Best Holiday Cards for People With Great Credit

ARLINGTON, Va. (MainStreet) -- What do Santa's elves and credit card companies have in common?

For certain people, nothing whatsoever, but for the roughly 50% consumers who have excellent credit, they both can help put presents under the tree.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 50,000 bonus points just for spending $3,000 during the first three months it's open. These points are redeemable for $500, and that could come in handy at the holidays.

We all know the role Santa's helpers play in Christmas lore, but it's understandable if you aren't quite sure how credit cards fit into the equation. Considering the fact that opening the right credit card could decrease holiday costs by up to $500, I'd hazard to guess that you might be interested in learning a bit more.

There are a number of credit card deals on the market seemingly tailor-made for holiday shopping. A great card that doesn't meet your individual needs is worthless, though, so before we get into details, you need to think about whether you are deal-oriented, a big spender, stuck in the past or averse to change.

• Deal-oriented: There is no shortage of deals during the holidays. But while everyone knows about Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials, the hordes don't tend to descend on the best credit cards during this time of the year. That's a shame, considering that a card such as the Chase (JPM) Sapphire Preferred offers 50,000 bonus points just for spending $3,000 during the first three months it's open. These points are redeemable for $500 (check or statement credit), and since the average consumer will spend $831 on gifts during the holidays this year, according to an American Express (AXP) study, that cash could sure go a long way.

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