With all of that in mind, here are some of the most popular college tuition credit cards. Keep in mind that the fine print of these cards might have changed since the book was published:
• Fidelity 529 credit card—This card rewards you by depositing 2 percent of your purchases into any Fidelity 529 account. Even better, if friends and family sign up for the card, they can earn tuition for your child as well.
• Bank of America UPromise credit card—This card, which is linked to your UPromise account, pays 1 percent on most purchases, 2 percent on gas from certain companies, and up to 10 percent on certain items at the grocery or drug store.
• BabyMint Platinum Visa—Similar to the UPromise card, the BabyMint Visa is linked to your BabyMint account, depositing your rewards as you earn them. For families not heavily using the BabyMint savings program, this card may not be as attractive as the Fidelity or UPromise card because it pays only a flat 1 percent on purchases, with no bonus opportunities.
• FutureTrust Mastercard—The FutureTrust MasterCard does exactly what the BabyMint credit card does, awarding you 1 percent on your purchases. Because this is a much smaller program than UPromise and BabyMint, this card is most likely to be a best choice only for those that primarily use the other features of the FutureTrust savings program.
• Nontuition credit cards—Consider looking at what other nontuition-based credit cards have to offer, especially from the Discover Card family. Often, the rewards on these cards are heftier, with additional perks like waived interest for paying on time (for example, the Discover Motiva card). These cards might save you more than you’d earn by using one of the other cards that promises to help you pile up tuition dollars.