Cash back, discounted gas or frequent flyer miles? Figuring out which credit cards offer the best deals can make your head spin. The comparisons are challenging even for the savviest shoppers.
The thing to remember here is you have choices, thousands of choices among credit cards offering rewards. The key is finding the one for you that offers the best value.
One of the few advantages to using plastic over cash is what's making Li Wei Yang a card-collector.
"I am juggling anywhere from between 8 to 12 cards at any given time," he said.
In an obsessive search for rewards, Yang wants air miles, perks and discounts.
"There is a card for everything out there," said Matthew Goldman, CEO of Wallaby Financial, an app that compares your spending to credit card rewards and optimizes the benefit. "The No. 1 tip we give people is have a card that matches what you spend."
For instance, pumping gas or buying groceries, you save more, with a card tied to a specific retailer, instead of using a random one to rack up points or air miles which Goldman says are often wasted.
"We can usually add an extra $200 worth of savings to you each year," he said.
Companies like NerdWallet and WalletHub also offer reward comparisons. Wallaby analyzes the cards you already have and makes recommendations based on your preferences.
Goldman says there are even cards that give you 2 percent back for every purchase. That's real money and real incentive to find an everyday credit card that suits you.
"Everyone who comes to work for us gets a new card within three months because when you realize what great offers are out there it is hard to resist," Goldman says.
Yang says it's hard keeping track of all the conditions on his cards, but since he started using Wallaby his points have increased.
"This is a very complicated game," he said. "It takes a lot of efforts to organize it. But once you get it I think the reward is very lucrative for a lot of people."
Wallaby makes money by suggesting which credit cards you should have to receive better deals. If you acquire one through Wallaby, they get a commission and your credit score should improve, so long as you closed accounts on older cards and are no longer incurring debts.
