As per reports from the National Retail Federation, the average shopper would be spending about $688 during this holiday season. Hence, if the card is used in an appropriate manner one could easily get back a sum that would have been spent on shopping. One should make maximum use of the credit cards rewards programs and payoff the monthly bill without delay and avoid the interest in order to get maximum benefits out of the card. Since card companies are getting more and more innovative as well as competitive, they are offering lots of incentives and this is a good season to make use of it.

Gift yourself this holiday season - there are a couple of cards that are offering cashback bonuses this season but the catch is that you have to reach a certain level of spending. If the spending is going to run into hundreds of dollars one could make use of this offer. Chase Freedom Visa, gives a cashback of $100 on spend of $799 during the first 3 months of obtaining the card. With Discover More one will get $100 as cashback on a spend of $500 during the first 3 months of obtaining the card.

While these offers might seem a little out of reach during other times, it is possible to hit the target especially since it is holiday season but only if one really needs a new card. If one doesn't require a new card then this whole exercise would not be worth a dime.

Make the right choice there is a new trend with some cards these days as they offer extra cashback with rewards cards in some categories. At times the choice is made by the card issuer and at other times the cardholders have the choice. Options include extra cash back at departmental stores or drug stores, grocery stores, as well as gas stations.

Use reward points wisely one could use reward points that have been accumulated through the year for a little cash back. Most cards allow people to put the points to get cashback. However, one must ensure that the request is put forth at least 4 weeks in advance. Reward points could be used for purchases of gifts or cards online. Some issuers have tie-ups with merchants where a merchant-specific gift card would carry more value instead of cash. This would put the extra punch into the reward points and its value.