I remember my first card was just a regular Merrill Lynch World Points Mastercard. This card has now become a Bank of America Cashback card that doesn’t offer that many great perks anymore, but it was the card my mom had since college. 

This card is really special to me, not because it was my first credit card, but because it reminds me of my mom and how she taught me essentially how to be a travel planner. 

My mom always planned all our vacations from A-Z. Our flights, hotels, car rentals, amusement park tickets, you name it, she knew how to find the best deals. And she was really good about using her credit card points so that we could travel for free! 

She taught me how to login to the World Points travel mall to use special links that gave us anywhere from 6x-10x points on things we’d regularly purchase and how to keep track of our points to strategically use them for flight sales and car rentals. 

Ever since, I’ve now been the one looking up the best deals on anything travel related. My mom adding me as an authorized user back in college changed the way I looked at credit cards. She taught me how to really manage my expenses, not to overspend, and still pay attention for great deals. 

Plus, it was a huge boost to my credit history and credit score! We still have that card today and have to remember to spend a few bucks on it every few months just to keep it open.

Recommended Posts: