The holiday shopping season is upon us, and for many it can become a time of great financial stress – especially in this economy. While Los Angeles, New York, or Phoenix auto title loans should never be your first choice for financing your holiday shopping spree, maxing out credit cards and draining savings is by no means responsible holiday shopper behavior either.
However, many could use the extra financial cash around the holiday season, and there are responsible spending ways to finance your holiday shopping. In fact, responsibly using a low interest credit card like one of the following is a much better option:
Capital One Cash
Not only does Capital One give you 1 percent cash back on anything you purchase with your card, something almost all other cards don’t do, but they are also offering double points to those who use their card and shop through their online portal from November 25th through the 28th. New credit card holders are even able to get $100 back when they spend $500 in the first 3 months, and there is no annual fee.
Chase Freedom
In addition to being able to receive 5 percent back on each purchase up to $1,500, the Chase Freedom card also allows owners to use their points to bid on hot holiday items such as Sony HDTVs and PlayStation 3s – which would be a nice free perk for those looking to give the ultimate holiday gift this season.
Upromise World MasterCard
If you’ve got kids who will one day be college bound, the Upromise World MasterCard may be the best card for you. While the rewards earned by using the card to shop this holiday season won’t give you any direct perks, it will give you 11 percent cash back on all purchases make through December 31 at Upromise.com. That cash will then go directly into a college savings account established though Upromise and Sallie Mae. Not too bad for a car that has no annual fee.
Card owners should beware, however, before signing up for anything. While many cards do offer great benefits, some do come with high annual fees, as well as a few others, that can make the card not worth having. Closing a credit card after the holiday season also isn’t a great idea as it can actually hurt your credit score. So when you do intend to sign up for a credit card, make sure to read all terms first and then take adequate time to determine whether or not you really need the card.