Money Saver: Best Credit Cards To Use For The Holidays

DENVER (CBS4) - 'Tis the season to shop and to charge it. A recent survey found 78 percent of Americans use credit cards.

CBS4 Money Saver Suzanne McCarroll took a look at what the best cards are for getting cash back on purchases.

The average consumer has three or four credit cards. And as they rack up bills, the savvy consumer now can accrue some cash as well.

Shoppers now want their credit cards to work for them. At the beginning of 2011 credit cards were offering good airline mileage programs in return for spending. The trend in the second half of 2011 is money back.

"Any cash back credit card is good for the holidays just because we spend so much more money during the holiday season," Bill Hardekopf with LowCards.com said.

LowCards.com recently surveyed 1,000 credit cards and named three as the best for cash back.

"The Capital One Cash Card. That card gives you 1 percent back on everything you spend. Once you've been with that card for one year, on your anniversary date you get a 50 percent bonus on all the cash back that you've accumulated," Hardekopf said.

He also recommends the Discover More Card which offers 5 percent back on rotating categories and 1 percent back on everything else.

The Chase Freedom Card offers $200 as a cash bonus once $500 is spent, plus 1 percent on everything else.

Still, none of the cards are a good deal unless the holder pays off the balance every single month.

"I always do pay my credit cards off, so in the end it really does help," a shopper told CBS4.

Also, make sure to compare the annual fees when shopping for a credit card.

LINK:  LowCards.com