Meeting Minimum Spending Requirements for an Average Joe
Generally, my advice is to only sign up for cards where you can meet minimum spending requirements through your regular expenses.
But there are times when I would consider taking on minimum spending, which exceed my normal bills; that is, if I had a goal in mind, like collecting enough points for a specific trip.
First, it goes without saying that you should charge anything and everything on your card, whenever you can, as long as there is no fee, of course. That includes phone, utility bills and insurance. If you don't, you are leaving miles and points on the table.
But let me list some things I would do if my everyday expenses were not sufficient to get the bonus. We are very much an average, middle-class family, so I would guess it would apply to most of you as well. This list does assume that you have some money in the savings that you can use for this purpose.
1) Consider paying your property taxes with a credit card. Usually there is a fee of 3 percent, at least in our county. But I would do it in a heartbeat to get a huge bonus. Also, it applies to any other taxes, such as the federal and state kind. You can use the website www.payusatax.com
2) Buy Amazon gift cards online. A nice thing about these cards is the balance never expires. Plus, every time you make a purchase, a deduction is made from the gift card automatically.
3) Buy Walmart gift cards. You can do that online or in store. Consider going to www.topcashback.com and getting an account. From there, link to Cardpool, while getting 2 percent cash back in the process on the first $1,000 in gift card purchases. Usually they have plenty of Walmart gift cards at 2.5 percent off. So you would get those at 4.5 percent off and get closer to your big bonus.
4) Buying any other gift cards I know we would use in the near future. We take the kids to McDonald’s often, so I would not hesitate to buy a few gift cards.
5) We don't have a mortgage or car payment, but you could consider using www.chargesmart.com for those. They do charge a fee, obviously, but it would be worth it to get the bonus.
6) Buy a few prepaid Visa gift cards at the store, like Walmart. Then just spend them on other bills later. You could also order Amex gift cards from www.BigCrumbs.com and get cash back.
Some issuers, like CITI, may charge a cash advance fee, so be very careful.
7) Ask our relatives if we can pay for some of their large expenses with a credit card. Then they would reimburse us with cash or PayPal me the money. It's not for everyone, so YMMV (your money may vary, because they may not pay you back.)
Of course, as always, you have to be careful. And whatever you do, don't buy extra stuff just to get the bonus. It's better to pay a small fee on your mortgage than buy things you don't need.