Credit Card Incentives
by Joseph Kenny

Credit card companies want your business. After all, lending money to people is profitable. Besides the interest fees that youll be charged, the credit card company also collects a fee from merchants who accept their credit cards. In order to get your business, most credit card companies are willing to offer you some great incentives - not only to apply for one of their cards, but to use it for everything from car rentals to weekly groceries.

Among the incentives that you might be offered for using a particular credit card are frequent flyer miles, phone call minutes, rebates and cash-back on purchases, insurance on your purchases and more. Heres a list of some of the most popular incentives. Check around to find a card that offers incentives that make sense for the way you use your card.

Rebates

One of the most common incentives for using your credit card is a cash-back or rebate offer. Generally, youll get 1-5% back on various purchases. Depending on the credit card, you may get 1% back on most purchases, and 5% back on purchases made at convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores and member merchants. The rebate may be in the form of a credit on your bill, a gift card for $10, $20 or more dollars when you reach that amount in cash rebates, or a check sent from the credit card company.

Frequent flier miles

Another common credit card incentive is frequent flier miles that can be used on a number of airlines for personal and/or business travel. Check the individual cards terms and conditions to find out exactly how to redeem your frequent flier miles.

Phone Minutes

A new incentive being offered by several credit card companies is phone minutes to use with your cell phone account. Redemption is generally via a phone card sent when the amount of the reward minutes reaches a certain denomination, but your credit card company may have different rules and policies.

Additional warranty coverage for the items you purchase

A few credit card companies offer extra warranty time or coverage on items that you purchase using their card. The additional coverage is only available on particular cards, generally the Premium cards. If any item that you purchase using cards that are lost, stolen or breaks within the stated warranty period, the credit card company will replace it at their cost.

Car rental insurance, Travel accident insurance or travel-related discounts

If you travel often and use rental cars, then it may make sense for you to have a card that offers insurance on you when youre driving a rental car - at no extra charge. Likewise travel insurance and travel discounts that may be available only to holders of that particular credit card, or is available at reduced rates to them.


Credit card registration

Some credit card companies offer to register all of your credit cards so that if your purse or wallet is lost or stolen, you only need to make one call to alert all of your credit card companies. Its a handy perk to have, especially since its easy to forget a card you dont use often in the heat of the moment. Taking advantage of a credit card registry is one way to be sure that all of your creditors are notified that your cards are lost.

• Using food stamps now easier at commissaries - Army News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Army ... (Army Times)
  
  It’s now easier for commissary customers redeeming food stamps to use their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards — and they have more privacy, too, as all checkout lines now accept these cards just as they do any credit or debit card.
  


• Takeout: Pit beef (Baltimore Sun)
  
  Pioneer Pit Beef in Woodlawn does not accept credit cards. It is open only six hours a day. It does not have a telephone number you can call to place an order. You have to stand in line, sometimes a long one, and wait. It has very limited seating, one picnic table set up outdoors.
  


• 'The Change We Need Is Coming' (Washington Post)
  
  Sen. Barack Obama's address: To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation, with profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of the United States.
  


• Akron student faces charges (The Buchtelite)
  
  On June 30, 2008, five criminal charges were filed against University of Akron student Ashley Dulaney. The charges came from the Summit County Court of Common Pleas and were filed by the University of Akron. Dulaney was charged with one count of Grand Theft and four different counts of Misuse of Credit Cards.
  


• eBay to Tell Shoppers, No Checks or Money Orders (AuctionBytes)
  
  Sellers are saying eBay's ban on checks and money orders is, in effect, a move to a PayPal-only policy - at least for the many sellers who don't have their own credit card merchant account.