• Choose the right kind of awards for your lifestyle.credit card and hand image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
  
  There are a number of different credit card companies offering various rewards for using their credit cards. To maximize these awards, it is important for you to determine what you would like to earn by using your card. For the most part, awards are grouped into either airline miles, cash back or points that can be redeemed for merchandise.
  
  

Capital One VentureOne

• Capital One's VentureOne Visa credit card is one of the best credit cards for people looking to earn airline miles. The card has no annual fee and you earn 1.25 miles for every dollar spent using the card. In addition to airline flights, you can redeem miles for hotel rooms, car rental services and other travel-related services. Flights do not have any blackout dates, so you can redeem the miles for a flight of your choice whenever you want to travel.
  
  

Bank Americard Power Rewards

• The Bank Americard Visa Power Rewards credit card is a good choice if you are looking to earn merchandise by using your credit card. The card offers a wide variety of different awards items to choose from including travel, gift certificates and unique services. You will earn one point for every dollar spent, but for the first six months you will receive three points for every dollar spent at gas stations, drugstores and groceries. There is no limit on the number of points you can earn, so you are free to use the card as much as you would like and still receive the benefits.
  
  

Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards

• If you are looking to earn cash back by using your credit card, the Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards by MasterCard is a good choice. While the card does come with a $39 annual fee, you will earn 2 percent back on all of your grocery and gas purchases and 1 percent back on every other purchase you make. You should decide how much you typically use your credit card and determine if the annual fee will still allow you to profit from the cash back. One of the major benefits of this card is that you are able to request your cash back whenever you desire, unlike a number of other cards that are on specific schedules.