
Other than CDs which lock in an interest rate for a specified period of time, most basic savings accounts have interest rates that fluctuate (this includes money market and "high yield" savings accounts). It's worth taking a look at the current rates each time you get … [Read more...] about Watch your interest rate
Cut out the fees from your account for services you don’t need
There's no sense paying for something you don't want or need, so look over your bank statement to see where you are getting hit with fees and contact your bank to get rid of them. Some examples include "check image fees" (for seeing cancelled checks), paper statement fees (which … [Read more...] about Cut out the fees from your account for services you don’t need