Credit cards are like double edged swords. Use them correctly and you get to reap benefits, use them wrongly and the next thing you know you're in debt.
1. Always pay the balance in full
Whenever you get your credit card bill do you ever notice that it says you can pay the minimum amount due? Yeah thats a trap and NEVER just pay the minimum amount due. You'll still get charged interest if you only pay that so that defeats the purpose of earning points as it negates the value. Remember to always pay your balance in full.
2. Always pay on time
Going hand in hand with rule number 1, make sure you always pay on time because paying late will result in interest charges and penalties. So paying in full is useless if you aren't paying on time you'll end up still negating the value of your points and miles.
3. Never let your points/miles expire
Now how would it feel working so hard to be able to earn all your miles then finding out one day they've expired? Terrible right? Not all programs have never expiring points and miles so make sure you keep track of them. Getgo has never expiring miles while you can extend the validity for a year with every activity on your Mabuhay Miles account.
4. Use credit cards not cash/debit cards
The whole point of teaching you how to earn free flight revolves a lot on you using credit card for purchases instead of cash. It's basically the same thing but you're getting points/miles which has cash value as well since you use it for redemption of award charts. Even though some debit cards do earn points, they are usually very low valued and not worth using most of the time so for simplicity we consider debit cards as cash.
5. Never spend more than you can afford
This might be the most important rule out of the 5 and is pretty self explanatory. This is the quickest way to lose in the points game since you'll end up failing on rule number 1 and 2 if you don't spend within your means. I know it's tempting to splurge and buy things with a credit card because it feels like you just got money to spend, but resist the urge and remember it's basically just "utang" from the bank. So please spend within your means and swipe smartly.
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