The holiday shopping season seems to sneak up on us practically every year. It seems like just yesterday that everyone you know was in a mad rush to get their holiday shopping done. In the excitement of the holiday season, however, many people forget to do a little financial research that could end up saving them money, earning them rewards, and making the holiday shopping process less of a headache. By doing a bit of research on currently available shopping rewards credit cards, and applying for the appropriate cards, consumers could be saving a good deal of cash, as well as earning great rewards for future use. This article will outline the three best credit cards for the 2012 holiday shopping season.
- Blue Cash Preferred® from American Express – The Blue Cash Preferred® from Amex is a great credit card choice for those looking to knock out holiday shopping, as well as those looking to receive ongoing benefits after the holiday season. First of all, the Blue Cash Preferred® card offers a minimum of 1% cash back on every purchase you can make. In addition to this, you will receive an additional 6% cash back at all grocery stores and supermarkets, 3% cash back at gas stations and department stores, and you also are awarded $150 just for spending $1,000 in the initial three months that you have the credit card. The 6% cash back on supermarket purchases is huge if you are responsible for all of the holiday dinner shopping, and the 3% cash back on department store purchases is great if you plan on buying your gifts at a department store. Lastly, 3% cash back on gas with gas prices nearing all-time highs is also a great benefit.
- SlateSM from Chase – The SlateSM from Chase card is a great choice for consumers looking to consolidate their credit card debt. The main feature of the SlateSM from Chase credit card is that it offers 0% interest on balance transfers for 15 months, and you won’t be required to pay any balance transfer or annual fees. This is a great choice of credit card if you know you will have to make some holiday purchases, but don’t want to be stuck paying interest payments on the debt you will carry on this card, as well as the other credit cards you already have.
- Chase Sapphire PreferredSM – The Chase Sapphire PreferredSM card is an excellent choice of credit card if you know you will be doing some heavy holiday shopping. This is because the Chase Sapphire PreferredSM card offers 40,000 rewards points if you spend over $3,000 in the initial 3 months that you have the card. To put this in perspective, these 40,000 points translate into a $400 credit back to your monthly Chase credit card statement. This is a huge savings just for putting your holiday shopping on the Chase SapphirePreferredSM card instead of paying cash or using another credit card.
In conclusion, you are selling yourself short if you simply pay cash or use a less reward-oriented credit card for your holiday purchases. Do a little bit of research and compare cash back credit cards in order to find the right cash back or rewards credit card based on what you know you will spend money on this holiday season and it will pay off immediately and in the long run.
