If you havent taken a moment to scout new credit card offers, the time has arrived. Credit card companies are battling for the largest client base, and as a result, consumers are on the receiving end of very attractive benefits. One of the most popular types of cards on the market today is the cash back reward card. Although the logistics change depending on the financial institution, the result is the same: get cash back on every purchase!

Below are the top four cash back rewards cards; check out the benefits and choose the one thats right for you. Ive chosen these particular offers because of the size of the rewards and because of low interest rates.

Chase Cash Plus Rewards Visa Card

This is one of my favorite cards because Chase doesnt bog down the customer with a laundry list of rules and regulations. With some available cards, you have to follow very specific guidelines in order to receive rewards. With the Cash Plus Rewards Visa, all you have to do is use the card, and youll get cash back.

Every time you use the card at a grocery store, gas station or drug store, you receive 5% cash back. When you use it for other purchases, you get 1% cash back. Then, when you build up a balance, you can either request a check from Chase Bank, or you can request a gift certificate for merchants such as Best Buy, Macys and Home Depot.

Theres no annual fee for the Cash Plus Rewards Visa card, and new customers receive a 0% introductory APR for up to twelve months on both balance transfers and purchases.

HSBC Cash Back Rewards MasterCard

I recommend this card for anyone who enjoys security protection and fair, competitive rewards. With the HSBC Cash Back MasterCard, you receive 1% cash back on all purchases, with no spending requirements. They offer a 0% introductory APR for the first twelve months. There is no annual fee, and youll receive Zero Liability in the event that your card is stolen or used without authorization.

With the Chase card, you received 5% back on some purchases, which is not true of the HSBC card. However, this card comes with unlimited purchase protection, extended warranties, and travel accident insurance.

Citi Dividend Platinum Select Credit Card

This is a card for anyone who wants cash back rewards, but who plans on paying the card off every month. Customers receive 5% cash back on purchases at grocery stores, drug stores and gas stations, and 1% back for all other purchases. Citi offers a 0% APR on balance transfers for the first twelve months, but the regular APR is higher than the other cards being compared here. The cash back rewards are good, but this is not the card on which to carry a balance.

Citi offers the highest in security protection with a Photocard option and a fraud early warning block. They also provide Lost Wallet Protection, which means that if your card is lost or stolen, they will replace it within 24 hours.

Blue Cash from American Express

This is the perfect card for anyone who wants to share the benefits with a family member. Blue Cash offers up to 5% back on all purchases the most at drug stores, grocery stores, gas stations and home improvement stores and you receive the same cash back rewards with additional cards. That means that if your spouse, parent or child has a copy of the card, you earn cash back with their purchases as well.

Blue Cash offers a 0% introductory APR for the first six months, with a low regular APR afterwards. There is no annual fee, and no spending requirement to start receiving cash back. You might also want to check out American Express Smart Chip service with ID Keeper. This web tool allows you to store personal log-in and password information for the web so that you dont have to input your information every time you log on.

Cash back reward cards are an excellent way to get your feet wet in the credit card world. Try some of these on for size, and see what they have to offer. If youre going to be buying things anyway, you might as well reap additional benefits!

Many people believe that eventually, and sometime in the not so distant future, no one will carry cash in their pockets, and everything will be purchased using plastic. Others think that will happen around the same time that people start driving around in space cars, or when we have domesticated robot maids to clean our homes and make our meals. Whether it becomes a reality or not, its quite possible to live almost cashless in our current society!

Think about it. When you get gas, almost every gas station has a pay at the pump option. Grocery stores, department stores and almost anyplace where there is a cash register can accept credit or debit cards, and you can even pay your waiters a tip from your card when dining at the restaurant. Fast food and drive through windows are even accepting debit or credit cards, now! So, if a person truly wanted to stop carrying cash all together, it would just about be possible by using debit cards, prepaid credit cards or regular credit cards to handle all of your financial transactions.

As with any choice there are advantages associated with going cashless or not, as well as disadvantages. Using cash requires an in person transaction. You shouldnt mail cash through the postal service, as its very easily stolen, and you are unable to purchase online using cash. Cash however, helps maintain anonymity when you buy items or pay for services, where as a credit card reveals information about you to the vendors that you may not want them to have. Privacy is a concern, and using plastic means there is a chance for fraud or identity theft.

A problem many people have with credit cards is over spending. Its very easy to spend more than what your budget allows when you arent counting out the actual cash and seeing the hard earned money leave your hands. The Ill pay it later is much easier than saving money for that expensive purchase, and most of the time, something comes up that prevents us from paying it completely when later actually arrives. When using plastic for purchases, however, you are less likely to drop your card on the floor while pulling out one of your other credit cards like what often happens with cash. Have you ever stood behind someone in the grocery store line, and as theyre reaching in their wallet or purse for a 20, another couple of bills happens to fall out? Losing cash means its gone forever (unless some really nice soul sees it happen and gives it back to you!) but you do have some additional security when your credit cards are stolen.

The biggest disadvantage of going cashless is the amount of interest youll pay when you dont pay off your balances at the end of each month. It may be extremely convenient to swipe your card everywhere you go, but when your statement comes you better hope you have enough to cover it or else each of your purchases are going to cost you well more than the price tag indicated!

Deciding whether to carry cash or go cashless is a personal decision for now, as we still have the ability to use both. Its hard to say whether or not we will ever be forced to use only plastic, but you can bet if the credit card companies have their way we will become a cashless society! Until then, become familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of each option, and decide which will work for your personal financial habits and discipline.