Credit cards that give back!

My husband loves to tell people that I am the type of person that credit card companies don't like. He says that when companies come up with reward programs they know that there's going to be a small percentage of the population that will figure out how to manipulate the system and get a bunch of free stuff. He claims I fall into that percentage.

In my opinion credit cards love to take your money with their late fees, APR's and finance charges so why not screw them over a little and get some free stuff. Here's how I do it:

PAY THE BALANCE IN FULL EVERY MONTH!

-I use my credit card like a debit card. Every time I use it I write down the amount in my check book so I can always tell how much is left in my account. Then when I get the bill I write a check but the amount has already come out of my checking account since I've been keeping track of my expenses. In this way I am able to get lots of free stuff from them without really over spending and getting hit with all kinds of fees. You always want to make sure you get a card that doesn't have an annual fee. This is a key component as well.

Here's some cards that I've been looking into lately or that I already use:

1. Victoria's Secret

-This card can only be used in Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body works stores. The reason I have one of these is because of the freebies they offered for signing up. Once you've signed up you'll receive a 6 month booklet of discounts or freebies as long as you make a purchase with your new card. You may think this is not saving anything but what I've done is only use the coupons that give me free underwear. Then I only buy their underwear that's on sale for $4. When I get my freebie pair it's as though I spent $2 on each and that's a good deal. As a card holder I have also signed up for e-mails and received free stuff through that as well. And I haven't yet experienced it but I'm told you get something free on your birthday as well. I'm looking forward to that. And as usual, if you spend $250 on the card you receive a gift card. But that isn't my main goal.

(Banana Republic, Old Navy and Gap are all owned by the same company and offer something similar but not as good in my opinion)

2. Speedway

-I just decided to try this one since gas is killing us. With this card you get 10 points per dollar spent anywhere other than speedway. Using your card at Speedway gets you 40 points per dollar and 5 cents off per gallon. New customers get 10,000 points after their first purchase. Once you reach 25,000 points you get a $10 card for gas. I also combine this card with my Speedy Rewards card and I can get free stuff that way also and it doesn't cost me anything.

3. Hobby Lobby

- For every dollar spent in their store you'll receive 5 reward points and 1 point for every dollar elsewhere. For every 2,500 points you earn you automatically receive a $25 gift card to their stores. And you get 1,000 bonus points after your first purchase.

4. Amazon.com

-After your first purchase on this card you will receive a $30 credit on your account. (that's getting $30 free) You earn 3 points for every dollar spent on their site and 1 point for every where else. After 2,500 points are gained you get a $25 amazon.com gift certificate in the mail.

5. Meijer

-This card also offers 5 cents off a gallon at the gas station. Your first purchase at Meijer gets you 10% off your entire bill. Lots of organizations have been using the Meijer Rewards and now you can use your credit card to donate 1% to your organization.

6. TJMaxx

-I'm a huge fan of this store but I don't have this card yet. They offer a master card that gets you 10% off your first in-store purchase. 5 points per dollar at their stores (Marshalls, Home Goods and A.J. Wright) and 1 every where else. 1,000 points gets you a $10 card to their stores. And you get card member benefits through the year.

7. Disney Rewards Visa

-$15 in store gift card after your first purchase. They also offer the rewards program but I couldn't find out the info on this one.

8. Mypoints Visa

-I'm a huge mypoints.com fan. If you haven't found out about this site yet you have to check it out. I get free stuff for nothing more than checking my e-mail. They offer a credit card at their site that gets you points with them that can be redeemed for anything in their rewards department, which is a lot. You also get 1,000 points after your first purchase. All you need is 400 more and you can get a $10 card to tons of places.

9. Ebay MasterCard

-I don't use ebay but it seems I'm the only one. So for those of you that are junkies this one's for you. They have the rewards program as per usual that offers 1 point per dollar anywhere. You can redeem these points to pay for shipping fees or more ebay items.

10. Cabela's Visa

-I've got to throw this one in their with father's day coming up. Signing up for this card gets you $20 off your purchase there. Every time you purchase something at their store you get 2% in Club points and then 1% on all other purchases. So if you spend $18,000 on the Visa in a year you'll get $180 in Cabela's gear FREE.

ALL OF THESE CARDS HAVE NO ANNUAL FEES!

If you have trouble managing your money I do not recommend using credit cards. But if this is not an issue for you then I say enjoy the freebies!

If you know of any other credit card deals please e-mail me at savedfromwaste@yahoo.com

I am not a fan of cash back programs because it takes longer to get those rewards. Anything else I'm interested in!