Thanks for taking the time to read my post and hopefully lend me a helping hand.
I’m frugal and a very good saver, but I’ve shied away from owning credit cards and getting involved in the point earning game due to the complexities involved. The only credit card I own is a Coles Mastercard which I use exclusively for free grocery deliveries every week on Coles Online (with a two young babies it’s hard to find time to get out to the supermarket!). I pay this off every month in full with an automated direct debit to prevent any interest from accruing.
My reason for being here is that every 1-2 years I’m forced to pay through the nose for trips to Hungary and ocassionaly Israel to see the wife’s family. With a growing family of my own, this is becoming increasingly expensive. I keep hearing how people are using points from credit card signups to drastically reduce the amount they pay on flights and I’d like to learn how to do the same.
But I’m still confused by the complexities.
What credit cards should I be signing up for? Where should I start? What deals do I jump on?
unfortunately this site can’t give specific recommendations. what credit cards you go for will depend on your own circumstances such as how much annual fee you are willing to pay, where you shop regularly (particularly if you want to use AMEX) and what airlines you prefer.
I suggest signing up for the pointhacks email course as a good starter.
Hey Mark,
Thanks for your reply. I’ve signed up for the email program already and am looking forward to taking the course.
Just to give you a bit of background. I don’t shop very often so most of my major expenses are fairly standard: grocery/food shops, body corporate, fuel, utilities… etc.
I almost exclusively use a debit card which is attached to my UBank Ultra account. My pay goes directly in to that account, earning me a small amount of interest.
I’m not fussed about Amex or Visa. Just looking for products that will earn me points to subsidise economy tickets on the travel routes I mentioned above.
As Mark have suggested, the email course is a good ice breaker for information.
Put as much of your normal spending on high point earning credit cards as possible and look out for good credit cards either with high point earning or high sign up bonus. Good cards usually involve higher annual fees. Some credit cards offer free annual fees in the 1st year.
Check out the master credit card table here if you (like me) prefer tables when dealing with that much information.
Baby steps and after a while you will be running like Forest Gump. Good luck.