Nouri Zarrugh is a former senior editor for CreditCards.com and Bankrate, and has over 6 years of experience as a credit card expert and writer-editor of credit card product news, guides and reviews. He also led development of Bankrate’s credit card scoring methodology.
His areas of expertise included credit card strategy, rewards programs, point valuation and credit scores, and his product reviews and stories on building credit have been cited by Yahoo Finance, Mic.com, LifeHacker, People.com and more. Through his thorough card reviews and product comparisons, Nouri wanted to demystify personal finance topics and credit card terms and conditions to help readers save money and protect their credit score.
Also a fiction writer, he is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers, where he won the Keene Prize for Literature. He lives in Austin, Texas with his cat Iago.
When I first got into credit card rewards, I got a little carried away. I applied for a ton of cards and was constantly juggling them to make sure I was maximizing my points on every single purchase. I kept every receipt and even tracked my earnings in a spreadsheet. It was a fun hobby, but it got to be more trouble than it was worth.
Now I keep things simple and mostly just focus on earning rewards in a few key categories. I use one card for general purchases, one for dining, one card for travel, one for online shopping and one for groceries. That covers the vast majority of my spending and feels easy to manage. Sure, I’m leaving some rewards on the table, but I’d rather save myself some time and energy.
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Maximizing credit card rewards can be a fun challenge, but sometimes it’s more trouble than it’s worth. You have to find the balance of simplicity and earnings that works for you.
— Nouri Zarrugh
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