Earn Hundreds Of Dollars in Cash Back Rewards In Just 60 Seconds a Week
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My wife and I are Costco executive members, and also have a Costco Anywhere Visa by Citibank. When I first got the card, I was worried that it may result in overspending. Of course, I could have gone in the exact opposite direction and not use the card at all, missing out on the perks of having the card.
I found an easy way to earn hundreds of dollars in cash back rewards.
Buy Life Essentials
First, I buy two things that I need to buy each and every week. The key here is to stay on budget. I MUST stay on budget.
Gasoline : Traditionally, I fill our van and car with gasoline Friday morning. I’m officially moving my gas tank fill up to Saturday morning. Our weekly budget is $75 which almost always tops off the tanks of both vehicles. Spending $75 a week for the entire year, with 4% cash back on gas with my Costco Anywhere Visa By Citibank results in the following equation:
$75 (per week) x 52 (weeks in a year) x 0.04 (4% cash back) = $156
Groceries : Saturday morning is when I go grocery shopping. After filling up both vehicles with gas, I’ll head to the grocery store. With a 1% cash back rate on everyday purchases, my grocery spending gets me the following cash back:
$150 (per week) x 52 (weeks in a year) x 0x01 (1% cash back) = $78
Weekly Payment
As soon as I return from the grocery store, I make a payment that covers both the gas, and the groceries I purchased that morning. I won’t wait for the statement therefore there will be no opportunity to keep the cash and let the balance grow. There shall be NO interest payments!
By using my instead of my debit card to pay for these two essentials on Saturday morning, then spending 60 seconds to make an online payment, I’ll earn $234 in cash rewards for the year.
I don’t trust myself to use credit cards for random purchases. I need my credit card usage to be planned, purposeful, and part of a process. By following these simple steps I’ll earn a nice sum of money in cash back rewards.
Do you have a credit card that has cash back rewards? How much do you earn in cash back rewards each year? How to you ensure that you don’t overspend?
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
I use cash back credit cards for everything. Generally I don’t have a problem overspending, but sometimes when I open a new card that has a minimum spend I get a little carried away. I find that making sure I’m only buying what I’ve budgeted for helps keep spending in line.
@Ali – It takes a lot of self control to swipe the card AND stay within the budget. Kudos to you for making it happen. Thanks for sharing your experiences!