Do online tracking tools inspire spending or saving?

Written by
Joe Taylor Jr.
Terms apply; see the online credit card application for full terms and conditions of offers and rewards.

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According to a 2012 financial literacy survey conducted by Harris Interactive, fewer than half of Americans track their expenses as part of a monthly household budget. Researchers from Rasmussen Reports reported similar findings in their own survey, adding that many of us without personal budgets rely on credit cards or personal savings when our paychecks don’t make it all the way to the end of the month. The surveys show that we tend to rely on habits when dealing with money, but that running out of cash isn’t always enough to inspire us to change our financial routines.

Fortunately, many banks now include budgeting tools in their online banking services. The American Bankers Association reports that nearly 40 percent of us choose online banking as our preferred way to handle our finances. That figure grows to cover more than half of Americans if you factor in both telephone and mobile banking, the boundaries of which have been blurred by sophisticated smartphone applications.

Americans using credit card rewards for savings and splurges

In 2010, a team of researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago estimated that a typical cash back credit card holder earns about $25 every month in rewards. Until now, those balances have been building up because, as Lightspeed’s report concludes, redeeming credit card rewards hasn’t always been the easiest process.

Survey respondents told researchers that they typically enlisted the help of telephone agents to cash out rewards balances. While less frustrating than redeeming frequent flyer miles for air travel, the process of converting a rebate into a statement credit still daunts many of us. Therefore, we tend to rack up larger and larger rewards balances.

Researchers commissioned for a 2012 American Express study found that relatively few Americans use those credit card rewards balances to cover holiday shopping expenses. Yet, the percentage of consumers who treat their rewards points like a Christmas Club account rose from 2011 levels. Still, according to analysts at Lightspeed Research, consumers prefer cash rebates to other types of credit card rewards by a wide margin.

Online credit card tools that help you budget and redeem effectively

Three credit card companies offer innovative ways to build rewards into your saving and spending plans:

  • Chase Blueprint and Ultimate Rewards. One of the first online budgeting tools made available to credit card users, Chase Blueprint set the bar high with a suite of trackers designed to help cardholders pay down balances. In addition to watching spending trends, Blueprint customers can calculate how to “split” a large purchase from the rest of a balance, then redeem Ultimate Rewards® points for a statement credit in that amount.

Online budgeting tools still have a long way to go, but heightened competition among banks and pressure from third-party developers have already inspired innovation from credit card issuers. With convenient redemption options, an updated cash back credit card might just inspire you to save a few pennies from every dollar you charge.

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