I earn hundreds of thousands of miles and points a year from simply picking up credit cards that offer generous bonus signup offers. I can then use these points to take some pretty cool trips at low cost. But sometimes there are no miles and points that can pay for ancillary fees on our trips, and that is where cash back cards come into our wallet.

It’s a balancing act when you take a card out of your wallet. Do you get that 5% cash back, put the purchase on a card that you are trying to hit minimum spend to get a signup bonus, or go for a miles boost to increase your status by meeting spending thresholds.

For example, Mrs. Weekly Flyer picked up a few new cards including a card that offers 6% cash back on select purchases. She’ll use that card for the specific spending category, but will then use other cards depending on where she is making a purchase that day.

The cash back cards have there place and time. For example, cards that come with a cash back calendar, like the Discover it® card offer up to 5% cash back on particular spending categories each quarter. The 2014 1st quarter 5% cash back calendar for the Discover it® card is as follows:

• January through March 2014 – Restaurants and Movies
• April through June 2014 – Home Improvement Stores & More
• July through September – summer break to be determined
• October through December – Holiday shopping to be determined

It will be interesting to see what the specific categories are for the summery and fall. I’d venture to guess amusement parks or something related to a road trip will be included in the summer and possibly department stores in the fall. But we’ll have to wait to find out. In the mean time, this card offers up to 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in spending on the current categories. If you have the Discover it® card, be sure and use it for these categories so you can earn 5% cash back on eligible spending.

Related Posts

• New Cards Earned 140,000 Miles & Points And $450 In Credits
• Mrs. Weekly Flyer’s Latest Application(s)–Cash Back, New Points, And A Must Have For Every Wallet

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