Credit Card Rebates Overview

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

Rebate credit cards, or cash-back credit cards, are a popular feature that many credit card companies are offering to their clients. When you apply for a rebate credit card, you are essentially enrolling in a program that is designed to give you back a percentage of the cash you spend on the card. For each dollar that you spend, your credit card company will offer a rebate. However, the rebates are generally set to become active at pre-determined price points. For example, you may only qualify to receive credit card rebates once you have spent $1000 or more dollars with your credit card.

How it Works
Rebate credit cards work for the consumer because shoppers get excited about spending money on one credit card if they know that the credit card offers rebates for each dollar spent. Therefore, many shoppers elect to use only one credit card so that all of their expenses are consolidated. Before you request your credit card rebate, you may have spent more money through interest rates imposed by the credit card company than you actually get from the credit card rebate. Therefore, it is important that if you enroll in a credit card rebate program, you are aware of the interest rates that you may assume if you do not pay your credit card balance down each month.

How the Credit Card Companies Benefit
It can seem like poor business practice on the rebate credit card company's behalf if they continue to give money to credit card users after they already have lent money out in the first place. However, credit card companies know that the more incentives they offer to long-term users, the greater the chances will be that those users will be loyal to the rebate credit card company. For example, if you know that you can get $100 back if you spend $5000 on one credit card, you may be more inclined to actually spend money on that particular card rather than on other credit cards you may own. You will also be less likely to quit the credit card company before meeting that price point. While you stay with the rebate credit card company, you are most likely paying significant interest rate fees when you do not pay your monthly balance down. The majority of credit card holders do not routinely pay their balances completely, so the credit card companies benefit from the long-term relationship.

Where to Find Rebate Credit Cards
Believe it or not, rebate credit cards are easier to find than you might imagine. You may need to do some research so that you find a rebate credit card company that also offers a low interest rate. The low interest rate will help to keep you from spiraling into more debt, while the credit card rebates that you receive will make you actually feel good about spending. After all, who couldn't use a little extra cash as a rewarding for spending it?

While many credit card companies offer rebate credit cards, the incentives associated with those companies very a great deal. Some companies may also offer 0% APR, while others may offer airline miles in addition or in place of the credit card rebates. Therefore, you must first define exactly what incentives you would actually use before you enroll in any one program. You'll quickly find that there are many advantages to using a rebate credit card - the least of which is the fact that you will actually get money back for each dollar you spend. Shop around for the rebate credit card company that offers everything you desire -- and don't forget to read the fine print!