5 Credit Card Offers That Will Supercharge Your Investments

Although not as well know as some other credit card offers, several brokerage firms offer cash reward credit cards that can boost your investments. These cards pay up to 2% of purchases back to the cardholder, and several of them deposit the cash back reward directly into your investment account. These cards come from brokerage firms such as Fidelty, E*Trade, and Charles Schwab. Let’s take a look at each, and the benefits they offer those looking to bolster their investment portfolio.

E*Trade Rewards Platinum Visa Card

E*Trade is a top rated online discount stock broker. With trades costing just $9.99 or less, E*Trade offers active investors a reasonably priced platform to trade stocks, options, and more. And for E*Trade members, you can also apply for E*Trade’s Rewards Platinum Visa Card.

With the card you can earn points redeemable for statement credits, commission-free trades, travel & merchandise rewards, and gift certificate rewards. Cardholders earn 1 point for every $1 in purchases. And E*Trade also pays out 2,000 bonus points on the first purchase with the card. Here are some more of the card’s details:

• Low 13.99% variable APR
• Free online account access
• Credit line up to $20,000
• Collision/theft insurance on auto rentals
• Extended warranty protection
• No annual fees
• 24/7 customer service
• Travel accident insurance
• Emergency card replacement

You can find more information about E*Trade and the Rewards Platinum card by visiting www.etrade.com.

OptionsXpress Platinum Visa

Like E*Trade, OptionsXpress is a deep discount online broker. It offers some of the lowest cost trades in the business, including stock trades for less than $10 per trade. Unlike E*Trade’s credit card, however, the OptionsXpress Platinum Visa lets you convert points into cash that is deposited into your OptionsXpress trading account.

Here are the key details:

• 1 point for every $1 you spend
• $15 cash eligible for deposit to your optionsXpress account for every 1500 points accumulated
• 0% Introductory APR
• No Annual Fee
• Convenient online account management

You don’t need an OptionsXpress account to apply for the card, but you do need an account to receive the cash back reward. You can get more information about OptionsXpress and its credit card, and open an account online, by visiting www.optionsxpress.com.

Charles Schwab Visa Credit Card

Charles Schwab has a long and storied history as a full service broker. In addition to its online platform, Charles Schwab has an extensive network of branch locations. It also offers one of the most lucrative rewards credit card programs.

Called the Schwab Bank Invest First Visa credit card, the card pays an unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases, and automatically transfers the cash to a linked Charles Schwab account. In 2009, the card was ranked as one of the five best by Money Magazine.

Here are the key details:

• No cash back limits
• No minimums
• No annual fee
• There’s no limit on the cash back you can earn.
• No minimum monthly purchase amount.
• No foreign exchange transaction fees.
• Get a competitive variable Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on purchases, currently 13.24%.

You can find more information on this card at Charles Schwab.

Fidelity Rewards American Express Card

The Fidelity Rewards American Express card has terms very similar to the Charles Schwab card. The card deposits 2% of purchases into a linked Fidelity account. There are no annual fees and no limit on cash rewards. Depending on the type of Fidelity accounts you have, there are three credit card offers to choose from:

1. Fidelity® Investment Rewards® American Express® Card: Earn 2% on purchases to invest into your Fidelity account. Connect it to a mySmart Cash Account ® or brokerage account. Earn rewards by using your card for regular expenses, like gas and groceries.
2. Fidelity® Retirement Rewards American Express® Card: Fidelity Retirement Rewards card.Earn 2% on purchases with the option to contribute to your Fidelity IRA as a current year contribution and the money will have the potential to grow tax-deferred toward your retirement savings goal.
3. Fidelity Investments 529 College Rewards® American Express® Card: 529 College Rewards card.Earn 2% on purchases to invest in one or more Fidelity 529 accounts, and the money will have the potential to grow tax-deferred toward your college savings goal. Family members can link cards to your Fidelity-managed 529 account – great for grandparents.

You can find more information about the Fidelity line of American Express cards by clicking here.

Discover More card

Last but certainly not least is the Discover More Card. This one may surprise you because it’s not a card directly linked to a brokerage firm like the each of the credit card offers above. But it is an important card to consider for two reasons.

First, it pays up to 5% cash back, depending the category of purchase and time of year. And all purchases earn some level of cash back. So depending on how you use the card, the Discover More card could pay out more than the four options below.

Second, you may have a stock brokerage account with a firm that doesn’t offer a credit card. So, for example, if you use Zecco or Scottrade, your best option is a cash back card as neither firm offers their own branded credit card.