There are many kinds of credit cards out in the market and, due to the cut-throat competition amongst the providers, credit card companies are coming up with various promotions: such as waived annual fees, to entice non-card holders to sign up for their services; and rewards programs: in the form of rebates and rewards points, to keep their existing card holders in the fold.
One of the rewards programs offered by card companies to their card holders or members is termed as Cash Rewards. Through this program, for every dollar the card holder pays through the credit card, a certain percentage of it goes back to the consumer. Since credit card companies cannot and will not send out checks covering the cash that has been earned, these rewards will come as a rebate or as cash back bonuses.
The rebate or cash back value differs from card to card and, if the cash back program is tied up with an external retail establishment, the terms will also vary depending on the merchant. Generally, rebates or cash back values range from 1% to 5%.
The card holder's total rebate amount may be printed on the credit card statement itself or could be sent to him separately. These rewards may be availed of immediately (?refunds? reflected as credit notes on your statement) or the cardholder can opt to accumulate the points and get a bigger reward later on. Another way rewards are given to the consumer is by way of gift checks / certificates from participating establishments. Depending on the program you are on, the gift check may reflect the actual value of your earned rebate or an amount that is slightly higher as some participating establishments and partners may give a rebate that is higher than the standard 1 ? 5% rate.
Cash back programs should not be viewed merely as a marketing ploy to entice new customers and to retain old ones. It is a way for people to make the most out of their money. Where else can one find a program where a portion of what he spent will eventually be returned?
Because of the sheer quantity programs being offered by several credit card companies: from rewards on gas purchases, rebates to travel mileage; selecting a credit card based only consumer benefits has become slightly more difficult than it was before. Grabbing brochures to skim over does not make the task easier as, most of the time, credit card catalogues are full of conditions written in fine print and technological jargons that a common layman would find difficult to comprehend.
To help the consumer make a sound decision, various websites have skimmed the fat off traditional credit card pamphlets and have chosen to highlight the key points and present the most important of information in a clear, no-nonsense manner: with the credit card provider on one side, and all its benefits listed on another side (or in bullets, below it). Not only is this format easier to understand, it also makes comparison of credit card services less time consuming.
You might wonder, if it is not such a good business why would anyone take the time to do it?
Well, simple, because if you do not know any other way to make money online, with paid surveys you will have the ability to generate some extra cash almost instantly, without having to learn or spend anything.
Of course, taking surveys will cost you nothing provided that you go directly to the online survey companies without joining any of the paid surveys directories like Survey Scout.
The difference is that if your go directly to the surveys companies and sign up at each one of their websites, this will cost you nothing, whereas joining a website like Survey Scout will require you to pay a membership.
Of course, the benefit of joining a website like Survey Scout or any other similar to it, is that they have systematically organized all the information in a way that will surely save you some time and optimize the chances for high paying surveys.
However, if you want to skip that and want to make money absolutely free, then you must the turn directly to the websites were the paid surveys are offered. The downside here is that you will have to start searching for paid surveys websites and trying each one of them to determine whether they are worth your while or not.
I know this for a fact because at some point paid surveys were my only internet business venture, so I took a great number of them and managed to pull some good cash, which was not a life changing experience, but certainly made more curious and ambitious about the whole internet business thing.
Therefore, I can tell you which paid survey websites are really worth your while (which are just a few), and how much you can expect to make taking surveys there. Of course the information I can share with you will probably not be as thorough as the one provided at websites like Survey Scout, but, on the other hand, you might well be making an extra $600 absolutely free without paying any memberships whatsoever.
Both Gloria Smith & Alex Cadens are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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