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Truth time… I didn’t have a credit card until I was 24 years old. I was terrified of having plastic in my pocket that allowed me to spend ‘without consequence’, despite having a general understanding of ‘if you can’t afford it, don’t charge it’. When I met my now-husband, he demystified the whole credit card thing for me. Today, we literally use credit cards for everything we can – and pay them off, in full, every month. Why not just use cash? Because there are SO many advantages to using a card, especially if you’re using the right card for your family. My favorite card actually helps me shop with Amazon – #momwin. Not all credit cards are created equal, so finding one that works hard for you is super important.
Why do we use a credit card for everything we can?
- Buyer Security. You can charge back or challenge a payment if you don’t receive what you paid for – this is especially important with travel-related purchases/reservations.
- Easy to Track Spending. We can easily see which categories we spend money in each month, which helps us understand our spending habits and where we’re going a little overboard (I’m looking at you, restaurants)
- Rewards. Would you rather pay $200 cash for something or earn 5% cash back on a $200 charge? If you’re paying the balance each month and aren’t paying interest or a fee, it’s a no-brainer to charge it and collect the rewards. Keep reading to see what I do with my rewards š
All Cards Aren’t Created Equal
Some are better for earning rewards on travel, others are great about giving you cash back rewards, and others have no annual fee. The easiest way to see which is a great fit for you is CreditCards.com’s CardMatch tool – which matches you with a credit card in less than 30 seconds without affecting your credit score. Did you know that 10% of your credit score is determined by the number of inquiries you make to new credit cards? They ding you for making too many credit inquiries or requests, so it’s nice that you can get matched up with several cards in less than a minute without your credit score being impacted.
We used CreditCards.com to help us choose a credit card – so now we can use the right card in the right way.
Personally, we are major fans of our Discover card – no annual fee, rotating 5% cash back on different categories, unlimited 1% cash back. But my favorite part is that it enables my biggest obsession… Amazon shopping. As a mom, your TIME is at a premium – worth more than anything. Amazon helps you get time back… I don’t know a single mom who isn’t an Amazon addict.
My Amazon Shopping Tips for Moms…
- Free 2-Day Shipping – on tons of stuff (if you have Prime). ‘Nuff said. But did you know… on lots of items, you can choose a longer shipping timeframe and Amazon rewards you with a no-rush shipping credit for certain things. So that’s nice š
- Prime Music – kind of like Pandora but this is better because there are no ads.
- Prime Video – it’s no Netflix but the kid’s channels and classic movies are impressive. Plus lots of HBO shows on demand. Never hurts to have another viewing option.
- Prime Pantry – I love trips to Target as much as the next mom but it’s always a money trap. Prime Pantry has the stuff you would make a “quick” run to Target for, minus the extra $146.87 spent on all the Threshold house items and Cat & Jack clothes for the kids that always manage to find their way into my cart.
- Dash Buttons – these handy little things just sit where you’d keep a typical product (like toothpaste or detergent) and when you’re running low, you press the button and it orders for you. Genius.
- One-Click Ordering – it doesn’t get any easier than one-click ordering. I have it enabled on my phone so when it pops into my head that I need lightbulbs while I’m sitting at my kid’s swimming lesson, I can order them before I inevitably forget 2.5 seconds later.
- Amazon Echo – integrates with Prime. We use Alexa all day long at our house – she answers questions about anything, plays games, has exclusive deals and can order us whatever we want. She’s basically my new BFF.
- Permanent Registries & Lists – inevitably, family and friends always want to know what they can get the kids for holidays, birthdays, etc. I keep a permanent wish list for each of them and send a link to anyone who requests it.
- Discover CashBack – my Discover Cash Back rewards are automatically accessible and redeemable as a payment option in my Amazon cart. So, I can pay for things I order on Amazon with my Discover cash back rewards without doing anything. It literally doesn’t get any easier.
What’s your favorite credit card? Are you an Amazon mom?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
