Are Credit Card Rewards Really Worth It?

Credit Card Rewards Aren't All They're Cracked Up To Be
FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2007 file photo, a traveler uses a Delta SkyMiles credit card to buy an airline e-ticket at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif. Rewards cards _ typically reserved for those with good to excellent credit _ made up 88 percent of offers in the third quarter of 2009, up from 65 percent last year and 58 percent in 2007. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2007 file photo, a traveler uses a Delta SkyMiles credit card to buy an airline e-ticket at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif. Rewards cards _ typically reserved for those with good to excellent credit _ made up 88 percent of offers in the third quarter of 2009, up from 65 percent last year and 58 percent in 2007. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

With issuers dangling bonuses like $100 cash back just for signing up, it can be easy to lose sight of exactly how rewarding (or not) credit card rewards truly are. You may be asking, why should it matter? It's true that many people think of credit card rewards as "free money" they get for buying stuff they would anyway. Even a small reward is better than no reward. But there are a few flaws with this line of thinking.

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