Are rewards credit cards worth it?
Most major credit cards offer rewards—but are rewards credit cards worth it?
6 min read
Sep 23, 2021
About the author
Expertise
Personal finance, habit formation
Education
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), Illinois State University
Highlights
- Ten years of personal finance writing experience, with stories published on Vox, The Simple Dollar, The Penny Hoarder, Lifehacker and more
- Five years writing and editing The Billfold, a personal finance blog where people had honest conversations about money
- Author of Frugal and the Beast: And Other Financial Fairy Tales
Experience
Nicole Dieker has been a full-time freelance writer since 2012—and a personal finance enthusiast since 2004, when she graduated from college and, looking for financial guidance, found a battered copy of Your Money or Your Life at the public library.
In addition to writing for Bankrate, her work has appeared on CreditCards.com, Vox, Lifehacker, Popular Science, The Penny Hoarder, The Simple Dollar and NBC News. Dieker spent five years as writer and editor for The Billfold, a personal finance blog where people had honest conversations about money. Dieker also teaches writing, freelancing and publishing classes and works one-on-one with authors as a developmental editor and copyeditor.
Nicole Dieker’s debut novel, The Biographies of Ordinary People, is a Millennial-era Little Women that follows three sisters from childhood to adulthood. Dieker is also the author of Frugal and the Beast: And Other Financial Fairy Tales, in which she reworks classic fairy tales to highlight their hidden financial lessons.
"I never knew I needed Rumpelstiltskin to involve Bitcoin or a parable about instant pots, but I’m so much happier now that I’ve read both. These stories will both delight and get you thinking about money." — Lillian Karabaic, author of Get Your Money Together and host of Oh My Dollar!
Education
- MFA in Theatre, Illinois State University, 2008
- BA in Music, Theatre Minor, Miami University, 2004
Publications
- Frugal and the Beast: And Other Financial Fairy Tales (The Billfold, 2018)
- Earn More Money as a Freelance Writer (The Write Life, 2016)
- Start Here: 40 Freelance Writers Share How They Find Clients, Stay Motivated & Earn Well
- Today (contributor, Make a Living Writing, 2015)
Nicole's Latest Articles
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What is a credit card?
What is a credit card? Let’s take a look at some credit card definitions — cash back credit cards, no-annual-fee credit cards and so on — and explore the pros and cons of using credit.
7 min read Sep 22, 2021
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How to pay off credit card debt with a balance transfer
A 0% balance transfer card can help you avoid high APR from an existing credit card balance.
12 min read Sep 20, 2021
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What happens when your 0% intro APR period ends?
If you’re using an introductory APR period to pay down a balance or fund a large purchase, make sure you know when it ends and what will happen to your interest rate when it does.
6 min read Sep 16, 2021
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What is purchase APR?
When you take out a line of credit, your lender has the right to charge interest on any money you borrow. In the case of credit cards, this interest often comes in the form of purchase APR.
4 min read Sep 14, 2021
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How does credit card interest work?
Here’s what you need to know about credit card interest.
7 min read Sep 13, 2021
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Why I charged a cruise on my credit card and how I’m still reaping rewards
The Discover it Cash Back comes with an impressive fourteen month period of zero percent intro APR. Find out our take on the card, how you can use it to fund your next trip, and if the card is right for [...]
4 min read Sep 09, 2021
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What’s a good APR for a credit card?
Cards with an APR at or below the national average is ideal, but a good APR for you will depend on your credit score.
4 min read Sep 07, 2021