Having good credit is an incredibly important aspect to consider when renting an apartment or buying a home.
But for many millennials living paycheck to paycheck and already concerned about paying off student loans, credit cards pose the threat of accumulating additional debt. Luckily, with proper management and the right mindset, a credit card can actually be a huge boon, allowing you to build credit while incentivizing purchases you were already planning to make. Here's a guide to the best credit cards for millennials based on their bonus reward incentives.
American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card
Easily the best option for any home cook, the American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card gives 6% cash back on any grocery store purchase (on up to $6,000 of spending), 3% back on gas, and 1% back for everything else. The best part about this card, though, is that the 6% cash back on grocery store purchases includes gift cards bought at the grocery store, too. This means that you can buy prepaid cards for various restaurants, department stores, and entertainment venues while still getting 6% cash back on everything.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
If you love traveling but find yourself too cash-strapped to do it, Chase Sapphire Preferred® is one of your best options. For a $95 annual fee, the card gives you points for every purchase (with bonus points for travel/dining) that you can later redeem towards travel costs like airline fees and hotels, or directly translate at a 1:1 rate for various travel-related loyalty programs like those found at Southwest Airlines and Mariott Hotels. Plus, if you spend $4,000 within the first three months of opening your account, there's a generous sign-up bonus of $625 towards travel which can make that trip you've always dreamt of taking a reality.
Capital One® SavorOne℠ Cash Rewards Credit Card
Many people prefer local dining and entertainment, such as going to the movies, over extensive travel. So if you're someone who dines out frequently but who doesn't have much interest in taking trips, the Capital One® SavorOne℠ Cash Rewards Credit Card is a great compromise. You'll get 3% cash back on all your dining and entertainment purchases, 2% back at grocery stores, and 1% back for everything else. It's a great way for office workers, students, and busier people who don't have enough time to cook to save money on necessary expenses.
Citi® Double Cash Card
If the idea of getting cash back for your purchases sounds appealing, but you're not particularly keen on getting bonuses for travel, dining out, or groceries, the Citi® Double Cash Card might be your top choice. The card offers 2% cash back on all your purchases at a flat rate, meaning you don't get extra bonuses for specific purchases, but you get more cash back in general than you would with other cards. Additionally, there's no annual fee, making it a great option for thriftier folks.
Discover it® Secured
160913_GAL_CCS_SEC_DiscoverItSecured
One caveat that all the other cards on this list have is that if you want to be applicable, you need to already have decent credit. But if you have bad credit and need a good option for building it up, Discover it® Secured is the way to go. It's a secured card, meaning you need to make a security deposit of $200 minimum in order to determine your line of credit. Luckily, handling your account responsibility should allow you to upgrade to an unsecured card in due time. Outside of that, the card offers 2% cash back on up to $1,000 of spending on restaurants and gas per quarter and 1% back on everything else. It's a great way to save money while building up credit.
Ultimately, getting a credit card and establishing good credit should be a priority for many millennials while planning financially for the future. Make sure to establish good credit habits by trying not to spend outside of purchases you can already afford, and for bigger purchases, make sure you have solid plans for making payments. With a sharp eye and a good head on your shoulders, you'll be saving money and building credit in no time.
Dan Kahanis a writer & screenwriter from Brooklyn, usually rocking a man bun. Find more at dankahanwriter.com
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Every time payday rolls around, I’m on top of the world. Jeff Bezos-level rich - even though I’m anything but. And then somehow the very next day, rent is due.
The cycle continues. The next payday, bills for my apartment. I find myself without a surplus of savings since I just moved and newly-furnished my apartment completely.
Even more terrifying is the looming presence of the holiday season. Halloween’s officially over and before we know it, hello Thanksgiving…and then there’s Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s. It’s insane.
I’ve been feeling very British lately. Not in a Union-Jack-obsessed, “Keep Calm and Carry-On” way. I went through that phase in 2012 with everyone else… no thank you. And it’s not even a surge of patriotism catalyzed by the Queen dying — I’m firmly team Diana and team Meghan.
Now that fall is officially here, the holidays will sweep in and I’ll have to contend with the fact that I won’t be spending them with my family in the UK. I went home to London earlier this year, so there’s not much left in my travel budget for another trip across the pond. A few domestic jaunts might be in my future, but the closest I’ll get to England this winter is watching Love Island and Love, Actually.
So in that spirit, I’ve been filling my days with content from my favorite Brits. I’m listening to all the old British rock bands I grew up listening to, patiently awaiting the new Arctic Monkeys album, and rewatching anything with Michaela Coel in it. I even shipped myself an order of British Baked Beans, so you know it’s dire.
