Environmentally friendly credit cards generally offer cardholders rewards for patronizing their favorite, earth-conscious vendors. Additionally, some eco friendly credit cards come with paperless billing and other features meant to help preserve the environment. These branded credit cards are sometimes affiliated with professional organizations or even sponsored in part by recycling and conservation initiatives.
Use the FREE credit card finder to locate various types of credit cards that help the environment!
There are eco friendly credit card manufacturers that feature credit cards made with recycled and other environmentally safe materials. Although this feature does not come with all cards, it is an option that you want to consider.
Examples of Eco Friendly Credit Card Rewards
Traditional credit card rewards programs give cardholders a set number of points each time that they spend a specific dollar amount. The rewards programs attached to environmentally friendly credit cards work in the same manner, but both the rewards themselves and the types of purchases accepted are very different. For instance, your eco friendly credit card may only credit rewards points when you buy a green product or buy services from a manufacturer that operates on renewable energy.
The vast majority of environmentally friend credit card rewards points end up being donated to charity.
In fact, many of these credit cards are promoted heavily to support a specific cause, usually through donation matching programs and public awareness. Instead of using standard cash back credit card reward incentives, eco friendly credit cardholders may donate a percentage of their purchases directly to the charity of their choosing. Environmentally friendly credit cards rarely restrict where account holders can make purchases, but donations will only be given to qualifying organizations.
Courtesies, Precautions and Perks
Because environmentally conscientious cards are relatively rare, applicants tend to be fully aware of their collective impact on the environment. The FTC warns against recycling your credit cards without first shredding them, or disposing of credit cards in your garbage receptacles. Instead, you may want to hand deliver your expired and damaged credit cards to a recycling facility.
Many credit cardholders that opt for paperless billing get bonus rewards points or free access to exclusive programs. Every charity organization that you support or environmentally conscious purchase that you make will benefit a wildlife preservation, a recycling program or a community effort in the form of financial contributions made by your credit card issuer.
Low interest rates, minimal fees and other courtesies are offered to eco friendly credit cardholders with good credit scores, decent yearly incomes, and reasonable debt to income ratios. While environmentally friendly credit cards were designed mainly to benefit earth conservation, consumers also expect to get some sort of advantage.
Other Ways to Help the Environment with Credit Cards
Small efforts such as enrolling in paperless billing can make a major difference over several years, but there are other ways that you can make your money work for the betterment of the earth. Using online bill payment and web-based customer service chat features will help you to get all of your issues resolved more quickly, and it will also help your credit card company to reduce overhead spending.
You may not be able to make all of your purchases from eco friendly merchants, but you can still modify your actions to benefit the earth.
Green Solutions Magazine reports that enrolling in paperless billing at your bank, utility companies, cell phone provider and other creditors work hand in hand with online credit card billing. Any service charges or bills that you pay with your credit card can be made altered in order to preserve trees and prevent waste.
Materials Used to Make Environmentally Friendly Credit Cards
Plastic is the preferred material of credit card manufacturers, but there have been some changes recently in the way that cards are produced. Companies such as Sony have used biodegradable and recycled materials in the past to create earth-friendly credit cards. This trend is just starting to catch on, so it might take you awhile before you are able to find an environmentally conscious credit card that is made with only recycled plastic.
For consumers that can’t get recycled or biodegradable credit cards, there is a way for them to ensure that their credit cards don’t end up in a landfill. You can re-purpose your credit cards by using them to make art projects or you can opt to recycle them with the rest of your unwanted plastic goods.
Visit the FREE credit card chaser to find green credit card choices today!
