How can I keep track of my credit card benefits?

Remembering all of your credit card benefits can be hard especially when you have a lot of credit cards. Some folks use a spreadsheet or reminders in their phone to make sure they use all their benefits.

Using a spreadsheet can be incredibly time-consuming/manual and the phone reminders idea is requires a ton of upkeep/awareness. That’s why we are making tracking credit card benefits easier for you.

At nextcard.com, we made a tool called nextcard notifs where you are notified via email about your credit card benefits and when you need to use them.

What is Nextcard Notifs?

NextCard Notifs is our way of personally reminding you about your credit card benefits. You’ll receive emails every couple of weeks about your credit cards.

The way it works is you enter your email on this page, select your cards (no bank or credit card number info needed), and then double check to make sure Nextcard Notifs are showing up in your main inbox.

As soon as you complete these three simple steps, you will be on your way to receiving emails about your credit card benefits. Not only will you be reminded about your credit card benefits, but you also might find out about some new ones you haven’t heard of!

Honestly, I wish I had NextCard Notifs sooner because then I would have used more of my benefits on the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card and Ink Business Cash® Credit Card. There’s one benefit in particular that I was missing out on—Instacart.

I didn’t know for months that both cards offered a Instacart credit monthly along with free Instacart+ for three months. I was able to find out about this benefit when I was rummaging around on Chase’s site but with NextCard Notifs I would have known 6 months sooner when I got the cards!

What are some important credit card benefits I should be keeping track of?

For folks new in the credit card game all the way to people with 50-100 credit cards, tracking credit card benefits can be a bit daunting. Let’s get into some of the most important ones to keep track of.

Dining Credits

It’s important to keep track of all the credits that you get with your credit cards as they help you achieve maximum value. And NextCard Notifs is here to assist.

Take the American Express® Gold Card Resy credits for instance. With the AMEX Gold card, you get two semi-annual dining credits to be used at Resy restaurants. If you don’t use them in time, they are gone just like that.

With NextCard Notifs, you’ll be reminded to use credits like these before they expire.

Earning Rates

Earning rates on your credit cards are the most important everyday category. If you’re taking advantage of high earning rates, it will only add to the earnings you get from other benefits like welcome bonuses.

The Discover 5% Cash back categories is a great example of important earn rates to keep track of. NextCard Notifs will remind you to activate your 5% cash back category every quarter on a card like the Discover it Student Cash Back card (you don't earn 5% cashback until you've activated the category).

Another solid example would be on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® where you can earn 4 points per dollar on flights and hotels booked directly. These earning rates don’t have a timeline but it’s a nice reminder to use this card when booking flights and hotels. Plus, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has excellent travel insurance and other protections.

Random Benefits/Promotions

Credit cards oftentimes run limited-time promotions that can be really valuable. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card recently offered a $75 statement credit after you spend $150 or more at eligible Infatuation restaurants.

Unsurprisingly, not a lot of people were aware of this promotion, since there wasn't anything officially announced within the Chase app.

NextCard Notifs helped hundreds of people discover this promotion. We're hoping you can also discover new benefits that you might have not even been aware of!

Welcome Bonuses

Welcome bonuses are one of the most valuable features to pay attention to when choosing a new credit card. They provide an excellent opportunity to earn a significant amount of points, miles, or cash back early on—helping you get more value from your spending right from the start. For some cardholders, these introductory offers are a key part of deciding to get a card.

Right now I’m working on the welcome offer on the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card where I’ll receive $900 in cash back after spending $6,000 in three months from the account opening.

Currently, NextCard Notifs does not have a reminder feature for welcome bonuses since you'd to know exactly when you got the card, but it's something we are working on!

Final Remarks

Keeping track of credit card benefits is crucial to getting the most value on all your credit cards. It can be tedious, time consuming and honestly painful, but with NextCard Notifs the process is much easier. I’d encourage you to monitor your credit card benefits in whatever way you best see fit and then use NextCard Notifs as an important supporting tool. It may remind you of benefits that you forgot about or never heard about at all! Or maybe some new benefits on your respective cards.

What do you think of Nextcard Notifs? Let us know what credit cards you have.