I’ve also been watching British YouTubers like Grace Beverley — my favorite. Generally, I only go on YouTube to watch Vogue Beauty Secrets and AD Open Door videos. But I’m so glad I stumbled on Grace. Her content is a mix of London lifestyle (what lured me in), relatable entrepreneurship, and mindful productivity. I’m not a hustle-and-grind-girlboss, but as a creative person in a 9-to-5, I need all the help I can get to stay plugged in. So, the video “how to be really really really productive without getting overwhelmed” changed my approach to WFH.
Grace outlines her own productivity method: the to-do table. Instead of making a simple to-do list, she divides her tasks into a table that anyone can follow. As someone who’s survived with to-do lists for years, I recently implemented Grace’s method, and it’s revolutionized my workdays.
how to be really really really productive without getting overwhelmedwww.youtube.com
I follow her routine to a tee. Here’s how it works:
Essentially, she divides her daily responsibilities into four categories: quick ticks, tasks, projects, and non-negotiables.
- Quick Ticks: Actions that take less than 5-minutes
- Tasks: To-do’s that take up to 30-minutes. Probably don’t take too much brain energy.
- Projects: Long-term list items. These help guide your priorities, even if you’re not crossing them off in one day.
- Non-negotiables: Pick 3 things each day that you must get done. This is how you’ll truly measure success.
With everything written down and sorted, next address your schedule. Meetings, deadlines, and time blocks — whatever works best for you. Write it down. Then make a pact with yourself to stick to them.
This way of categorization provides a roadmap for prioritizing your day — making you far more productive. Have you ever spent the entire day on small tasks and then suddenly realized you hadn’t moved the needle on any task? Or do you spend way too much time on tasks that aren’t a priority? No more. With your non-negotiables laid out, you know what to laser-focus on and what to dedicate energy towards.
Also, it pays to know your working style. I’m not a morning person. Yet, I have to be up and at ‘em super early. So, first thing in the morning, I march through my Quick Ticks to warm me up. I set a time limit, so I can knock out some easy wins which is totally inspiring. Then I move on to bigger things without lingering on emails or admin. For others, it might be more helpful to tackle the big things with all that early-in-the-day brain power earlier.
Grace has great tips on avoiding overwhelm and burnout. My favorite is taking more intentional breaks rather than scrolling through social media. I call this scrolling “productive” because I’m “coming up with pitches.” Oh, the lies we tell ourselves. It’s more productive in the long run to giving my brain a break with non-screen related stimuli.
Grace’s solution? Set a timer to read a real, an actual book. I’ve never thought of this. It’s a genius way to check off some books on my TBR and kickstart my creativity. After reading a good book, I’m completely inspired to write. So having books near my desk helps me step away from the computer during my lunch break for an actual reset. (And yes, the current books I’m reading are by British authors: Assembly by Natasha Brown, and Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalolu.)
In my pursuit of switching out my WFH set-up and getting my life together, I’ve engineered my workstation for success. With my new WFH essentials and Grace’s productivity technique, I’m revitalized for work — despite the fall blues and my melancholy about the pending holidays.
Here are the things getting me hyped for work and helping me crush my Grace Beverley-inspired to-do tables — no lists in sight:
Southwest Airlines Sale 2022
Pack your bags — Southwest Airlines is having a major sale! Fares are as low as $59 one-way if you book by October 3rd.
This end-of-summer super sale is a game-changer for your travel plans through the end of the year. Summertime travel gets all the glory. But why not take advantage of your long weekends, holidays, and PTO this fall. You’ll be surprised at how much travel you can fit in. Keep the fall/winter season exciting with domestic trips that give you all the excitement without breaking the bank. All thanks to Southwest.
Here’s the breakdown:
Where can you go?
You’ll find discounted tickets to and from most airports. Sale fares apply to cross country travel, and even Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean! Whether you’re visiting a new city or revisiting your last beach vacation, this sale has fares to make your travel dreams come true.
What do the fares cover?
Southwest Airlines has multiple fare tiers, each with various benefits. Wanna Get Away fares start at $59, while Wanna Get Away Plus fares start at $89. You can also find great deals on Anytime fares, which offer priority boarding and express lanes. Then there’s Business Select tickets for a luxe experience at an affordable price point.
Do you have to be a Southwest Rapid Rewards member?
You may think these sale fares are too good to be true. Is there a catch? Do you have to be a Southwest Rapid Rewards member to access them? You’re in luck — anyone can attain these fares for a limited time.
But, insider tip, you should consider signing up for Southwest Rapid Rewards. With a free sign up, you earn points and miles with each trip you take. And with this sale, each dollar you spend on these discounted tix can stretch super far until you eventually earn free travel. The only thing better than a sale is free stuff.
So pack your bags and brace yourself for those chaotic airport lines. Everyone’s hopping on this deal so get on it. Don’t miss out — grab your sale tickets by October 3rd!
I’ve been browsing the Southwest Airlines site, checking out flights and dreaming.