Keeping your private and personal information in an organized, secured, and locked space is really important these days with all the identity theft going on. This post is a great, easy way to manage those unused reward cards and credit cards. Here are instructions on how to create a reward and credit card binder.
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Why organize your credit cards and reward cards?
When these credit cards and reward cards are stolen, there is no way to easily contact the banks or stores unless you keep track of all the information on the back of the cards. So, this post will show you how to organize these items as well as how to write up the backup information you would need in case of an emergency or theft.
How to create a rewards/credit card binder
First, we will organize the physical cards you may and may not be using always.
Tools you need:
To make your own credit card and reward binder, you will need to get the following things. Below are links from Amazon (Affiliate Link) (affiliate).
- Business Card three-ring plastic holders: this one I selected has 25 sheets.
- Sticky Tabs - I used the ones from Avery labels.
- 1-thin binder - 1 inch works well. Avery binders are heavy-duty.
Sort your cards into the categories below.
Dividing the type of cards you have physically helps you find the information when you need it.
- Credit cards
- Misc. Cards - S.S. Cards, Passport services, voters cards…
- Travel Reward cards
- Office reward cards
- Grocery Rewards cards
- Home reward cards
- Beauty reward cards
- Entertainment reward cards
- Clothing reward cards
- Pharmacy stores
- Office supplies reward stores
Then, write one category on each sticky tab and affix it to the sheet that pertains to this category. See the image below.
Now that you have gathered all these cards and placed them in the corresponding category, you can go and use the binder to keep them together and in order. Easy peasy!
TIP: Write with a sharpie (Affiliate Link) marker on the business card plastic above each card, which card goes in which slot so if you or your partner pulls a card out, you know what is missing and can replace the card in the correct spot. See the image below.
Create a checklist to keep in a safe place
If you want to go a step further, you can make a list of all the cards and include the below information on it.
- The name of the card
- Card account number,
- The expiration date,
- The 3 or 4-digit number on the card
- The phone number to contact
- And, if it is a credit card, you can add the card limit.
- If you are married, you can indicate if the card is a joint account or an individual card.
Then, you can store this in another place for backup. I suggest updating this sheet once a year with any new cards issued to you. Fill in the information as described below.
Credit card tracking shee
Here is a checklist (Affiliate Link) for you to fill out and store in another safe (Affiliate Link) place as a backup.
Organize reward cards in an App
If you like to collect your reward cards in an app, you can use an app like Key Ring to hold all your accounts.
If you want to use an app like LastPass, be sure to create categories so they are grouped together.
Keeping track of these cards will help you keep your private information secure and protected. How do you protect your credit card information? Let's start a conversation below.
Visit our other money management tips!
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