How to earn $500 in a year using your credit card

Some people prefer points that they can transform in to Travel rewards while others prefer cash backs (like I do) I have been using my card for 20+ years now and I have no complain about it. The customer service in my opinion is good (though sometimes they do really need to improve how they handle complains). BUT with all this, I have to say that this is my favorite credit card by far that is why i stick to it that long.

So how do we manage to earn and save $500 in a year. The following are our ways:

• Use our card everywhere we can, avoid cash and save it to pay the card on time. I know and I heard a lot that financial advisors always recommends using cash instead of card to avoid getting the habit of over spending. I agree to some extent IF you know you are not responsible enough to handle your shopping habit. using credit card comes with a HUGE responsibility of paying it off on time to avoid penalties and more problems in the future. This is what we do if we have cash to pay something, I set it aside in an envelope stating that it is for that purchase or I keep the cash on the bank and make sure that I use them at the end of the month to pay off my card. This way, I earn all the points with all my expenses while making sure I can pay them all on time.
• Use your card on automatic payments for your bills that allows credit card (utilities, phones, etc) I think the only ones that wont allow it, is Rent/Mortgage and car payments.
• Chase freedom offers rotating 5% cash back on bonus categories.In this case, i time my major purchases when that category arrives (you can see the calendar for it online) so make sure you ACTIVATE it every quarter (Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate.* Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases* – it's automatic.) This will be huge cash backs if you are planning to buy something big that month so time it wisely.
• If money is tight and you know you cannot pay your card on time, call them and tell them to give you an extra week or change your due date to avoid penalties. I have done it twice and they are very nice about it because my record shows that i DO really pay on time and that this is just one of those days that i cant. It is always worth asking.
• AVOID using your points. I claim my points every December because I use that money to buy gifts for family and friends. This way I know how much I can spend without really hurting our real budget because the money I used is FREE anyway. More reason to celebrate on Holidays right?
• Lastly, I use my card to buy Holiday gifts PROVIDED i stick to what my points allows me to do then I use my points to pay off my card to allow me earn points while paying with points. It's a win-win situation for us haha

If you want to know more about the Chase Freedom click here or here to compare what they have to offer that suits your needs.

Not a fan of Chase, dont worry you can check and compare cards using NerdWallet and see which one is the ONE for you.

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