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Many credit cards offer rewards on your everyday purchases, but if you’re looking for ways to increase your reward-earning potential, you might need to get creative.
Some of the following may be considered weird ways to use a credit card, but if you’re willing to get a little outside of your comfort zone, you could earn hundreds of dollars in additional rewards every year.
1. Buy gift cards
A lot of rewards credit cards offer bonus rewards on certain purchase categories, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get more value on spending made outside of those types of purchases.
For example, if you have the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you can earn up to 6% Cash Back on eligible purchases at U.S. supermarkets. If you want to use the card at a restaurant, however, you’ll earn just 1% Cash Back. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com.
To avoid leaving valuable rewards on the table, check your local grocery stores for restaurant gift cards you can buy and use the next time you dine out. You can do the same for other retailers that may not fit within a card’s bonus categories.
2. Get triple value on a large purchase
If you have a large purchase coming up or several pending expenses, such as moving costs, consider a card that offers a welcome bonus, rewards on your everyday purchases, and an introductory 0% APR promotion to make the most of your spending.
With the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, for instance, you’ll earn a $200 one-time bonus when you spend $500, plus 1.5% cash back on every purchase you make. You’ll also receive an introductory 0% APR promotion on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, after which the variable APR ranges from 19.99% to 29.99%.
For example, let’s say you put $5,000 on the card and pay it off over 15 months. If you’d put the charges on a card with a 22.63% interest rate — the average rate, according to 2024 data from the Federal Reserve — you’d pay roughly $787 in interest.
With the Capital One Quicksilver, you’d save that money and earn $275 from the welcome bonus and rewards, for a total of $1,062 in value — more than 20% of your spending.
3. Finance a small business
Kiva is a nonprofit organization that facilitates microloans for entrepreneurs around the world. Through Kiva, you can help finance a small business with as little as $25, and you can use a credit card to provide your loan.
Just keep in mind that Kiva cannot guarantee repayment of loans, so consider this option only if you have funds you don’t need for other important financial needs or goals. But if you have the money to spare, you can help someone in need and earn credit card rewards at the same time.
4. Donate to charity
Many charitable organizations allow donors to use a credit card to make a one-time or recurring contribution. If you have a specific cause or nonprofit in mind, check to see if they allow credit cards and whether there’s a fee involved.
Before donating to charity, however, research organizations through websites like Charity Navigator and CharityWatch to get an idea of how they use donations to fund their operations.
5. Show off to your friends
Many credit cards offer bonuses when you refer a friend, and they get approved for the card. If you have a card that offers great rewards on dining — for example, the American Express® Gold Card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — ask to use your card to split the bill and recommend it to your friends.
Before you do this, however, make sure that your card offers referral bonuses. You’ll need a unique link to take advantage of the offer.
6. Ask for a retention offer
If you’re thinking about canceling a credit card, your credit card issuer may make it worth your while to keep it. Retention offers may come in the form of a waived or reduced annual fee or a bonus offer if you keep the account open and meet a minimum spending requirement.
That said, think twice about this approach if you’re planning to close your account as soon as you get the offer. Abusing retention offers could cause you to run afoul of your card issuer and risk having your account closed involuntarily.
7. Pay your rent
If your landlord or property management company accepts credit card payments, check to see if there’s a convenience fee involved. If so, the fee can be as much as 3%, meaning it likely doesn’t make sense to use a credit card to pay your rent.
However, in some cases, there may be no fee, resulting in extra rewards on one of your biggest monthly expenses.
If you’re willing to open a new card, consider the Bilt Mastercard®, which offers 1 point per dollar on rent payments, up to 100,000 points per calendar year. What’s more, Bilt allows you to make rent payments without a fee through the Bilt app. Submit your payment with your card, and Bilt will send your landlord a check.
Note, however, that you’ll need to use the card at least five times a month to earn rewards.
8. Pay your taxes
If you own a small business and have to make estimated tax payments or you have a tax bill after filing your annual return, consider using your credit card to pay instead of your bank account.
To pay taxes with a credit card, you’ll go through one of three third-party payment processors that work with the IRS. While there’s a fee to use a card, it can be as low as 1.82%. If you have a card that offers a rewards rate of 2% or more, you may earn enough back in cash back, points, or miles to make it worth your while.
One example is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which offers a minimum of 2 miles per dollar on every purchase you make. There are also a handful of cash-back credit cards that offer 2% back on all of your purchases.
9. Buy stocks
Most brokerage firms won’t let you use a credit card to buy stocks. But with a service like Stockpile, you can use a credit card to purchase gift cards that are redeemable for shares in individual stocks, exchange-traded funds, or even cryptocurrencies.
That said, there are some limitations to keep in mind. For starters, Stockpile only accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards, such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. There’s also a limit of $200 in gift cards per 24-hour period.
Getting creative can pay off
If you’re looking for a way to maximize your credit card rewards, there are several ways to accomplish your goal, including some weird and creative ones.
As you consider your options, it’s important to remember that credit cards charge high interest rates, and no amount of rewards is worth the cost of credit card debt. Make it a priority to only use your credit card to make purchases you can afford to pay in full each month. If you can’t, consider a 0% APR credit card that gives you more time to pay off your balance interest-free.
This article was edited by Alicia Hahn
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