Posts Tagged ‘Rewards’
June 22nd, 2011
Creating a budget is hard work, as I and others have discussed elsewhere. Yet having a strong, accurate budget is an essential step towards financial freedom. Once the budget is created, then you need the determination and commitment to keep that budget, which can be difficult given the temptations of the world we live in. One of the ways to keep you on track is to include rewards in your budget.
Types of Rewards
While there are almost an infinite number of things that can be rewards, depending on your personality, there are really two types of rewards when it comes to maintaining your budget.
The first type of reward is what I call a maintenance reward. This reward is what you give yourself periodically for simply holding to your budget. The military gives medals for duration of service as well as heroism; a maintenance reward is like that, something you give yourself simply because you have been doing a good job.
Maintenance awards should not be large, but (of course) enjoyable. Taking your spouse out to dinner is a good example of a maintenance award, or maybe a weekend camping trip (which works very well for me). Include a small savings plan in your budget for this type of reward, say about a month or so. I would suggest you isolate this money; don’t put it in your savings accounts, investment accounts. Instead, just get the cash and put it someplace you can look at it often. This allows you to fantasize a little about the reward, which increases your pleasure. And rather than rewarding yourself every month, make this significant by doing every 3 to 6 months.
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February 6th, 2011
Credit card rewards programs are hugely popular with Australian consumers. They allow you to benefit from a wide range of rewards simply for using your credit card.
Here are our top five tips to getting more from your credit card rewards program.
1.Use your card regularly
The vast majority of credit card rewards programs award points based on the amount that you spend using your card. Most schemes award between one and two credit card reward points for every dollar that you spend on your card.
The more you use your card, the more rewards points you will accumulate. If you want to amass as many points as you can, the secret is to use your credit card as often as possible. Use it for large items but also for day-to-day purchases such as fuel and groceries.
2.Use ‘bonus partners’
Most credit card providers have a range of retail partners with whom they offer bonus reward points. By using your credit card to spend with these bonus partners, you will also benefit from additional points in addition to the reward points you earn through your card provider.
Sometimes you can earn up to an additional four points per dollar spent by using your card with ‘bonus partners’.
3.Pay off your balance regularly
One of the biggest mistakes that credit card rewards customers make is to maintain a balance on their reward card.
February 4th, 2011
According to 2009 figures from the Reserve Bank of Australia, there are over 14 million credit cards in circulation in Australia. With dozens of card providers and a range of different types of card, choosing the right card for your needs can be tricky.
Banks who offer a credit card rewards scheme are amongst the most popular. Cardholders are able to accumulate points simply for using their card and can then exchange them for thousands of different rewards.
If you are considering a credit card rewards program, here’s our simple guide to how they work.
Sign up for a card
The first step is to head online and use a comparison service to consider all the different credit card rewards schemes that are available. Each scheme is different in terms of how you go about earning points, the interest rate charged and what rewards you can benefit from.
Once you have found a scheme that is right for you, you need to apply for your chosen card. Once your application has been approved, your credit card rewards account will be opened and your card and PIN will be sent to you.
Earn points
Once you have received your card, it is time to start amassing your credit card rewards points. The vast majority of cards allow you to earn points based on the amount you spend on your card.