How to Get 5% Off Your Next Home Improvement Project
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Spring is just around the corner, and you know what that means. Warm weather, sunshine, growing plants, plus a perfect opportunity to get outside and spend all weekend driving nails, hanging gutters, and cutting wood.
Just like spring is a good time to clean up the yard, it’s a good time to pop open your wallet and take a look at your credit cards. Despite the state of the economy, there are still rewards associated with many credit cards. A lot of them are your usual: points for every purchase, rewards once you spend a certain amount on the card, and so on.
However, many cards change specific rewards every quarter, generally geared towards the needs of the season…and with spring, that means home improvement deals.
For example, the Discover More card offers 5% cash back on anything purchased at home improvement stores during the spring season. The Citi Dividend Platinum Select card offers discounts on home improvement, home furnishings, and home and garden stores. These are just two examples; you should visit the main website of each card to determine what discounts are on offer, but as a rule, it’s a 5% bonus or 5% cash back on purchases made at stores. They may be even higher if your card company has a promotion with a specific hardware store.
Generally, the card company requires you to enroll in some sort of program to be eligible, which is usually just confirming your name and address, and deciding how to be contacted when the benefits change. It can be done over the Internet or by phone, and enrollment is usually immediate; once you send the form or confirm the details, you’re ready to save money.
Before leaping in, though, take a moment and read the fine print. It may only apply to specific stores, such as Lowe’s or Home Depot. There may be a spending cap, or even a spending minimum. It also may only apply to specific items; for example, they may not discount garden purchases. And, of course, you should always take a look at the interest rates on your cards; there’s no point in saving 5% if you’re going to be charged 10% for the privilege!
But otherwise, go in and get what you need, then simply use the card to pay for the materials. The card company takes care of the rest, processing the discount and applying it to your statement or cash-back check. It’s a good idea to double-check the statement, just to make sure the discount went through, but it should be right there on your statement.
So, as you’re putting together that deck or pouring the foundation for that addition, be happy in the knowledge that you’re not only doing something constructive…you’re doing it intelligently, as well.
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