The Best Credit-Card Rewards Programs

Here's a piece from Smart Money that compares the top four credit card rewards programs. Here's what they did:

We decided to look at the four largest and most popular rewards programs: American Express' Membership Rewards, Citibank's ThankYou Network, MBNA's WorldPoints and Visa's rewards program for debit cards, Visa Extras. Unlike other rewards programs that tie your card to a single brand or merchant, these programs offer a wide choice of rewards, including travel, merchandise and gift certificates.

Unfortunately, they can't give a clear verdict:

We'll be honest: We can't pronounce a clear winner in all areas. Citibank and American Express, for example, came out a step ahead of MBNA and Visa Extras in terms of generosity. (You need 10,000 points for a $100 gift certificate from AmEx or Citibank, but 13,000 points with MBNA and a whopping 40,000 with Visa.) On the other hand, the Visa Extras program doles out loads of bonus points.

Then they list the best features of each of the four programs, along with some useful tips on how to earn more points and redeem them smartly. They've also provided a detailed, side-by-side comparison of each program in two tables, one on earning points and the other on redeeming them.

In the end, they come to the conclusion we all knew from the start:

Ultimately, deciding which card is right for you will depend on how you plan to use the card — and what you'd like to do with your points.

Still, if you own any of these cards you should check out this article. It may point you to a card that will serve you better.

Comments

[Prosperette]

One of the easiest ways I've found to take adavantage of whatever credit card you're carrying is to register them with UPromise. I logged on last week and found I had $38 in savings for college from cash back transactions associate with registered cards. Granted, I'm finished with college and don't need it. But my kids will go. I should have some kids.