Q.
Can you recommend a cash-back credit card?
A.
You’ll do best by looking at all the offers -- creditcards.com lets you compare -- and then picking a card that gives you the largest amount of cash for the item you buy most frequently. One offer from Discover gives 5 percent cash back when you buy gas, which is terrific unless you ride the subway. The company has another offer: 5 percent cash back for office supply purchases. But even a 1 percent cash rebate is better than nothing, assuming you follow the number 1 rule of credit card reward programs: No Balances Allowed. Remember, even if the cash-back rate is 5 percent, the interest rate of 15+ percent you’ll pay on balances will quickly wipe out the reward, plus a whole lot more.
Nestpert: Jean Chatzky, a money coach, the financial editor for the Today show, and the author of five books
-- Brett Graff
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