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A Health Savings Account Primer
Jenny Thomas heaved a sigh of relief. A month ago she checked
into her local hospital to deliver her first child, but
unanticipated complications necessitated an emergency surgery.
Fortunately both she and the baby were fine. But if it...
Comfort and energy savings: One person's story
(NC)–Faced with rising energy bills and an uncomfortable home, Alex Nilsson decided it was time to take action. She turned to the EnerGuide for Houses Program, which was launched in 1998 by Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency,...
Health Savings Accounts
Most people with health insurance, especially employer paid health insurance, really don't know what their health care costs are. Furthermore, in many cases, they are limited in which health providers (doctors, hospitals, pharmacies etc) they can...
Health Savings Acounts - What You Should Know!
Maybe it took the State of The Union address from President Bush
to bring the concept of Health Savings Accounts out into the
open for all to see. Whatever the case, this is an idea and
reality that is long overdue and a great solution to...
It Is Possible to Have Style AND a Savings Account
I used to wonder how my coworkers could afford the latest and greatest fashions. Despite the fact that we all took home the same meager salary, they walked in the door every week with a new outfit. I walked in the door with the same sloppy jeans and...
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College Savings Reward Plans - Making Them Work for You
You are probably well aware that college costs are soaring and that the need for parents to build college savings has never been greater. You may also be aware of various loyalty reward programs (such as Upromise and BabyMint) that pledge to help build your college savings by paying back a small percentage of the amount you spend using their credit card and/or buying certain products. Companies offer these programs because, in the aggregate, they know they will lead to higher spending on their products or services. Smart consumers learn to maximize earned rewards without altering their spending habits.
Reward programs can help build college savings. That's the good news. The bad news is that these programs have grown in number and become very complex. It is very difficult for parents to take time to fully understand, compare and select the program best suited for them. This article aims to cut through the morass and lay out a clear strategy for parents to follow to get the most from college reward programs.
The Basics
The various college savings reward programs fall into two broad categories: credit card rewards and savings clubs. The distinction gets blurry because many of the "savings club" programs also sponsor a credit card under the same name. Nonetheless, you can better understand and optimize your use of the programs if you categorize them in this manner:
A college savings reward credit card is a regular MasterCard or Visa card that - in lieu of frequent flier miles or cash back bonuses - makes a 1% or 2% contribution to a college savings account based on purchases made with the card.
A savings club (or loyalty program), on the other hand, is a membership club through which a network of merchants offers members special rebates for buying their products or services. Rebates are directed to the member's college savings account. Some savings clubs have membership fees or require that you have their affiliated credit card to be a member. Others are free and permit the use of non-affiliated credit cards.
College Rewards Credit Card
Associated Savings Club
BabyMint College Credit Card
Baby mint
Baby Center Credit Card
Baby Center Savings Program
Being Developed
edexpress
Fidelity/MBNA College Rewards
NONE
futuretrust Credit Card
futuretrust
Savingforcollege Credit Card
NONE
The Education Plan Credit Card
The Education Plan
Citi Upromise Card
Upromise
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