Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All

After I spent more than I had originally intended on holiday gifts last year, I decided to conscientiously use my Discover Card to rack up cash back savings to use on this year’s gifts.

Here’s how I’m doing so far.

Right now, I am a few cents shy of $40 in my Cash Back column. With it, I can get $50+ worth of gift cards from various retailers.

Since I started off with an unused balance, I really only made about $25 so far.

The Cash Back bonus amount always starts off slowly, because the 1% cash back on purchases doesn’t kick in until you are over $3000 in total charges. I anticipate this amount to grow more quickly over the rest of the year because I will hit that $3K mark and start getting a full 1% on everything.

Plus, their bonus 5% Cash Back months start in on the really helpful categories later in the year. From July through September, I’ll get 5% back on gas and bookstore purchases. Then starting in October, I’ll get 5% on groceries, restaurant bills, and movie tickets.

If I start shopping various retailers through their portal, I can also add significantly to my totals. I’m pretty excited about the addition of VistaPrint and Fandango as program participants. Although I’m not too hot on using VistaPrint for the important stuff, you can’t beat their prices on print items that do not have to be absolutely perfect. They’re going 20% cash back with Discover.

Fandango’s main sticking point has always been that $1.00 convenience charge. With Discover, they’re at 10% cash back, so it negates the $1.00 on a $10.00 ticket. Summer is about the only time that I actually go see movies regularly in the theaters. This convenience will really help.

Tags: Life, Money // 3 Comments »