For far too long, women have been stereotyped as credit card carrying shopaholics who live life from one whim to another. Now, though, today’s contemporary woman is quite savvy in all things related to her finances. That stereotype, it’s safe to say, has been annihilated – and not a moment too soon.
These days, women carefully consider all their options before making decisions, especially those that would affect her credit rating or financial security – and that includes which credit cards she chooses to carry. Single or married, there are distinctly different dynamics between men and women, aside from the fact that men still earn more than their female counterparts.
Women live longer, too, which can really highlight the differences in terms of her financial nest egg compared to her husband’s. Here are a few highly rated credit card options that offer a lot for today’s on-the-go woman.
Discover Open Road
We chose this Discover credit card because of its perks and bonuses associated with car maintenance. Monthly gas and maintenance costs associated with your car earn 5% cash back (up to $100). At least those frustrating oil changes and tire rotations earn cash back, even if you can’t tell the difference between a spark plug and tire plug. When you shop through the ShopDiscover network, you can easily earn up to 20% cash back.
Twenty-four hour customer service (with a guaranteed 60 second or less wait time), an introductory 0% APR on both purchases and balances, and of course, the industry’s best fraud prevention efforts, make this an offer most certainly worth your consideration. Finally, Discover is running a promo (as of August 2011) that includes a $150 Restaurant.com gift certificate with your first purchase.
Blue Cash Everyday AMEX
The Blue Cash Amex has a lot of benefits, frankly, for anyone – but it’s those benefits and perks that make it a viable option for women, whether she’s a jetsetting career woman or at home raising her little ones. First, there’s no annual fee and unlike the traditional American Express model, this card allows you to pay over time.
Customers earn 3% cash back in supermarkets, 2% cash back at gas stations and 1% cash back on all your other purchases. Plus, there’s an intro 0% APR for a full twelve months after you open your account. The AMEX referral program allows you to send friends and family members over to the website and if they’re approved, you earn $25 – this doesn’t happen often in the world of credit cards. For all its many perks, it’s the lack of an annual fee along with the generous intro rate that make it a sound choice for women.
Discover Miles Card
This is a fine choice for women, again, for many reasons. What earned it a place on our list is its impressive rewards options that include no restrictions on when or how you spend your travel rewards points – whether it’s booking a car, hotel or flight. Your miles don’t expire, either.
This means those impromptu weekend getaways just got a lot easier to plan. Plus, the travel accident insurance is often a strong consideration for women, especially those who are also called “Mom”. You earn up to $120 each month, which equates to 1,000 bonus miles, for each month you make a purchase during the first twelve months after opening your account.
Chase Freedom MasterCard
This Chase Freedom MasterCard offers bonus cash after you make $500 in purchases during your first ninety days. This is unique from other similar offers because of the categories that rotate four times a year and offer special cash back percentages. One quarter might mean big savings on airlines while the next quarter might include bonus cash back for retail shopping merchants. This MasterCard has no annual fee and your rewards points never expire, either.
Of course, all of these offers are ideal for men and women. Women are often drawn to different benefits than men and it’s usually the benefits showcased in these credit card offers.
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