subject: The Lengths Credit Cards Will Go To Get Your Business [print this page] Credit card companies will do almost anything to get a new customer. And with epic budgets they can offer consumers all sorts of goods, services, discounts, vouchers and promises to get them to sign up for a credit card, safe in the knowledge that they may well make that money back through repayments. While a credit card offers an opportunity to get into uncomfortable debt, they are also, when sensibly managed, a useful tool for access to easy credit and sometimes the only way to buy certain goods.
Freebies aren't always available to newcomers upon sign up. Often you are required to spend a certain amount before you can trigger the free gift. Here are some of the freebies available:
Free Flights
One credit card offers on their 'Airmiles Credit Card,' an accelerated offer of air miles for every pound that you spend. This means that the more you spend on the card the further you can fly. While this could lead to accruing debt in order to go on holiday, if managed correctly you can spend money on stuff you would anyway and get to go for a trip for free.
High Street Vouchers
A common freebie is vouchers to spend in various high street stores as reward for spending money on your credit card. This can include high street stores such as M and S, House of Fraser, Boots, HMV, Waterstones, Homebase and Comet, to name but a few. It can work similarly to the air miles system or it can be that you need to pass a spending threshold to unlock a certain value of vouchers.
Online Vouchers
Again vouchers can be earned through spending but instead go towards vouchers for use with online companies. With goods often cheaper online, this could be a way to make your earnings go further. Online stores such as iTunes, Play.com and Amazon all allow you to buy things from them with vouchers acquired through credit card rewards.
Cars
One card offers money off a new car when you sign up for their credit card. This is only 100 pounds though.
While credit card freebies are a great way to get some excellent goods and services for nothing. But often these rewards can lure people into spending more than they can afford to repay. Is the lure of a free gift enough to cloud people's judgement? Often this can be true, so when thinking of getting a credit card, do so with repayments in mind. Not free gifts.
