BANGALORE: The most credit savvy among us have been able to use credit cards to their benefit in order to wisely and optimally save money even while charging on their cards. If you are careful about how you use your credit cards, you may actually come out ahead by using them, rather than if you just stuck to cash.

Credit cards are important financial instruments, but you can also look at them as a game. We all know people who use their cards irresponsibly to accumulate crushing debts, but if you play this game right, and stay out of debt, you can gain tremendous value from your cards.

1. Take Advantage of Gift Cards

Reward cards come with several attracting options that trick you into spending more money. Some only offer a sign-up bonus after you spend a particular amount, while others give special rewards for transactions at certain categories of merchants.

In order to achieve this many get into impulsive buying in order to reach that level. Instead, you can use gift card purchases in creative ways. In order to reach the minimum spending threshold for a sign up bonus, you use your credit card to purchase gift cards.